June is a massive moment for the LGBTQ+ community, but we’re big believers in celebrating queer joy all year round. It’s a vibrant, unapologetic celebration of identity, but it’s also a continued push for visibility, equality, and the right to simply take up space.
For Pride this year, we teamed up with our pals at Take It Easy Lab to dish out Pride Roamer Kits to five epic queer creatives - including a film camera to capture their adventures.
Trading screen time for trail time is non-negotiable in our search for meaningful escapism, so throughout June, our incredible creators got snap-happy and logged their versions of meaningful escapism, writing a few words along the way about what fuels them, where they find their people, and the offline escapes they seek out to settle the mind.
Let’s get into it.
Callum Heinrich
He/Him, London
@callumxheinrich | @hixecommunity
- Where is your favorite place in nature to roam and disconnect from screens?
Location: Surrey Hills
There are almost too many to choose from, but I’ve got to say the Surrey Hills, it’s become my second home this past year. These unbelievable green hills with even more unbelievable views from the tops have so many routes weaving and connecting them that I’ve taken days at a time just wandering, settling my mind, finding hidden spots and admiring the views.
- Who is your favorite queer author right now, and what book do you love most?
Author: Vaneet Mehta | Book: Bisexual Men Exist
I’m not much of a reader, I won’t lie… However, there is an incredible author called Vaneet Mehta who wrote a book called “Bisexual Men Exist”. As a bisexual man myself, one of the biggest problems I face is bi-erasure and lack of representation, so to have a book that felt like a reflection genuinely brought me to tears. Without representation or reflection, we feel alone, and I can promise you that we never are.
- Who is your favorite queer artist, and what song do you keep coming back to?
Artist: Orville Peck | Song: Bronco
I have him tattooed on my leg, but my top queer artist of all time is Orville Peck. If you’ve never heard of him, look him up but in his own words, he’s a perfect blend of Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash. My song I always come back to of his is “Bronco” when the guitar comes in, I’m ready to kick a door down.
- What is your favorite queer-owned café, bar, bookstore, or community space?
Space: Community Sauna Baths @communitysaunabaths
Hands down, the community sauna baths. I mainly attend the Hackney Wick site, where I visit around 2-3 times a week. It’s the most beautiful space, queer-led and inclusive. There’s something so beautiful about sitting in a sauna with a huge diversity of people, all body types and flowing in and out of conversations. It’s a staple of my week and I couldn’t be more thankful for this space.
Kajsa Bentesdatter Sande and Lisa Wennersberg Simao
She/Her, Lofoten Islands
- Where is your favorite place in nature to roam and disconnect from screens?
Location: In the mountains in our backyard in the Lofoten Islands in Norway.
- Who is your favorite queer artist, and what song do you keep coming back to?
Artist: Girl in Red | Song: We Fell In Love In October.
- What is your favorite queer-owned café, bar, bookstore, or community space?
Space: Everyday Social Gay Club @everydaysocialgayclub
Matty Hyndman
He/Him, Edinburgh
- Where is your favorite place in nature to roam and disconnect from screens?
Anywhere in nature! My ethos is less about specific places and tourist hotspots and more about appreciating the nature that exists all around us. Noticing it every day. I live right by Arthur’s seat in Edinburgh, and it brings me so much joy to really get to know a place and see it change with the seasons.
- Who is your favorite queer author right now, and what book do you love most?
Author: Douglas Stuart | Book: John of John
He writes about gay stories in Scotland. I am Northern Irish but his recent book John of John set on the Isle of Lewis really resonated with me. The religious setting, the religious beliefs, all felt very familiar.
- Who is your favorite queer artist, and what song do you keep coming back to?
Artist: Jacob Alon | Song: Fairy in a bottle
Jacob Alon! If you do not know them, you must listen. “Fairy in a bottle” is stunning. It’s so ethereal and devastating. I was lucky enough to see them in Edinburgh recently.
- What is your favorite queer-owned café, bar, bookstore, or community space?
