• Log in
    NewsVoicesExpertsEat & DrinkTravelogueExclusivesTravel TipsPrint IssueVideo
    ADVOCATEOUTPridePLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    SubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
    All Rights reserved
    OutTravelerOutTraveler
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept

    What's a Queer Family Vacation Without Kids? Kelli Carpenter Explains

    Jacob Anderson-Minshall
    | 08/25/22

    What's a Queer Family Vacation Without Kids? Kelli Carpenter Explains

    The company that invented LGBTQ+ family travel is pivoting away from it.

    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    Kelli Carpenter was once best known as Rosie O’Donnell’s ex, but now the lesbian mom is known for the company she co-founded, R Family Vacations.

    R Family was previously synonymous with vacationing queer parents who had kids in tow, but now it has so many adults-only cruises the company has announced it will soon rebrand to better reflect its passenger demographic.

    Carpenter was a featured speaker this June at the LGBTQ+ luxury conference PROUD Experiences in New York City. She shared the struggles she faced growing up (her conservative religious Louisiana family repeatedly subjected her to conversion therapy) and becoming a lesbian mom.

    Kelli Carpenter pictured with her R Family Vacations cofounder, Gregg Kaminsky, on a recent excursion.

    • The company that invented LGBTQ+ family travel is pivoting away from it.
    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    “When I started my own family 26 years ago, this was way more of a unique situation than it is now,” Carpenter explained. “Being in an LGBTQ family was a new concept back then. It came with many of its own challenges. As my kids grew older, I saw their need to see other families that were like theirs. I knew that if I was searching for this and living in New York City, I couldn’t imagine what other gay families in more remote locations felt like.”

    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    Things changed in 2002 when she took her family to Provincetown, Massachusetts, for the queer Mecca’s Family Weekend (now a full week). “My kids were young but old enough to understand what they saw,” she recalled. “They saw for the first time, families that looked like theirs. It was really a moment of change for my kids. I felt an idea stirring inside of me after that first visit.”

    Her friend, Gregg Kaminsky, had been with her in P-town that weekend. A gay man, he was working for Atlantis Events at the time, one of the largest gay cruise companies in the world. “He had a travel industry background and I had a marketing background,” Carpenter explained. “Plus, I felt like I understood what these families were missing.”

    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    When R Family launched two decades ago, they created vacations for LGBTQ+ families but, Carpenter said, it quickly became more than just a vacation company. “It became a community, a community where everyone is accepted. And once a year, these kids that are members of a gay family could see other families that looked like theirs.”

    It also wasn’t just booking queer couples and their kids. “Many of our guests are extended straight friends and family,” Carpenter said. “So we may have a family…book and it’s one gay couple with their children and their brother and his wife and their kids and their parents. So that’s what it looks like on board one of our trips. It was finally actually a place that was reflective of my own life. Not all gay; not all lesbian; including my allies and straight friends and family. With R Family Vacations, I was able to create the community that I had dreamed of having as a gay teen.”

    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    A lot has changed since 2002, which is why R Family is now reconsidering how it identifies. “Since that first cruise ship charter I’ve shared the world with other 20,000 people and I’ve seen toddlers grow into adults,” Carpenter explained. “I now have a whole other branch with my company. That’s the older empty nesters that their kids have grown up so now we cater to them, too. We now have a whole adult-only side of our business.”

    R Family Co-Founder Talks History, Future of LGBTQ+ Family Vacations

    Since that initial R Family sailing 20 years ago, Carpenter said, “In some ways, we’ve made great strides as far as marriage equality and protections for our families.” But, speaking just days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, she added that we are entering dangerous territory. In the face of that, she concluded, “I hope we keep remembering that travel is a way that we open our minds and soften our hearts to new things. So along with exploring the world together and resisting this, we are all going to get through this together.”

