Curaçao: Discover the LGBTQ-friendly island of your white-sand, turquoise-water fantasies
Click here to read our recent article in Gay City News.
These LGBTQ travel tips form the basis of a recent Skyscanner article I contributed to.
When searching for LGBTQ-friendly travel options, it is challenging to identify providers who are true allies amidst the many whose efforts do not extend much farther than a rainbow flag at their hotel during Pride month.
For involved travel planning book with an LGBTQ+ travel advisor like Kelli Carpenter, (Kcarpenter@tzell.com) a member of the Tzell Travel Group. Kelli is a seasoned travel expert and a member of our community. She understands that resorts who declare that “all are welcome” may not truly include us. She’ll make sure you’re seen, celebrated and affirmed. Kelli and business partner Gregg Kaminsky also offer full-charter LGBTQ+ river cruises on Uniworld ships in Europe and LGBTQ+ family groups on mainstream cruises via R Family Vacations.
When choosing accommodations, hotel chains like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Accor offer their customer-facing staff a minimal level of LGBTQ+ training. For luxurious and LGBTQ-welcoming accommodations try Preferred Hotels and Belmond, which also offers train journeys, safaris, and river cruises. Booking.com is rolling out inclusive hospitality training across their extensive, global network of accommodations. Look for listings that have been “Proud Certified.” AirBnB doesn’t offer an easy way to search for LGBTQ-friendly hosts so try MisterBnB.com or FabStayz queer-owned, queer-managed, or queer-welcoming lodging.
When in a destination, gay, bi, queer and trans people can leverage dating apps like Grindr or Scruff to seek out up-to-date, gay-friendly recommendations like tonight’s hot restaurant or cool events over the weekend. Just be transparent in your profile and messaging about what you’re seeking (recommendations, friendship or more).
Despite rumblings over Coronavirus variants, African safaris re increasingly popular with LGBTQ+ travelers even though homosexuality and non-normative gender identity are criminalized in many jurisdictions throughout the continent. Book with Wild Rainbow African Safaris, which offers a variety of safari options all led by out owner Jody Cole, who is one of the few American women holding two of the highest certifications from the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa.
LGBTQ Travel Safety
LGBTQ travel safety is incredibly important but largely unknown and ignored by travel marketers. If you promote your destination, hotel or brand to the LGBTQ segment but you don’t understand LGBTQ travel safety, you are doing only have the job you need to do. Want to learn more? Ask me!
One of my most successful semi-annual LGBTQ Travel Safety Twitter Chats which I organize and in association with the U.S. State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs and run with key participating partners: CDC, TSA, Human Rights Watch, OutRight Action International, IGLTA and others. This activation in June 2019 reached nearly 5 million users and generated over 44 million impressions.
The LGBTQ Travel Expert. Educator. Speaker. Author. 