Bar: Regent Bar, Abbeyhill
Shop / Gallery: Bard, Leith @bard.scotland
I love the Regent Bar in Abbeyhill. It’s kind of like an old man’s pub, but it’s queer. It’s not modern like most soulless modern venues are, but it’s bright and colourful and vibrant.
I also must mention Bard in Leith, owned by the lovely Hugo and James. It is a shop and gallery focusing on Scottish crafts and makers, with a real spotlight on heritage and traditional crafts.
Amelia Le Brun
She/They, North Norfolk
- Where is your favorite place in nature to roam and disconnect from screens?
I am always drawn to the mountains, and anywhere I can swim - lakes, streams, creeks the ocean (especially in the Summer). Together with my girlfriend and our rescue dogs we spend a lot of time on the road, travelling both in the UK and into Europe in our classic bay window. Having our van as a safe space is super important to us when we’re on the road.
- Who is your favorite queer author right now, and what book do you love most?
Author: Layne Fargo | Book: They Never Learn (sapphic psychological thriller)
- Who is your favorite queer artist, and what song do you keep coming back to?
Artist: Christine and The Queens (Rahim Redcar) | Song: Girlfriend
- What is your favorite queer-owned café, bar, bookstore, or community space?
Cafe: Yas Bean @yasssbean, Macclesfield
As I frequently travel up North via The Peak District, I always try to stop in at Yas Bean (@yasssbean). The most perfect pink facade and INCREDIBLE coffee (plus vegan bakes), it’s a great place to fuel up in the van. (Did I mention they’re also dog friendly!)
Tadhg O’Brien
He/Him, Dublin
- Where is your favorite place in nature to roam and disconnect from screens?
Location: Lough Bray
Lately, I love going to a lake that is only 15 minutes from me. It's got no service. It's perfect as it's surrounded by a beautiful mountain. I love to reset with a dip in the lake and just chill by the lakeside. It's a perfect place to disconnect and relax.
- Who is your favorite queer author right now, and what book do you love most?
Author: Ocean Vuong | Book: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
It's up there with one of my favourite books of all time. It's such a beautifully written book. Almost poetic in style and creates a real romance around love and the journey of discovering and accepting ourselves.
- Who is your favorite queer artist, and what song do you keep coming back to?
Artist: Tim Chadwick | Song: Hey, Gay Boy
He's an Irish artist based in Dublin. I've been listening to Tim for years. I first discovered him when he was opening up for another artist 6 years ago, when I was still in college. I was out at the time but was still very reserved. From then on, I was listening to his music sporadically.
I host living room shows in Dublin with my housemates, and we held one recently where Tim played a live acoustic set. He hadn't played live in 2 years, so this was a big step for him. He played 5 songs, and 'Hey, Gay Boy' was one of the songs. The honesty and courage that it took for Tim to play was admirable, but to play such a vulnerable song in an intimate setting like that, created an energy in the room that I had never felt before. Even though I've listened to this song many times before, hearing it live in an intimate setting allowed me to connect with it on a new level. It was emotional and beautiful and liberating and just such a unique experience to be a part of.
- What is your favorite queer-owned café, bar, bookstore, or community space?
The Outhouse, Dublin @outhouse_dublin - an amazing Queer cafe and community space in Dublin.
The George, Dublin @thegeorgedublin - The George is an iconic gay club in Dublin. What it stands for and represents is inspiring for anyone who needs a role model in the community.
Two Boys Brew, Dublin @twoboysbrew - an amazing cafe for coffee and food.
Street 66 @street66dublin - an amazing queer club with the best music.
Mother Dublin @motherdublin - Mother knows how to throw a party. The music they play is just fun and always a great time is had - we love it!
Out&About Hiking @outandabouthiking - a queer hiking club that is inclusive, and brings people together in the outdoors to connect with each other and nature.
Throwing Shapes @throwingshapes - a queer-friendly pottery space that supports the community by organising queer-specific events.
For Pride 2026, Passenger has made a donation to the LGBT Foundation, a national charity with LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing at its heart. They provide services and activities that give a lifeline to those in need. You can find out more about their work and donate if you wish, below:
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