    R Family Vacations ‘OUT in Venice’ cruise was aboard a Uniworld riverboat

    Latest Stories

    Here are the Top 15 Travel Destinations for LGBTQ+ Travelers
    Best of Travel
    Badge
    gallery

    Here are the Top 15 Travel Destinations for LGBTQ+ Travelers

    May 26 2023 6:31 PM
    Discover the Mediterranean: Three Islands for the Perfect Sun-Soaked Vacation
    Mediterranean
    Badge
    gallery

    Discover the Mediterranean: Three Islands for the Perfect Sun-Soaked Vacation

    May 25 2023 3:28 PM
    Get Soaked! with These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    Get Soaked! with These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party

    May 25 2023 9:29 AM
    30+ Pics of the Gay and Bisexual Men of Elska Almaty
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    30+ Pics of the Gay and Bisexual Men of Elska Almaty

    May 23 2023 4:41 PM
    Explore the Outdoors: 15 National Parks Perfect for Hiking
    Outdoors
    Badge
    gallery

    Explore the Outdoors: 15 National Parks Perfect for Hiking

    May 19 2023 5:24 PM
    Top 15 World Vacation Destinations
    Best of Travel
    Badge
    gallery

    15 Must-See Vacation Destinations Around the World

    May 17 2023 4:22 PM
    Discovering Finland: A Gay Journey Through the Happiest Country in the World
    Virtual Travel
    Badge
    gallery

    Discovering Finland: A Gay Journey Through the Happiest Country in the World

    May 17 2023 9:00 AM
    25+ Sizzling Shots From GCircuit Thailand
    Bangkok
    Badge
    gallery

    25+ Sizzling Shots From GCircuit Thailand

    May 16 2023 11:45 AM
    25+ Pics of Gorgeous LGBTQ+ Portugal with Gay Travel Influencers Michael and Matt
    Lisbon
    Badge
    gallery

    25+ Gorgeous Pics of LGBTQ+ Portugal with Gay Travel Influencers Michael and Matt

    May 11 2023 11:10 AM
    Gay Travelers Michael and Matt Experience LGBTQ+ Lisbon, Portugal
    Lisbon
    Badge
    gallery

    Gay Travelers Michael and Matt Experience LGBTQ+ Lisbon, Portugal

    May 11 2023 5:00 AM
    Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with These Cool Tequila Partida Cocktails
    Eat & Drink
    Badge
    gallery

    Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with These Cool Tequila Partida Cocktails

    May 05 2023 12:50 PM
    May the 4th Be With You: Locations You Can Visit From Every Star Wars Films
    Outdoors
    Badge
    gallery

    May the 4th Be With You: Stunning Locations You Can Visit From Every Star Wars Film

    May 04 2023 2:51 PM
    Here are the Top 15 National Parks For Seasoned Travelers
    Outdoors
    Badge
    gallery

    15 U.S. National Parks for the Savvy Traveler

    May 01 2023 3:48 PM
    Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney Resurrect Football Glory to Wale’s Historic Wrexham
    Virtual Travel
    Badge
    gallery

    Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney Return Football Glory to Wale’s Historic Wrexham

    April 28 2023 4:56 PM
    25+ Thirsty Pics of Gay Traveler Influencers Michael and Matt in Costa Rica
    Virtual Travel
    Badge
    gallery

    25+ Thirsty Pics of Out Travelers Michael and Matt in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

    April 27 2023 2:40 PM
    Escape to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica with Gay Travel Influencers Michael and Matt
    Travel Tips
    Badge
    gallery

    Out Travelers Michael and Matt Share Their LGBTQ+ Secrets for Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

    April 27 2023 8:47 AM
    Here’s How You Can Name and Track a Great White Shark
    Outdoors
    Badge
    gallery

    Here’s How You Can Name and Track a Great White Shark

    April 24 2023 4:23 PM
    Manatomy Awards Announce Winners for the Best Gay Sex, Male Nudity Scenes in 2022
    News
    Badge
    gallery

    Here are the Best Gay Sex and Male Nudity Scenes in 2022

    April 19 2023 5:23 PM
    25 Thirsty Jungle Cruzin Party Pics from White Party Palm Springs 2022
    White Party
    Badge
    gallery

    25 Thirsty Jungle Cruzin Party Pics from White Party Palm Springs 2022

    April 18 2023 6:00 PM
    25 Thirsty Pool Party Pics from White Party Palm Springs 2022
    White Party
    Badge
    gallery

    25 Thirsty Pool Party Pics from White Party Palm Springs 2022

    April 14 2023 5:55 PM