How LGBTQ+ Travelers Can Safely Explore Less-Friendly Destinations

For LGBTQ+ travelers heading to some parts of the world, planning a vacation is about more than just finding pretty scenery and interesting activities. It's also about safety and comfort. Approximately one-third of countries around the world criminalize LGBTQ+ people, according to the Human Dignity Trust, while others may simply not provide an overtly welcoming ambiance for diverse travelers. 

But that doesn’t mean these countries can’t be visited, according to several LGBTQ+ travel experts. 

“If we told LGBTQ+ travelers to avoid every destination that isn't fully legally and culturally supportive, they’d have nowhere to go, because a queer utopia doesn’t exist,” said Meg Ten Eyck, CEO of EveryQueer, an LGBTQ+ travel content, tour and event company. “We'd be cutting them off from some of the most beautiful, bucket-list-worthy experiences on the planet — the beaches of Bali, the Pyramids of Giza, safaris across East Africa, the medinas and food markets of Morocco. That’s a real loss, and it’s not one we think queer travelers should have to accept.”

Careful research about laws, societal norms and comfort levels is important. Experienced tour operators and travel advisors can also play a key role in helping LGBTQ+ travelers build a memorable and safe trip.  

Experience Counts

Ten Eyck noted that her team has traveled extensively in places where LGBTQ+ identities are illegal or discouraged. “EveryQueer specializes in travel to anti LGBTQ+ destinations,” she explained. “We've gone to destinations where it's illegal to be LGBTQ+, and to even more places where it's simply culturally frowned upon. And here's the thing that surprises people: we have never personally experienced anti-LGBTQ+ bias while traveling in any of those destinations. Locals are, more often than not, warm, hospitable, and far more interested in sharing their culture than policing anyone's identity. And that is true for our gender nonconforming staff as well as our gender conforming staff.”

“It's a reminder that a country's laws on paper don't always reflect the reality of how people are treated on the ground, and that assumptions about which places are 'safe' or 'unsafe' for queer travelers deserve more nuance than a headline or a legal map can offer,” she said.

Brand G Vacations is another LGBTQ+ tour operator with extensive experience in this type of travel. “Brand g has expanded our offerings over the years, adding destinations that push the envelope a little, but only where we can do it safely and with proper preparation," said Mike Mumford, the company's general manager. “We look at each destination's actual conditions on the ground, including enforcement patterns, police behavior and the real experience of LGBTQ+ visitors and locals, rather than ruling a place out based on the law alone.” 

Also well-versed at guiding LGBTQ+ groups are Inclusive Morocco, which specializes in travel around Morocco, and Tel Aviv-based Bein Harim Tourism Services, which offers tours to Jordan and other Middle Eastern destinations. “While many LGBTQ+ travelers long to explore nearby landmarks like Petra, Cairo or Bethlehem, independent travel there feels too daunting,” said Arthur Aharanov, Bein Harim’s vice president of marketing. “To bridge this gap, regional tour operators act as a trusted bridge by utilizing managed group tours.”

Travel as a Positive Catalyst

Carefully managed LGBTQ+ travel can also benefit local communities, according to Mumford and Ten Eyck. After all, queer travelers support hotels, guides, restaurants and community organizations, and personal encounters can challenge stereotypes. 

Mumford, for example, recalled heterosexual guides in Mongolia who expected young gay partygoers on one of his company’s tours but instead found them to be mature gay men, many in decades-long relationships. “Trips like this have helped families in Mongolia understand and respect our community a little more, one conversation at a time,” Mumford said. 

Ten Eyck sees similar potential in ordinary exchanges. “When an LGBTQ+ traveler shows up in a less-friendly destination, when they check into a hotel, hire a local guide, sit down to dinner with a host family, they're often creating exactly that kind of contact,” she said.

India. (Photo Credit: Brand G Vacations)

How to Prepare and Plan

Mumford advises LGBTQ+ travelers to consider booking with a reputable tour operator when visiting destinations that may not be welcoming. He also offers advice for those going on their own. “Keep a low profile rather than traveling with obvious rainbow branding,” he advised. “Keep groups small and private, focus on culturally grounded sightseeing and events, look for queer-owned or queer-supportive accommodations and work with a travel agency that understands human rights conditions on the ground.”

He also stresses the benefits of group travel, with fellow travelers, vetted guides and local experts who understand what LGBTQ+ travelers need. “In countries that may frown on homosexuality for religious or cultural reasons, we create what we call an LGBTQ+ bubble, so our guests can experience these amazing cultures without feeling any oppression,” he said. 

For Ten Eyck, preparing for such a trip may involve difficult questions. “My best advice starts with self-awareness before it starts with a packing list,” she said. “This is a bit touchy and politically unpalatable in our community, but every LGBTQ+ traveler needs to honestly ask themselves: can I pass as straight or cisgender in this part of the world if I need to? And just as importantly, am I comfortable doing that, even temporarily? That's not a comfortable question, but it's an essential one. The answer is different for everyone, and it should shape everything from how you dress to whether you hold your partner's hand in public to how you answer questions about your relationship status.”

Research is also essential, Ten Eyck added. “Use resources built specifically for this, like EveryQueer's travel guides, IGLTA's listings of vetted, LGBTQ+-friendly operators and accommodations and don't stop there. Seek out people who share your identity, whether that's your sexual orientation, gender identity, race, nationality or all of the above, and who've actually been to the destination you're considering.”

“Planning this way isn't about being fearful,” she said. “It's about being prepared enough that you can actually relax and enjoy where you are.”

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