These Travel Companies Are Making Big Moves to Help LGBTQ Travelers

“I’ve made it my mission to encourage more Black LGBTQ travelers like me to explore the world,” says Michael Henderson. After years of being the go-to journey planner for his household and buddies, Henderson launched his personal company, B.A.G. Travel, in 2021. Today, he’s coordinating group departures to nations together with South Africa and Thailand, with an eye fixed to serving to his queer purchasers navigate points like when and the place it’s thought-about acceptable to point out affection.

He’s additionally consultant of a booming ecosystem of specialist advisors and area of interest tour operators which might be serving to particular segments of the queer group discover the right journey.

For Brand G Vacations, which organizes cruises for homosexual males, group journeys are about greater than only a good time. “I’m not saying we don’t have fun, but the community and the destination are the driving factors for us,” says Brian Van Wey, cofounder of the tour operator, which collaborates with strains corresponding to Atlas Ocean Voyages. The firm additionally arranges land excursions to locations corresponding to India and Mongolia, which some queer vacationers could also be skeptical of visiting. “Traveling together gives us the opportunity to bring awareness and acceptance to those destinations,” Van Wey says. 

One long-established participant is Olivia, which has coordinated cruises and retreats for queer ladies since 1990. Over the years, Olivia has hosted greater than 350,000 visitors on full-ship buyouts, resort takeovers, and different journeys, in locations from the Maldives to Morocco.

Mainstream manufacturers are following the lead of those specialists. Though Lindblad Expeditions doesn’t promote this truth, captains of the road’s U.S.-flagged vessels can legally officiate same-sex ceremonies. One significantly memorable union occurred in 2018, says Noah Brodsky, the corporate’s chief business officer. Lucho Verdesoto, a marine biologist, and Javier Cotin, an ornithologist, met whereas working for Lindblad and determined to tie the knot aboard the National Geographic Explorer.

More Brands Making Strides

Preferred Hotels & Resorts launched its Preferred Pride program in 2011 to highlight properties that decide to variety coaching for their employees.

Virgin Atlantic up to date its gender identification coverage in 2022; airport and flight crews can now select any uniform. Travelers, in the meantime, can choose the gender-neutral title Mx. or record their gender as U (Undisclosed) or X (Unspecified). 

Delta Air Lines additionally provides a broader selection of identifiers, together with Mx., U, and X.

Lindblad Expeditions seeks out LGBTQ visitor audio system, corresponding to an Inuit researcher who talks not solely about her climate-change analysis but in addition about rising up queer in Greenland. 

A model of this story first appeared within the June 2024 difficulty of Travel + Leisure underneath the headline “The Champions.”