TRAVELLING GAY
Trade association ABTA picks some top gay-friendly destinations
LGBT travellers are in many ways the perfect customer. Often with a higher than average disposable income and a tendency to book higher end holidays, you’re guaranteed a warm welcome from our industry which has also traditionally attracted a high proportion of gay and lesbian employees. So, staff will generally be extremely responsive to your needs and likes and be very aware of the kind of issues that could make the crucial difference between you having an amazing or a disappointing holiday.
There’s been an incredible progress in the acceptance of LGBT travellers over the last few years, but unfortunately not all destinations display quite such an enlightened attitude. To avoid any unpleasantness this may mean simply that you may need to be discreet. For example, in many countries public displays of affection, not just between gay couples but also between heterosexual couples, are frowned upon. In others, homosexuality is still illegal or profoundly socially unacceptable.
This tends to be more of an issue in less developed nations, but surprisingly, perhaps, it’s also the case in many popular Caribbean islands as well as the shopping Mecca of Dubai. Worldwide attitudes tend to be more relaxed in urban areas, so be a little more careful if you’re heading off into rural areas.
The Foreign Office is a mine of information about relevant laws and local customs worldwide, so it’s always a good idea to have a look on their website if you’re thinking of travelling to a destination you haven’t visited before (www.fco.gov.uk). More and more destinations are coming out as gay-friendly favourites, but, for our money the following are still leading the way.
“Unfortunately not all destinations display quite such an enlightened attitude towards LGBT travellers”
When you’re booking your trip the advice of a skilled professional can make all the difference, but in addition to having the benefit of their knowledge there are some significant advantages to booking through an ABTA travel agent or tour operator.
If you book a package holiday the holiday will be financially protected so that if the travel company gets into financial difficulty whilst you are on holiday your hotel will be paid for and you will be brought back to the UK free of charge. In addition, if any of the companies supplying parts of the holiday such as the airline, hotel or car hire company were to go out of business, the tour operator would have to rebook you with another company at their own expense or give you a full refund. Also, if your holiday is not up to scratch, the tour operator should be able to sort things out in the resort, if need be by putting you in another hotel - not something that’s likely to happen if you have made your own arrangements.
However, sometimes you may still want to take things further when you get back to the UK and, to help you with this, ABTA offers consumers an arbitration scheme which, in the vast majority of cases, is much faster and cheaper than the only other alternative, the small claims court.
Do you know which of the favourite destinations highlighted above you’ll need a visa for? The answer is, if you’re a UK passport holder, always for Australia, and maybe for the USA. Even if you don’t need a visa for the USA, you still need to apply online for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) before you travel.
This illustrates that even for mainstream destinations there are things you need to know to ensure you can get into the country. Apart from accurate advice on visas, ABTA members can also advise on health requirements and a whole range of other essential issues, and will also ensure that the destination you are going to is safe.
A last word of advice. Your gaydar may let you down in North Africa where men holding hands is a common sight; and in Italy, particularly the south, men kiss their friends at the drop of a hat. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gay, but it certainly makes for a nicer atmosphere!
Happy holidays everyone!