Travelling With Your LGBT Family

Our regular hosts welcome Scott Gatz – gay dad and founder of Q Digital – onto The Gay Travel Podcast to discuss the often overlooked topic of LGBT family travel.

For a downloadable version of Season 3, Episode 7 click here. And if you haven’t already, you can subscribe to Out Adventures’ Gay Travel Podcast on Spotify or iTunes.

Guest hosts

Scott Gatz

Scott – pictured above with his husband Craig (left) and son (centre) – is a news junkie, entrepreneur, travel geek and gay dad. He started his career as a news producer for such companies as Yahoo, before founding Q. Digital – the parent company for Queerty, LGBTQ Nation and Gay Cities (which just so happens to be the sponsor of this podcast). Listen to the episode and then check back here for links to all the organizations and events mentioned.

Podcast Notes

Having children and starting a traditional family is happening more than ever in the LGBT community. But for the most part, the travel industry hasn’t caught up. Today’s podcast clarifies the difference between LGBT travel and LGBT family travel as well as lays out some important resources you can use to plan your next queer family holiday.

What is the difference between LGBT Travel and LGBT Family Travel

Scott points out LGBT family travel tends to look much more like traditional straight family travel than it does LGBT travel. For one, queer parents tend to have to travel during peak seasons rather than shoulder seasons. For another, they have to incorporate a child or young adult’s interests, which vastly differs from a queer adult’s interests.

What travel resources exist for LGBT parents

Gay dads and lesbian moms can find inspiration for their upcoming LGBT family holiday by following some of the amazing queer family influencers. Also, be sure to join such Facebook groups as Gay Dads and Lesbian Travel Club. Other resources include gayswithkids.com, the Daddy² Podcast, and the upcoming families.gaycities.com.

LGBT family travel events

Provincetown Family Week – Occurs annually at the end of July and/or the beginning of August. It is organized by Family Equality.

Aspen Family Gay Ski Week – This first-of-its-kind event will take place Jan 17 – 20, 2020 and is organized by R Family Vacations.

Queer Family Summer Camps – A number of LGBT family-friendly summer camps exist. Use Google to find one near you. Otherwise, here’s a helpful list we found. And in case you’re interested, Scott specifically mentioned he uses Camp Tawonga which you can find here.

Tour operators that specialize in LGBT family travel

R Family Vacations are the leaders in LGBT family travel. They organize LGBT family group tours and can help you curate a private LGBT family vacation.

Olivia Cruises often hosts LGBT family cruises and group holidays.

Disney Vacations has done an applaudable job working with the LGBT family community to improve queer travel to their resorts. Specifically, their Hawaiian resort Aulani is focused on the LGBT family travel market.

Travel Magic is an affiliate of Disney. Their staff are well trained to help LGBT families book a safe and exciting holiday.

Season 3 of The Gay Travel Podcast is brought to you by GayCities: Know where to go, stay, and eat in over 240 destinations worldwide.

Image credits from the top down: Shutterstock, Scott Gatz.