Holiday companies are cottoning on to the fact that LGBT travellers are a diverse group, interested in destinations and experiences beyond the usual party spots. Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher gives us his top tips to ensure a safe break that is free of intolerance.
1 SEEK OUT AN LGBT OPERATOR Like newly launched outofoffce.com, which offers an excellent service, as do detourstravel.com and outadventures.com
2 CROSS-REFERENCE RESOURCES Such as Lonely Planet guidebooks, and The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association website (iglta.org)
3 PICK SOMEWHERE PROGRESSIVE For example Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland (suggested for families), the Netherlands, Canada and New Zealand
4 CHECK LOCAL LAWS Particularly in Africa and the Middle East. The situation is not static – Mozambique recently decriminalised homosexuality