Pride Month kicks off on Saturday, June 1st and it's the perfect time to highlight LGBTQ+ friendly travel.
Brand g Holidays, a 12-year-old LGBTQ+ operator of luxury cruises and land tours, focuses on planning trips and cruises for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. The operator welcomes between 1,800 and 2,000 unique guests per year, many of whom are in their 50s and older. Trips start at around $5,000 per person and up.
Jeff Gunvaldson, one of the company's owners, said there are many great destinations with packages that LGBTQ+ people can look forward to — from the actual excursions and meeting new friends to feeling safe in their travel groups.
“We have a generation that grew up in a community with gay bars and needed that safety and security within the community. Now that we're more accepted and more free to be ourselves- same all over the world and with gay marriage in a lot of countries, this security is less necessary, but I think there are still places in the world that are not the most gay-friendly, where it is safe to go, but maybe there is still anti-LGBTQ+ legislation on the books and so people are looking for the comfort and safety of group travel,” he said. “And if we offer them something in these destinations, I think a lot of people would choose to do it in the comfort of an LGBT group.”
Gunvaldson said that on their trips, guests often travel together from location to location and dine together at restaurants along their itinerary. Company representatives always travel with the group to ensure the trips go as planned.
“We're trying to create an intimate, enjoyable environment for our guests, where they really have the chance to get to know each other during their journey, rather than the 5,000 to 6,000 passenger ships that exist now, where you might meet someone as early as the first day without seeing him again for the whole trip,” Gunvaldson said.
River cruises will include LGBTQ+ or LGBTQ+ friendly artists so that it is an experience tailored to their audience.
Gunvaldson was happy to share the top destinations the company and its guests frequent on cruise and on land.
- Vietnam and Cambodia was one of his favorite places to visit. Both countries can be visited in one trip with visits to the bustling cities of Hanoi and Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City). There is a river cruise that goes down the Mekong and passes through small villages and takes you deep into the culture.
- Japan has been popular, and it is a destination that, in my opinion, although very advanced in many ways, is also difficult to travel alone due to the language barrier and cultural barrier.
- Peru we do it every year or twice a year. The nice thing is that you get a good mix of what the country has to offer, from the big city of Lima to the iconic Machu Picchu to the sites around Cusco, but we also visit the Caribbean Amazon which is a central and remote destination. You are there to observe the flora and fauna and it is a great opportunity for our guests to bond over a little sailing experience.
- Cruise on Prague and the Danube is one that will definitely get people hooked on river cruises. The ship charter adventure begins in Prague, one of the most beautiful and well-preserved cities in Europe, and then continues to the Danube, one of the most legendary rivers in Europe, the Danube. The journey continues through various cities, including Vienna, culminating in the vibrant Hungarian city of Budapest.
- India is a difficult destination to travel alone. It's a big, crazy, dirty, colorful, wonderful, culturally diverse country that people are reluctant to go to because of perceptions about it. You do see extreme poverty, but you also see that the people are really wonderful, hospitable, warm and friendly. An upcoming trip will include a cruise on the lower Ganges with visits to Bandel, Kalna, Murshidabad, Chandernagore and the magnificent new temple complex of Mayapur.
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María Cortés González can be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.
