Does being gay affect the way you should travel? Some might find the question ludicrous. After all, being a member of the LGBT community doesn’t mean you’re any less game for the joys of travel than anyone else. And on what planet does who you're sharing your bedroom time with impact your interest in a lovely hike around the waterfalls of Maui? Or wherever.
But the thing is, your identity, sexual or otherwise, does come into play when you move about the world visiting other cultures and customs.
How Your Sexual Identity Can Affect Your Gaycation
One area where gay travelers are particularly impacted is PDA. Not everywhere is gay-friendly, so gay couples should educate themselves about the political and cultural climate of their travel destination before displaying any PDA — even hand-holding can be taboo in some cultures.
Single gays are likely to want to check out the local singles scene just as much as single hetero travelers do (with a little more party and a lot more sass, natch), so do your homework before you cruise. And regardless of whether you’re traveling alone or in a group, be smart about outing your sexuality to anyone you aren’t completely comfortable with.
Does it suck to keep your sexuality hidden under a bushel? You bet. But it sucks a whole lot less than being put to death in countries where homosexuality is still a crime. Yes, those places exist—and yes, legal consequences are a very real concern when traveling to them as both out and gay.
Traveling Gay
Obviously not everyone who's gay loves to travel, and not every traveler is gay. But if you're trotting the globe in search of glitter, Pride events and Cher’s next tour—and you never forget to pack your good ol' Homosexual Agenda—your travel experience has the potential for a whole different kind of rock-and-roll.
In the interest of minimizing the risk for unplanned complications and maximizing your chances of a super fun (and super safe) gaycation, you might want to plan your trip around the best destinations for LGBT travelers. At least until live and let live becomes the worldwide standard for human behavior. (Hey, we can dream, right?)
