RIGA
Eastern Europe may not be the first place you think of as a gay travel destination, and I felt the same when I was invited to visit Riga. Although Latvia has been in the European Union since 2006, its history as part of the Soviet Union and its shared border with Russia means gay people can still view this part of the world as being a bit dubious – or associate it purely with stag parties, which locals are now discouraging on account of disruptive behaviour which, on many occasions, culminated in English lads pissing on their Freedom Monument. Cheers guys! Thankfully, Riga’s tourism industry is slowly understanding that gay travellers are much less hassle and Latvia became the first Baltic state to successfully host Euro Pride this June.