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You’re reading Cheers to Travels Letters, a slow newsletter about living, loving, and traveling on our own terms. Each edition shares real stories, lessons, and moments from life as digital nomads and a throuple, exploring the world with purpose, connection, and curiosity.
Let’s wander together..
LETTER NO 6
Love Without Borders: Finding Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ and Polyamorous Travelers
There’s something incredibly freeing about traveling as yourself - openly, unapologetically, lovingly.
But if you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, or in a polyamorous relationship like ours, you know that freedom isn’t always guaranteed once you cross a border. Some places wrap you in warmth and inclusion. Others… make you shrink a little, hold hands more carefully, or hide what should never need hiding.
This week, we wanted to share something practical and personal, a guide to where love feels safe, and where it still faces risk. It’s not about fearmongering; it’s about awareness.
Because safety, for us, isn’t just about laws. It’s about how people look at you when you kiss your partner(s) goodbye at the airport, how hotel staff react when you ask for one bed, and whether you can dance together without side eyes or whispers.
We gathered insights from trusted global sources - ILGA-Europe, the Williams Institute, Human Dignity Trust, and others and put together two lists:
Countries that are embracing love in all its forms, and those where visibility can still come with danger.
You’ll find both tables below, easy to save, share, or upload to your Notion workspace for future trips.
Because loving freely shouldn’t require research, but for now, it still does.
And until the world catches up, awareness is our passport to safety.
✅ Safer Countries
These countries generally combine strong legal rights for LGBTQ+ people, higher social acceptance, and a somewhat more open environment for non-traditional relationship styles (though polyamory remains largely unrecognized globally).
Iceland
Legal status: Same-sex sexual activity legal since 1940; same-sex marriage legal since 2010; full adoption rights since 2006.
Social acceptance: Ranked among the most accepting in the world.
Relationship diversity: While polyamory marriages aren’t legally recognized, Iceland’s strong legal and social protections for LGBTQ+ people make it one of the more comfortable jurisdictions for relationship diversity in general.
Why safe: Clear legal equality + broad societal support + low risk of criminalisation.
Netherlands
Legal status: One of the earliest to legalise same-sex marriage, strong anti-discrimination laws. (See general global acceptance data)
Social acceptance: High scores on acceptance indices.
Relationship diversity: While still monogamous marriage-focused, the legal infrastructure and progressive culture make it more friendly to non-traditional families.
Why safe: Legal recognition + longstanding LGBTQ+ rights culture.
Sweden
Legal status & social acceptance: Among the top countries for LGBTQ+ acceptance globally.
Relationship diversity: Progressive social policies, recognition of varied family forms, though polyamory as such isn’t legally recognised yet.
Why safe: Strong protection, inclusive social values, reliable legal environment.
Canada
Legal status: Same-sex marriage legal since 2005; broad human rights protections.
Social acceptance: Among the most accepting countries for LGBTQ+ people.
Relationship diversity: While full polyamory recognition is lacking, there are increasing moves and legal discussions around non-traditional families and multiple-partner households.
Why safe: Legal + social support + expanding recognition of relationship diversity.
Malta
Legal status: One of the most advanced in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights (constitutionally protected, ban on conversion therapy, etc).
Social acceptance: Strong support for same-sex couples and protections for trans/intersex people.
Relationship diversity: While polyamory isn’t formally recognised, the culture and laws are among the most inclusive globally.
Why safe: Legal protections + inclusive society + strong norms for equality.
❌ Less Safe Countries
These are countries where LGBTQ+ people face serious legal and/or social risks, and where relationship diversity (including polyamory) gets little or no recognition.
Iran
Legal status: Same-sex acts remain punishable under law (lashes / death penalty reported) for men.
Social acceptance: Very low; strong state and social hostility to LGBTQ+ identities.
Relationship diversity: Polyamory or non-monogamous relationships have no legal recognition and would face enormous risk.
Why not safe: Criminalisation of LGBTQ+ acts, risk of severe punishment, very low acceptance.
