Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski shares travel memories, from gay weekend escapes to finding queer joy at The Divine (EXCLUSIVE)

Following eight years on Queer Eye, Antoni Porowski has gone solo. His latest endeavour is Best of the World, a four-part travel series exploring Paris, Mexico, London and New York to discover authentic experiences, hidden gems and remarkable people that truly define each destination. He also serves as an executive producer on the programme, which is available to stream on Disney+ and National Geographic UK.

Attitude: What is your most memorable hotel experience? 

Antoni Porowski: It would have to be the very unique, tiny Japanese place in Paris where I stayed when we were filming called the Hotel Hana. There was the cutest little restaurant downstairs where you could get a chirashi bowl for dinner, but they also had a beautiful soft scrambled egg and this beautiful little porcelain dish with their sourdough sprinkled with togarashi [seasoning].

An LGBTQ+ historic landmark or destination that’s moved you unexpectedly? 

I was really touched by Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was just multiple generations of people from the LGBTQIA+ community, art installations, writers, cute little bookshops. You could go to a bar if that’s what you felt like doing, or you could just take simple walks on the beach. It was very calming and peaceful. I love a good music festival weekend with my buddies and raging out, but this, I left there feeling healed. Usually, when I leave a very gay weekend with my friends, I’m exhausted and I need a day to recoup. But this was very different. There was something very nourishing about being there, and the food was just incredible. I mean, you’re right by the water, so no shortage of lobster and incredible seafood. 

On what trip did you feel the most queer joy? 

It was going to The Divine drag bar in London, which for me has always been one of the most intimidating places to be. I think I have social anxiety in general, and the energy is so carefree. When you’re around people who are so unabashedly themselves, at first there’s something that’s intimidating because it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m not that comfortable in my skin.’ But then, I want to be, so I want to try to figure out how to let loose and be part of this community. There was this alt quality to where they took drag while I was in east London; it was really refreshing, cool, gritty, insanely creative, chaotic and all over the place in the best way possible, with a strong foundation of just cheering on all of these drag queens and kings and everything in between. It was unexpected filming a show how much fun I had during the performance. I actually lost my voice the next day. 

Of the Queer Eye locations, which do you most recommend to friends? 

Tokyo. It was nice to be somewhere where you go into a store and nothing is written in English – I’m using Google Lens to try to translate. It feels nice to just be uncomfortable and realise I am completely lost here. And there’s a sense of abandon where you give up to the culture and you fully lean in. And from 7-Eleven, the most incredible egg sandwiches I’ve ever had – to an omakase tasting at the Barney’s of tempura, which I thought I was going to feel violently ill from with all of the fried stuff, but these pieces danced over oil. It worked almost like an air fryer where they were just barely crisp and not oily and greasy at all.

Is there a questionable street food or local delicacy you’ve ever had to eat out of pure politeness? 

I still think about it to this day. We were in Kuching in Sarawak in Borneo when I was filming No Taste Like Home. We had a production dinner the night before we started filming, and we saw durian on the menu and I was like, ‘OK, I’ve heard the stories; it smells like this or that.’ I’m like, ‘We have to get to the bottom of this and try it.’ It was a durian stew. It was light yellow. It was goopy. A camera op described it perfectly: raw, sharp garlic with a very ripe Camembert. 

Do you have one diva item that you refuse to travel without? 

I probably have a lot. My silk Slip mask – Slip is a brand that does these silk eye masks. The ones on planes are really nice, but to have a silk one is really lush. Hästens – which is the mattress company – they make these little booties that are just filled with down that are so impossibly cosy, and my partner makes fun of me because they look ridiculous and I’ve worn them in airports before. I’m obsessed with them.  

This is a feature appearing in issue 371 of Attitude magazine, on sale in print and digital on 3 July. Pre-order Attitude magazine issue 371 in print now, or in digital on the links below on Apple News+ and the Attitude app.