When you have a gay dating partner that you want to travel with, you need to understand that the world around you is going to be a little different than it would for straight people. In fact, some places in the world are going to be downright hostile. It is better to be realistic about the risks than fearful, so we are going to provide you with five helpful tips for gay travel that will keep you secure and ensure you have a good time with your loving partner. Take a look at these and start planning your next excursion.
Research the Place/s You Are Visiting
Before you go to any place, you need to do some research on where you are visiting. As a gay person, you have to do all the same research as anyone else. When are the good times to go during the year? How much money should you bring along? What are the travel plans like in this area? You should also do a deeper search into the country by looking around on different sites to see how their country reacts to gay people. A lot more nations than you imagine are accepting of gay people, but there are some places within countries you should still know about before booking a trip. The long and short of the situation is that you need to do your research and make sure you’re not about to walk head-first into a problem.
Be Careful with Public Displays of Affection
Again, we do not want you to fear for your life when you are traveling with your partner. The fact of the matter is that PDAs can come with consequences when you travel with another man. Hugging or kissing a man in public in some spots might get people to mutter under their breath. In other places, it can result in police harassment or overt violence. Watch your surroundings and leave the loving kisses behind closed doors. We know it’s not necessarily right, but it is safer.
Make Safe Choices
Aside from traveling to the right places, you need to make safe choices. When you are traveling, there will be inherently unsafe areas to go to in certain cities and countries. You should be able to identify situations where you could be scammed or where someone is trying to lead you away from the place where you’re staying. For example, in some tropical countries, you should only stay at the resorts and not venture too far out into the surrounding areas. People that get off of cruise ships or are seen coming from expensive resorts are often targeted by criminal elements. You don’t have to spend the whole trip looking over your shoulder, but you should be aware of the potential for danger to occur.
Find Gay-Friendly Businesses
On the more pleasant side of things, you have to consider the fact that your visit can do a lot to bolster the local community. Before you travel to a new place, you should consider putting together a list of gay-friendly businesses that you can visit while you are on your journey. You can find all sorts of businesses, from restaurants to shops selling unique, local jewelry. Visit them, give them your support, take pictures, and make sure that you leave them a good review (if appropriate) so that other people, gay or not, can come and help support the business. Now, some of the search engines today are tagging businesses that are owned by gay people to help them get more notice within their communities. Using these resources to plan your trip can greatly increase the ability to patronize the local companies.
Read Gay Travel Publications & Blogs
You are probably not the first gay couple to travel to a specific area of the world. You will be fortunate in that sense because you can look up information that is available about the places where you are traveling. Specifically, you can look at gay travel publications and websites to see what you need to know before you reach the destination.
For example, using a gay travel publication can tell you and your partner:
- Places to go and avoid
- Pleasant things to try with your partner
- Good places to eat
- Safe places for gay people (a gayborhood)
- Nightclubs
Using information from people that have traveled to your country of choice before, you could easily come up with several meaningful ways to have a great journey no matter where you are. With that in mind, take some time to find a few good publications that are written by gay people that have traveled.
Bonus Tip: Join an LGBTQ Tour
The last tip that we have is not available everywhere that you go, but if you happen upon a destination that seems right, then you need to at least try to get an LGBTQ tour. You can find them in many major cities in North America and Europe, especially. These tours will take you around to famous gay bars and attractions. Sometimes you might find yourself at a historical spot where gay people fought for their freedom or won a victory in the courts.
The LGBTQ tours can be a serious history lesson for some, or they can be a way to attach yourself to a day of fun partying around people that you can trust. That being said, you need to first find out the times and places that they are going to visit if you want to take part in a tour when you go out on the town.
Some parts of the world are less friendly to gay people than others, but that doesn’t mean you should not visit those places. More often than not, tales of foreign oppression are drummed up and sold to us to get views. Be smart, do your research, and you can be assured you will have a wonderful trip no matter where you wish to go.
