Vacations are sacred for people from all walks of life, but even more so for the LGBT community, whose members make LGBT vacations, gay weekend getaways, and gay and lesbian cruises a top priority.
But in honor of National Visit Your Relatives Day on May 18, let us make a suggestion: Use your next vacation as a chance to reconnect with long-lost cousins, beloved aunts, and uncles, or adored siblings with whom you don’t spend near enough time.
Even if family vacations normally aren’t really your thing (trust us, we totally understand!), we’ve dreamed up a few ways to make a trip more intriguing. Read on to find out how to spend quality time with family and have a smashing gay vacation all in one fell swoop.
Count on a Relative to Host
Got a great aunt or a distant uncle who lives somewhere off the beaten path you’ve been itching to visit — somewhere like Amelia Island, Ithaca, or Milwaukee? Any college-age family members, such as a nephew studying abroad in Paris or Barcelona, who can act as your host?
Aside from getting to experience new scenery, local cuisine, and unique cultural assets, visiting the home base of a relative almost always means you’ll save big on accommodations and likely won’t have to rent a car or pay the taxi fare. Some meals might even be offered. No shame in accepting the hospitality of your own flesh and blood!
Arrange to Meet Family in a New Destination
Visiting family members who live far away isn’t always the easiest if they’re clear across the country — or on another continent. By planning to meet up in a new destination for everyone, you’ll get to convene with your loved ones and have a vacation in a spot you’re excited about. Live on the East Coast but have relatives on the West Coast? Arrange to meet in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, or Duluth.
Alternatively, you could opt to plan your meet-up to coincide with a gay-friendly event, such as the upcoming Gay Wine Weekend in Sonoma in July or NYC Pride 2019, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
Play Tour Guide
It isn’t often you get to play tourist in your own town. Consider inviting your parents, siblings, or extended family to your home and acting as a tour guide, whisking them to the best restaurants, nature spots, and historical sites in the area. Have you been dying to check out a newly opened art gallery or see a show by a local theater company? Take the chance to partake in local activities you haven’t made time for. As you explore, you may even become more appreciative of all the riches right in your own backyard.
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