Come Fly with Me
10 Stand-out LGBT Travel Companies
As Peter Hoeg once said, “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotion.” Whatever the reason you travel, to magnify those emotions or just to get away and unwind, you know you want to go somewhere. Be it boat, plane, train, car, horseback, regardless of how you go, you just know you want to go. Where do you start? So many LGBT travel companies have emerged to help make those travel dreams come true. We have put together a list of some of our favorites, happy travels.
Atlantis Events
In 1991, Atlantis Events held their first all-gay resort event with 300 guests at a Club Med Resort in Playa Blanca, Mexico. What started with the very simple idea of “a gay week on the beach with friends” has blossomed into a company producing all-gay cruise and resort vacations all over the world. Today, it is the largest company in the world dedicated to creating unique vacations for the gay and lesbian community. Even now, hosting some 20,000 guests a year, Atlantis is dedicated to the same premise of creating a welcoming community that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else: a place where you can relax, be yourself, and have fun in ways you never imagined. Our staff comes from a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds. , sharing a passion for travel and a commitment to ensuring that guests have the most memorable vacations ever. www.atlantisevents.com
Detours Travel
Get ready to tackle your bucket list while opening up your world to the most amazing people, places, and experiences out there. Detours isn’t just “travel”, its genuinely incredible experiences that promise to be unforgettable. Anything but your typical “group tour”, Detours is a laid-back, no-strings-attached approach to travel that feels more like exploring the world with old friends than anything else. Our group trip leaders know the country and our destinations so intricately that we’ll show you the ins and outs and help you discover a trip that is far beyond your greatest expectations. www.detourstravel.com
Olivia Vacations
Whether you want to enjoy the relaxed vibe of an all-inclusive resort vacation, or to sail the seas on a cruise with 1,800 lesbians, Olivia Vacations, have a trip that’s sure to fit your style. The Olivia experience is about women having fun together, making friends, and maybe even finding that special someone. From their just-for-you entertainment and fabulous singles activities, to dolphin and ATV excursions and our touching commitment ceremony, get ready for a trip you’ll always remember.
Al and Chuck Travel
America’s #1 Gay travel specialist. From Bear cruises to Drag cruises and everything in between, ALandCHUCK.travel is part of America’s largest gay owned travel company. With 11 offices, they plan cruises and tours worldwide to Pride Events, Gay Festivals, circuit parties and more. ALandCHUCK.travel is a top 1% travel company and this allows them to enjoy special features you won’t find anywhere else in the gay marketplace. www.alandchuck.travel.com
IGLTA
The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association is the world’s leading global travel network dedicated to connecting and educating LGBT travelers and the businesses that welcome and support them along the way. Whether it’s for individual, group, corporate, or student travel, IGLTA has affiliates in the world’s most sought after locations offering the most competitive packages for your perfect getaway. www.iglta.org
GayTravel.com
Gaytravel.com connects gay and lesbian travelers with gay friendly destinations, hotels, cruises and tours throughout the world. We consider our site to be a virtual gay travel magazine! Our mission is to provide our site visitors with the most comprehensive and accurate information available to ensure that every vacation is both pleasurable and comfortable. www.gaytravel.com
HE Travel
HE Travel is still bringing the finest world of gay travel tours to gay men, lesbians & friends. Whether you want adventure, culture, leisure or luxury, HE Travel has been the leader in gay travel tours and gay adventure travel for over 40 years, since running the first exclusively gay adventure tour down the Grand Canyon in 1973. www.hetravel.com
Queer Trip
Queertrip.com is a full service LGBT travel agency. Established in 2008, Queertrip.com consists of dedicated LGBT travel specialists teamed up to bring you the best gay and lesbian travel worldwide. Their passion is gay and lesbian travel and they as are gay and lesbian travelers themselves, spending years traveling and experiencing gay and lesbian communities across the globe. www.queertrip.com
Brand G Vacations
The next generation in Gay Travel, Brand g Vacations is a dynamic LGBT tour operator that encompasses the passion for discovering the new, revisiting the familiar, and giving back to the destinations that have led the way for the improvement of the lives of the LGBT community. www.brandgvacations.com
Damron. The grand parent of them all.
In 1964, a businessman published a book of all the gay bars he knew from his constant travels across the United States. This book fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Despite its petite size, this book was an impressive accomplishment. Each one of the listings he had visited himself. Every last copy of the book he sold himself. The name of this pioneer, Bob Damron. Today, the Damron Men’s Travel Guide (aka Damron Address Book) remains a bestseller. And it remains the model for the countless gay travel guides that have followed.
The Damron Company itself has also been through many changes since 1964. The company has grown quite a bit, and since the early ’90s has been headed up by President and Editor-in-Chief Gina Gatta. They publish four regular titles–the annual Men’s Travel Guide and Women’s Traveler, in addition to the sesquiannual Damron City Guide and Damron Accommodations.
