If you’re like us, a daily scroll through your Instagram feed normally includes seeing glamorous photos of your friends and influencers globetrotting all over the world in dazzling cities, serene beaches, and even on the mountainside. With pandemic restrictions lifted in many international destinations, travel is back, baby, and no one is more ahead of the game than the LGBTQ+ community. Gay Travel is trending, with folks in our community looking to spread our wings in some of the hottest destinations around the world.
If you’ve been bit by the travel bug recently, look no further because we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 trending destinations in Gay Travel. While this certainly isn’t a list of the ONLY destinations that welcome queer travelers with open arms, it’s one that is great for Winter gay travel, and one that folks will be talking about for some time!
Check out the top 5 trending Gay Travel destinations in the world:
#5 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Europe’s queer community has often viewed the Gran Canary Islands, part of Spain but located off the coast of Africa, as a perfect remote oasis. Filled with pristine beaches, warm weather all year round, palm trees and classic architecture, the destination is a paradise for Gay Travel seekers.
Just about every hotel on the Island is LGBTQ+ welcoming, but there are quite a few options for exclusively gay resorts where you can stay, and ample nightlife, queer beaches, and more to explore.
#4 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Key West, Florida, USA
At the Southernmost point of the United States, Key West is a perfect winter Gay Travel destination. We know, we know, you hear “Florida” and you think, how could this possibly be a welcoming place for queer travelers? Well, Key West has been a refuge for queer people for generations, and has a local queer community that, while it has a character of its own, will remind you of popular summertime destinations in the US like Fire Island and Provincetown.
Popular gay resorts like Island House and Alexander’s Guest House are incredible places to stay at affordable rates, where you’ll feel at home in company of other LGBTQ+ travelers. There’s so much to explore out on the water, like snorkeling, kite-surfing, kayaking, or just going for a sunset sail. And the local bars along Duval St. will have you reveling until the wee hours of the morning. And did we mention our favorite, Key Lime Pie! Need we say more?
#3 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Aspen, Colorado, USA
While all the other destinations on this list boast warm weather throughout the winter, this one’s different. One of the top trending Gay Travel destinations recently is Aspen, Colorado. Long visited as a resort for the ultra-wealthy, Aspen’s slopes are home to a burgeoning community of LGBTQ+ residents and visitors.
Throughout the winter, enjoy incredible skiing and snowboarding, enjoy an apres-ski cocktail in town, and eat at some of Aspen’s incredible restaurants. If the outdoors is not your thing, there’s lots of great shopping in town, as well as a ton of magnificent spas to relax and rejuvenate. Plus, each year, Aspen hosts Gay Ski Week, with events all week dedicated to welcoming Gay Travelers.
#2 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Nestled off the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Isla Holbox is quickly becoming one of the top trending Gay Travel destinations in the world. A hot spot known for whale shark viewing, kite surfing, and wide beaches, Holbox is closed to vehicle traffic, so it’s a perfect spot to bask in a feeling of remoteness unlike other destinations.
All-inclusive resorts are extremely welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers, and the island has a budding food and nightlife scene that will be the perfect contrast to your relaxing days lounging on the beach.
#1 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Taormina, the pearl of the Mediterranean, is known as a ‘buen retiro’ for many gay artists during the 19th and 20th century. And thanks to Jennifer Coolidge’s travels in HBO’s The White Lotus, the destination is having a moment unlike anything it’s seen before. Here visitors can enjoy a stunning view on the Messina Strait: if you are lucky you can easily see Reggio Calabria on the other side of it.
Before The White Lotus, the town of Taormina in gay Sicily has been a refuge for queer people since the 19th Century. It was a popular escape for artists for generations, most notably among them the German baron Wilhelm von Gloeden. He arrived in Taormina at the age of 22 to rest and treat his tuberculosis. Infatuated by the beauty of the local men, von Gloeden started photographing strapping men in poses resonant of the island’s ancient Greek and Roman times, as objects of lust and desire. Many of his works can still be seen displayed around the island today.
