5 Travel Tips for LGBTQ+ Families

Here are a five simple tips for queer families looking to make their next vacation together a success!

Vacation With Other Parents

The stalwart kid-centric travel company R Family Vacations — launched in 2003 by Kelli Carpenter and Gregg Kaminsky — organizes resort vacays and cruises for LGBTQ+ parents and grandparents and their kids (straight family members and child-free queers are also welcome). Upcoming trips include journeys to Ireland, Italy, France, and Thailand. 

Check the Area Out

The nonprofit org Family Equality works to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ families today. Its website’s “National Network of LGBTQ Family Groups” map (under the “Family Support” tab) is a great resource to connect to queer families who live in or have already traveled to your destination. 

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Consider Museums

Depending on their age, taking kids to children’s museums (or even adult ones) can be a total win. In Chicago, staffers from 25 museums came together to form CAMP: Chicago Alliance of Museums with Pride, a group aimed at making museums there more LGBTQ-friendly. Chicago’s Children’s Museum now has all-gender bathrooms and an LGBTQ+ access and inclusion committee that makes kids of all stripes feel safe and welcome

Don’t Forget Storytime

Dozens of states have official Drag Queen Story Hour events (drag queens reading stories to kids in libraries and schools or other venues) and attending one in a city different than your own is a great way to both explore what other kids and LGBTQ+ folks are like, and also make friends who can tell you the best gay-owned hotspots. 

Plan Well in Advance

When traveling with family, plan ahead with 100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life: From Your Backyard to the Ends of the Earth, a book by Keith Bellows and Natalie Morales. This tome is packed with travel ideas to nourish your child’s soul.

This piece initially ran in Out Traveler print edition. The Winter 2022 issue is now on newsstands.