CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Our travel guides are frequently updated. This travel guide was last updated 7/07. Still, there are places that are bound to have closed or changed since our last update. Use the listed phone numbers to call ahead, and please let us know of any corrections or new places of interest you discover.
WOMEN'S TRAVEL
In the 1600s, intrepid traveler Lady Ann Fanshawe was so desperate to see the world that she disguised herself as a cabin boy to do so. Other women followed more openly in her footsteps. Adventurers such as the outspoken and flamboyant "Queen of the Desert," Lady Ester Stanhope; celebrated pilot Amelia Earhart; famed traveler-writer Freya Stark; and renowned traveler archaeologist and government officer Gertrude Bell have set a fine example, firmly staking out women's place in the sun, sea and sky.
In travel, as in life, it is frequently "different for girls." Our goals, needs, motivations, desires and strategies as women travelers often differ from those of our male friends. There are even more differences between us as lesbian travelers and our gay male counterparts. We have to ask questions that the boys don't. If accommodations are advertised as "gay/lesbian," will we find ourselves the lone ladies in a cruisey, boy-saturated clothing-optional compound? If a guidebook listing merely states "gay-friendly," does that also translate as lesbian-friendly or lesbian-popular? Will we be the only lesbian couple in a restaurant or resort? Will that be uncomfortable? Gay women must keep in mind the importance of researching in advance the "lesbian factor" of venues we plan to visit in an unknown city. Our safety, comfort and holiday happiness can depend on it.
Fear not! Our female staff has come to the rescue. They have scoured the earth to find the most popular and most comfortable lesbian-popular accommodations, restaurants, caf?s, bars, clubs and bookstores -- hell, we even found a cruisey, lesbo-fabulous grocery store and a few hot sex venues! Here you'll find the most up-to-date, comprehensive travel guide available anywhere online that is dedicated to the specific needs of lesbian travelers. As complete and up to date as this is, though, it's just the nature of these venues to change from one moment to the next. Please call ahead to the venue listed to verify hours and to be sure it's still open. Lesbian venues are a famously fickle flock. And let us know if you find anything that needs to be updated, modified or deleted, or if you find something new to add to this guide. Send corrections or comments to: editor@outtraveler.com. (Note: Where possible, we've included details about wheelchair accessibility and rules about smoking.)
NORTH AMERICA
Increasingly popular destinations are those where women's residential communities have sprouted up. Asheville (North Carolina), Brooklyn's Park Slope, Atlanta's Decatur ("Dyke-atur"), Boston's Jamaica Plain and, increasingly, Somerville, Mass., make great places to go for laid-back holiday time. If you're skeptical about heading to the suburbs, keep in mind that while they may not be resort locations, they do offer some excellent women-owned and/or women-popular caf?s and restaurants, exciting club nights or fabulous favorites and enticing opportunities for watching luscious local lesbians saunter about their daily lives.
There's something delicious about arriving in such a low-key easy environment and feeling enjoyably at home. Similarly, destinations that are home to clusters of academic dykes (Cambridge and Northampton in Massachusetts and Berkeley in California) have their own distinctive appeal, especially for those who like their restroom graffiti highbrow or in Latin! For the resort vacation, however, there's nowhere like Provincetown. For those of us living in places where our lives cannot be so refreshingly open, a visit to the lesbian-overrun streets of P'town can be a thrilling, life-affirming experience. Here are our favorite women's spots in some of the most dyke-popular destinations on Earth.
GENERAL RESOURCES
The online fairy godmother of traveling women worldwide www.journeywoman.com eloquently presents culturally correct advice, proper protocol for etiquette-eager travelers, hints for solo diners, go-alone trip tips, travel love stories (for people, places and perfect moments) and articles aimed for the older adventuress. Tales and tips are generally women-specific, rather than lesbian-specific.
Smart international directory www.hermail.net connects traveling women worldwide. Get insider information on weather, clothing, women-friendly accommodation or the chances of finding a good vegetarian meal in your destination of choice from more than 10,000 women in 35 countries. Feel like celebrating the wonderful world of women? Never mind kids -- do you want to know whether you can bring the cats? A pet-friendly Web site, www.bringmypet.com lists accommodations for bringing along your feline or canine family members.
Related Articles:
Women's Travel: U.S. South
Women's Travel: U.S. East
Women's Travel: U.S. West
Women's Travel: Canada/Mexico
Women's Travel: Europe
Women's Travel: Tours & Events
Women's Travel: Travel Safety
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Ron Amato Retrospective: 75 Gorgeous Images of Queer Men
March 07 2021 12:00 AM
Just in Time for Pride – The 15 Gayest Cities in the World in 2023
April 12 2023 6:47 PM
Turkish Oil Wrestling: Male Bonding at the Kirkpinar Festival
December 20 2022 2:20 PM
The 13 Least Visited National Parks
January 07 2023 5:00 AM
Here are the Best Gay Sex and Male Nudity Scenes in 2022
April 19 2023 5:23 PM
Get Soaked! with These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party
May 25 2023 9:29 AM
Slovakian Jocks With Nothing to Hide
September 28 2021 3:00 PM
12 Years of Intimate Photos of Same Man - Taken by His Partner
August 29 2022 4:00 AM
20 Thirsty Pics of #SniffiesRush Campaign Celebrating Frat Life
December 16 2022 3:19 PM
10 Tips for Traveling With Sex Toys
July 26 2021 4:00 AM
Outtraveler: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever
April 03 2025 12:33 PM
Insomniac & Tomorrowland unite to make EDM history in Las Vegas
April 01 2025 5:08 PM
The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel
March 28 2025 7:07 PM
Cowboys & Queens U.S. tour by Jane Hilton: A modern American dream
March 27 2025 5:00 AM
Discover the vibrant LGBTQ scene in Asbury Park
March 18 2025 5:00 AM
Where to stay in LGBTQ+ Ireland: Castles, domes and luxury retreats
March 17 2025 11:52 AM
Discover why chic Costa Navarino is Europe's luxury getaway
March 10 2025 5:00 AM
Pride journey Walla Walla: An LGBTQ+ wine, food, and adventure getaway
March 07 2025 12:00 PM
Mike Maimone's new single honors late husband Howard Bragman
March 07 2025 9:00 AM
Luxury and community in South of France at Cinq & Sept
March 06 2025 2:19 PM
Celebrities unite for brain health at Power of Love gala in Las Vegas
February 25 2025 5:00 AM
Here's why this Mediterranean Virgin Voyages cruise belongs on your bucket list
February 24 2025 10:12 AM
The LGBTQ+ must-sees of Charleston, S.C.: a curated guide 2025
February 21 2025 10:08 AM
EDC Las Vegas is ready to make history with iconic 2025 lineup
February 14 2025 1:16 PM
Take a bite out of Netflix's new Las Vegas restaurant
February 14 2025 12:06 PM
Out and About with D.K. Uzoukwu
February 06 2025 6:01 PM
Exclusive: Lady Bunny releases new 'Hot To Blow' video