Saudi Arabia
Legal status: Same-sex sexual activity illegal and punished severely under Sharia-based laws.
Social acceptance: Extremely low.
Relationship diversity: No recognition for LGBTQ+ or polyamorous relationships; any public expression may encounter legal / social risk.
Why not safe: Severe legal penalties, very conservative environment, virtually no acceptability.
Uganda
Legal status: Same-sex sexual activity illegal; new laws increase severity of penalties.
Social acceptance: Very low, with reports of harassment, discrimination, violence.
Relationship diversity: Non-traditional relationships face extreme risk and no recognition.
Why not safe: Legal criminalisation + hostile social environment + rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Jamaica
Legal status: Same-sex sexual acts illegal (up to 10 years hard labour), societal and institutional discrimination prevalent.
Social acceptance: Very low; strong stigma and violence reported.
Relationship diversity: Non-traditional relationships including polyamory unsupported and likely face stigma or worse.
Why not safe: Legal risk + deep societal hostility + unsafe environment for openness.
Sudan
Legal status: Same-sex sexual activity illegal; severe penalties (including death in some areas) under Sharia in certain regions.
Social acceptance: Very low; high risk of persecution for LGBTQ+.
Relationship diversity: Non-traditional relationships effectively invisible, no legal or social protection.
Why not safe: Legal outlawing of LGBTQ+, harsh punishments, near-zero acceptance.
⚠️ Notes & Caveats
Regarding polyamory (multiple consensual romantic/sexual relationships beyond two people), data is limited. Globally almost no country currently legally recognises polyamorous marriages in the same way as monogamous ones.
Legal status for same-sex relationships does not automatically mean full safety (social acceptance, local enforcement, culture all matter).
Conversely, a country may not have legal recognition of polyamory yet still be socially open but legal risk remains.
“Safe” here means relative safety compared to global norms, not zero risk.
Laws and social attitudes can change quickly, always check recent travel or human rights resources if planning travel or relocation.
📚 Key Resources & Sites
Williams Institute – “Social Acceptance of LGBTI People in 175 Countries” report.
ILGA‑Europe – Rainbow Map / Index of legal & policy environment for LGBTI people.
Equaldex – Equality Index ranking of LGBTQ+ rights worldwide.
Travel safety / risk advisories (e.g., U.S. Department of State “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Travelers Travel Information”).
Polyamory legal discussions: e.g., Harvard Law School article “Polyamory and the law”.
Data on legal status of polygamy / multiple-partner recognition: e.g., World Population Review article “Countries Where Polygamy is Legal”.
TRAVEL GEMS
Our Favorite Finds
▶ Favorite LGBTQ+ Friendly City: Lisbon - Warm, artistic, and open-hearted. The Bairro Alto district buzzes with queer nightlife, and the city’s Pride celebration feels like a street festival of pure joy. We never once felt like we had to explain who we were, people just smiled, danced, and welcomed us in.
▶ Little Booking Tip:: If you’re booking an Airbnb or hotel as a throuple, message the host ahead of time, not to ask permission, but to gauge comfort. You’ll know instantly if it’s a safe space, and if they reply warmly, that’s usually your green light.
▶ Gear That Actually Made Life Easier: Airtags!
▶ Quote That’s Inspiring Our Travels: You are exactly where you need to be
NOTES FROM US
Travel Safety
Ava with Milo in their van
When we travel together, we carry more than luggage.
We carry each other’s safety, stories, and the quiet wish that someday, no one will have to google which countries are safe to love in.
Being a throuple means navigating double-takes, questions, and sometimes, the fear of being misunderstood. But it also means moving through the world with more love to give, to each other and to the strangers who remind us that kindness still exists everywhere.
Every new country teaches us something about visibility. Sometimes, it’s a lesson in courage. Other times, it’s in quiet protection, the decision to hold hands a little less, not because we’re ashamed, but because we know love deserves to last the journey.
Wherever you are, and whoever you love, travel smart, stay open, and keep finding your safe places, not just on the map, but in the people who make you feel at home.