Attitude wins Travel Section of the Year at the TravMedia Awards 2026
The award marks Attitude’s second major industry win in less than a week, following its Consumer Event of the Year triumph at the PPA Awards
Travel content has long been a fundamental part of Attitude’s editorial offering.
Flicking through the archive at Attitude HQ, I select a 20-year-old issue – issue 146, June 2006, fronted by a lean, bare-chested and suitably “Filthy Gorgeous” Danny Dyer – and turn to the Travel section, where a feature dedicated to New York catches my eye.
More specifically, it is the ‘Getting There’ section that stops me. The writer lists Virgin Atlantic as the go-to airline to book, beginning with the Economy fare before adding: “But if you can, go for the Upper Class fare with access to the new super-swish Upper Class Lounge at Heathrow and your very own horizontal bed in flight… Worth it – honestly.”
Perhaps said writer had a touch of intuition, casually plugging an airline that would, in years to come, become one of Attitude’s most treasured and long-standing brand partners.
Luxury escapes, destination guides and first-person features
Fast forward two decades and Attitude’s travel section, led by Travel Editor Markus Bidaux, continues to approach travel through a uniquely LGBTQ+ lens. Alongside luxury escapes, destination guides and first-person features, today’s travel coverage explores safety, visibility, rights, community and the political realities queer travellers must navigate when crossing borders.
The 2006 feature’s recommendations on where to stay, eat, shop, drink and party remain intriguing – Googling to see which businesses have survived is an editorial rabbit hole in itself – but it is hard not to consider how much more the LGBTQ+ traveller of 2026 must now weigh up before packing a bag.
Attitude takes the title of Consumer Magazine Travel Section of the Year at the TravMedia Awards 2026
That evolution is precisely what makes Attitude’s latest industry recognition feel so significant. Marking the title’s second major industry win in less than a week, Attitude has been named Consumer Magazine Travel Section of the Year at the TravMedia Awards 2026.
The award, presented at The Londoner in Leicester Square on Monday 22 June, recognised Attitude’s distinctive, agenda-setting travel coverage: journalism that goes beyond destination round-ups to explore what travel means for LGBTQ+ people around the world.
In its winning submission, Attitude’s travel coverage was described as “a vital cultural compass” for LGBTQ+ travellers, combining high-end lifestyle journalism with a commitment to safety, activism and authentic representation.
LGBTQ+ travel stories from Curaçao to Taiwan
Rather than treating travel simply as escapism, Bidaux’s editorial leadership has consistently explored the emotional, social and political dimensions of seeing the world as an LGBTQ+ person. From spotlighting queer-owned projects and local communities in destinations where LGBTQ+ rights remain restricted, to celebrating queer joy in places from Curaçao to Taiwan, the section has championed the belief that travel can be beautiful, but also brave.
It is a powerful example of a brand that has evolved to serve its audience not only as they were, but as they are now: increasingly conscious of the freedoms, risks and responsibilities that come with moving through the world.
Darren Styles OBE praises Attitude travel editorial coverage as “authentic, original stories of discovery”
Darren Styles OBE, Publisher of Attitude, said: “We are delighted that Attitude’s breadth and depth of travel coverage has been recognised in this way. Data has long told us that the LGBTQ+ community travels further and more often than most, spends more and is more inclined to turn left on a plane. That’s why we’ve had a dedicated Travel Editor in Markus Bidaux for a number of years and a wider team prepared to put in the hard yards to share authentic, original stories of discovery. Content, as ever, is king.”
Bidaux added: “To have an LGBTQ+ title awarded Best Consumer Magazine Travel Section of the Year by TravMedia is an honour. With attitudes and rights swinging against our community, having a magazine that embraces the luxury of travel as well as telling the stories of destinations that restrict our rights is essential – borders should not restrict where we venture. We hope our travel section helps our readers navigate this beautiful planet.”
Attitude’s annual Travel Special remains a key moment in the magazine’s editorial calendar, while travel continues to be one of the title’s most significant editorial pillars throughout the year.
Attitude takes home Consumer Event of the Year at the PPA Awards 2026
The win follows Attitude’s triumph at the PPA Awards 2026 last week, where the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards 2025, powered by Jaguar, was named Consumer Event of the Year.
Together, the two awards speak to the breadth of Attitude’s cultural footprint: from live events that break through to mainstream media across the world, to editorial storytelling that informs, inspires and insists that LGBTQ+ people have a right to the world.
In a week that has already celebrated Attitude for its unshakeable brand power, this TravMedia win celebrates another essential part of the brand’s identity: journalism with beauty, bravery and purpose. And turning left on an aircraft, of course.