Whether it’s Palm Springs or Tibet, LGBT+ travel companies are taking their clients on dream vacations all over the world — including places with strict anti-gay laws and social attitudes.
Dan Ware, founder of the Chicago-based LGBT+ travel company Toto Tours, says this is a huge market. He says he has taken people to the most beautiful places in the world, from the jaw-dropping Himalayas to the kaleidoscopic cultures of India. But consensual same-sex relations are criminalized in over 60 countries, and are punishable by death in at least 11 countries.
LGBT+ travelers can still explore the world, but they often need to take extra precautions. Ware joined LAist’s public affairs show "AirTalk," which airs on 89.3 FM, to discuss the growing LGBT+ travel market and offer some tips for how to travel safely around the world.
A trusted local network
Ware says through his own travels, he has built a network of local partners throughout the world to take care of his clients when they reach their destinations, relying on their recommendations for hotels. When putting together a new tour, he says, he first visits the country on his own to identify these guides.
“Having been in business over 30 years, I have amazing contacts throughout the world, who have served my community beautifully over many, many decades,” Ware says.
These guides also help them identify memorable LGBT+-friendly travel excursions. For example, his group stayed with the LGBT+ activist and first openly gay prince of India, Manvendra Singh Gohil, who hosted them in his palace and toured the state of Gujarat with them.
Ware says that about three weeks before departure, he sends his clients a large packet of information preparing them for travel, including on the legal status of LGBT+ people and tips on how to dress and behave to minimize risk.
He takes two steps every time his group is about to depart to a potentially unsafe country: He sets up a WhatsApp group for a quick and central source of communication, and he registers the entire group with the State Department’s Safe Travelers Enrollment (STEP) program. That ensures that the department has their contact information and can reach out with advisories in case there are new developments to be aware of in the destination country.
A drive for adventure
Ed Salvato, an LGBT+ travel marketing expert, says that visitors travel with a privilege that local LGBT+ individuals don’t always have, knowing that they typically will not be prosecuted during a vacation. Even so, these concerns are always at the back of their minds, he says.
But LGBT individuals tend to prioritize travel, Salvato says. Their travel expenditures add up to over $200 billion dollars, a significant share of the U.S. travel market. And during times of economic slowdown, like the Great Recession and the pandemic, LGBT+ travelers tend to be the first ones to start traveling again.
In travel spaces, he says, LGBT+ people are even known as tastemakers or social bellwethers: the people who go to a new destination about 18 months before it becomes a trend.
Sometimes they go to places within the U.S. that are iconic gay destinations, like Palm Springs, Provincetown, Massachusetts or Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“These are places where people have been able to go and just simply exhale for a week and say, ‘I can hold my partner's hand and I'm not going to get a funny look. I'm not going to get a harsh word thrown my way,’” Salvato says.
But even when venturing into less welcoming spaces, where they might have to change the way they dress or worry for their safety on the streets, Salvato says LGBT+ travelers are undeterred.
“You keep going because we're resilient,” Salvato says. “You keep going because you love to travel to all the greatest places.”
Tips for traveling safe
Here's how Dan and Ed, and the U.S. State Department say LGBTQ+ travelers can ensure a safe trip abroad:
- Do your homework — know the laws of the country you're planning to visit, and check the U.S. State Department's list of travel advisories to make sure there are no active warnings.
- Make sure all of your documents are up to date, especially your passport. The State Department warns that sometimes, LGBTQ+ travelers will encounter issues at customs if the photo and gender on the passport does not correspond with your gender identity.
- If you can, find an LGBTQ+-friendly tour operator who can help you identify safe locations, hotels, restaurants and activities in the country you're planning to visit.
- Register with the U.S. State Department's Safe Travelers Enrollment Program (STEP) to get security and travel updates from the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country you're visiting, and allows them to contact you in the event of an emergency.
- While you're there, keep your head about you. The State Department says to be cautious if you're staying in an LGBTQ+ resort or neighborhood, particularly if you plan to venture outside that area, because sometimes surrounding areas are not as accepting. They also note to be cautious of new "friends" who might be trying to take advantage of LGBTQ+ travelers, and to be careful of entrapment schemes in which local authorities will monitor apps, websites and meeting places.
The State Department also has a resource page for LGBTQ+ travelers that includes safe travel tips and links to other resources
