beyond the being trans elsewhere in the world thing, I'm also nervous about CBP fucking with anyone who's been politically active. my name is on enough stuff because org stuff that it's conceivable that they'd harass me for being a not-white trans leftist. like I got second-hand reports of someone being held for a while and their footprint was muuuch smaller because they weren't really politically active. so I would consider if you have similar risks before traveling. the law doesn't really apply and re-entering puts you entirely in their mercy. that said, I'm going to have to risk it for work whenever they decide it's safe so...
I haven't been overseas since transitioning so I don't have advice on that part. I will say that security is much easier to manage when I wear makeup and I pass, at least to the TSA. I'm small enough that a secure tuck doesn't flag as odd on their scanners but obviously YMMV.
one thing going for you in traveling abroad is that the less familiar people are with trans people, the easier it is to pass. so one option, if it's viable for you, is to focus on passing 100%. the other option is trying to pass as a cis dude, but you might get read as gay, and that can be dangerous in its own way. this part also worries me and it's just a question of which way can you pass more easily, it's totally possible the answer is neither, and even if you do have a solid option, the risk is always there.
sorry if this comes off super negative, would rather state the risks though, just in case you're not aware.
Nepal 100%, Although I heard they’ve been hit badly by COVID sadly. I’ve never encountered more genuinely friendly and hospitable people, and not just because they’re hoping for tourist money. + the Himalayas are something you can’t go past, incredible scenery and if you like to partake of the devils lettuce you can head into the mountains for day walks where it literally grows like a weed along the walking paths. One memorable moment was seeing a group of young boys fighting each other with huge branches of the stuff and discarding it in the dirt after, which in another country probably would have been the equivalent of a few hundred $ or a couple weeks wages by Nepalese standards. Crazy and a bit sad to think about. But If you do think about going feel free to hit me up, still have a few contacts there who I am sure would be more then happy to pick up some extra business.
The Olympic Rainforest in Washington is very nice. Also the Cascades, same area. If you want rocks and trees and water then it's hard to find bigger trees growing out of bigger rocks with more water. If you're roadtripping from the east you'll see the Dakotas (30 minutes worth of beautiful vistas condensed into eight hours), Wyoming (same shit plus hills, take the detour to Yellowstone), the Rockies (they really are quite rocky, it's cool), and eastern Washington (a cool grassy desert, if you're not sick of grass by now). Coming from the south, if you stay on the east side of those states, there's a lot of cool deserts, redwood forests, and mountains with old mining towns (but I would be very worried about a trans person trying to travel eastern Oregon).
Also would recommend New Zealand in general, just an incredibly varied countryside full of very nice people. If you're going try to get a flight with Hawaiian Air - they've jerryrigged a lot of their flight tables so that all the flights across the Pacific are cheaper if you accept a day-long layover. Which, being in Hawaii, is not much of a burden.
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beyond the being trans elsewhere in the world thing, I'm also nervous about CBP fucking with anyone who's been politically active. my name is on enough stuff because org stuff that it's conceivable that they'd harass me for being a not-white trans leftist. like I got second-hand reports of someone being held for a while and their footprint was muuuch smaller because they weren't really politically active. so I would consider if you have similar risks before traveling. the law doesn't really apply and re-entering puts you entirely in their mercy. that said, I'm going to have to risk it for work whenever they decide it's safe so...
I haven't been overseas since transitioning so I don't have advice on that part. I will say that security is much easier to manage when I wear makeup and I pass, at least to the TSA. I'm small enough that a secure tuck doesn't flag as odd on their scanners but obviously YMMV.
one thing going for you in traveling abroad is that the less familiar people are with trans people, the easier it is to pass. so one option, if it's viable for you, is to focus on passing 100%. the other option is trying to pass as a cis dude, but you might get read as gay, and that can be dangerous in its own way. this part also worries me and it's just a question of which way can you pass more easily, it's totally possible the answer is neither, and even if you do have a solid option, the risk is always there.
sorry if this comes off super negative, would rather state the risks though, just in case you're not aware.
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If you are american they just let you into mexico, i recommend going to the piramid of the sun and getting into a tour bus in mexico city.
Also i recommend a restaurant in mexico city called potzollcalli its the best
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You could go London and shake your head at the incredibly wealth on display, see the cool shit like the tower of london, censored a TERF, etc...
it's seriously a cool place to visit. I wanna go back (went for a week last year).
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I know a transwoman who traveled to north korea and didn't have any problems so you could always do that.
Antarctica if you can afford it. Untouched, glorious nature. I plan to go once we can start travelling again!
Nepal 100%, Although I heard they’ve been hit badly by COVID sadly. I’ve never encountered more genuinely friendly and hospitable people, and not just because they’re hoping for tourist money. + the Himalayas are something you can’t go past, incredible scenery and if you like to partake of the devils lettuce you can head into the mountains for day walks where it literally grows like a weed along the walking paths. One memorable moment was seeing a group of young boys fighting each other with huge branches of the stuff and discarding it in the dirt after, which in another country probably would have been the equivalent of a few hundred $ or a couple weeks wages by Nepalese standards. Crazy and a bit sad to think about. But If you do think about going feel free to hit me up, still have a few contacts there who I am sure would be more then happy to pick up some extra business.
I'm a big fan of Lake Constance, personally. The whole area is just eye-breakingly beautiful.
The Olympic Rainforest in Washington is very nice. Also the Cascades, same area. If you want rocks and trees and water then it's hard to find bigger trees growing out of bigger rocks with more water. If you're roadtripping from the east you'll see the Dakotas (30 minutes worth of beautiful vistas condensed into eight hours), Wyoming (same shit plus hills, take the detour to Yellowstone), the Rockies (they really are quite rocky, it's cool), and eastern Washington (a cool grassy desert, if you're not sick of grass by now). Coming from the south, if you stay on the east side of those states, there's a lot of cool deserts, redwood forests, and mountains with old mining towns (but I would be very worried about a trans person trying to travel eastern Oregon).
Also would recommend New Zealand in general, just an incredibly varied countryside full of very nice people. If you're going try to get a flight with Hawaiian Air - they've jerryrigged a lot of their flight tables so that all the flights across the Pacific are cheaper if you accept a day-long layover. Which, being in Hawaii, is not much of a burden.