'Heated Rivalry' and the Queer Need for Escape

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That cottage scene in "Heated Rivalry" isn't just good TV—it's basically our entire travel philosophy in one episode.

If you've been living under a rock, the breakout queer hockey series has the internet losing its mind, and its finale ,perfectly captures something we've all felt: that desperate need to escape, find a space where you can just be, and hold your person's hand without checking over your shoulder first.

In the season finale (streaming now on HBO Max if you're in the U.S.), our boys—Russian hockey star Ilya and American golden boy Shane—finally retreat to a remote cottage in Muskoka for two blissful weeks. No locker room tension. No furtive glances. Just two guys cooking, resting, and existing as themselves without performing for anyone.

It's the queer travel fantasy made manifest.

But here's the thing: this isn't new for us. As one writer put it, LGBTQ+ people have relied on distance and retreat as sanctuaries for generations—from Provincetown to Fire Island to the Russian River to Palm Springs. These spaces emerged at society's margins but gave us room to breathe, to fall in love, to imagine a different future.

The difference now? We don't have to gamble on finding a welcoming place. Companies like Brand G Vacations (bespoke trips for gay men), Olivia (queer women's retreats since 1990), and even mainstream sites like Airbnb and Expedia now flag LGBTQ+-friendly accommodations.

You can actually book your cottage moment knowing you're safe and wanted.

So yes, we're already betting cottage rentals across Canada are about to spike. Because "Heated Rivalry" just romanticized what we've always known: sometimes the best travel isn't about the destination. It's about the freedom to stop hiding.

Time to plan your own cottage moment?