Safe Lesbian Travel

Susan Breslow Sardone is the Web's foremost expert on Honeymoons and Romantic Getaways and the author of Destination Weddings For Dummies . She has been an About.com Expert since 1997.

This site was named "Best of the Web in Romantic Travel" by Forbes.com, and The Week magazine echoed that praise.

In 2015 she was elected president of the elite New York Travel Writers Association and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers Editors' Council.

On Honeymoons/Romantic Getaways from About.com you can travel with her to the best places in the world for couples and let her show you how to plan a memorable vacation. You can also follow Susan Breslow Sardone on Twitter and join Fans of Romantic Getaways on Facebook .

6. What’s your surefire way of knowing that a place is lesbian-friendly?

If you are spending your money with a local hospitality business, it is your right to ask, especially when booking your accommodation. Many major hotel chains across the world now have diversity training. But if you want a king bed and hers hers robes, it’s best to let reservations know this is the honeymoon of the bride and bride!

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I heard of a lesbian wedding party in Jamaica that rang around until they found the one accommodation provider happy to meet the bridal party’s requests — and they made front-page news in the local papers!

Often in Europe and Southeast Asia, for example, the sexuality of two women traveling together is not an issue unless you make it an issue. It depends on how “out” you want to be while traveling.

7. Are there elements of a lesbian honeymoon different from a straight one?

We’re in a transitional period where, while some places do legally recognize same-sex marriage, the culture itself still might harbor disapproval, indifference, prejudice, or outright discrimination toward two women celebrating their love in such an iconic and previously privileged heterosexual way.

I know of a London couple thrilled to be planning their wedding now that marriage equality has passed in the UK, but there are members of their immediate family who do not approve and will not be attending nor would they likely have rosy thoughts about a lesbian honeymoon.

There is also the example of an inn in Vermont which declined to host a lesbian wedding on religious grounds, even though Vermont has marriage equality.

We are dealing with a millennia-old institution that defined marriage as a sacred union of a man and a woman — Adam Eve redux, if you will.

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It’ll take a while for peoples’ mindsets to catch up with the idea that the building block of the family unit has changed a little and that a lesbian honeymoon fulfils the same purpose as a heterosexual honeymoon: the couple’s private time before launching into their public life together.

8. Are there specific places that lesbians ought to avoid, e.g. countries with anti-gay laws?

Yes, I would steer clear of the Middle East, but not Tel Aviv, which has a very vibrant and welcoming LGBT culture. Also, islands like Roatan, Honduras may indeed be “the next Costa Rica” but gay activists and trans folk have been murdered there.

I will no longer run any editorial on Russia, or send a journalist on a press trip to Russia due to Putin s law, which enables gay or pro-gay foreigners to be arrested and detained for 14 days prior to expulsion from the country.

Because lesbians travel as women first, I would suggest that lesbian couples avoid places where women do not feel safe. Arguably, the only thing more provocative than a single woman traveling alone is two romantically involved women traveling together.

9. What can you/should you do if you encounter homophobic treatment during the planning stage?

Move on. Life — and money — are too short to waste on unenlightened business folk. LGBT travel spending is estimated to be at $165 billion globally. Give your chunk of change to someone who will treat you like a valued customer.

10. What if prejudice happens after you’ve arrived at a property?

It’s best to do your research beforehand, but this being the “hospitality” industry I would not be above talking to the manager if I had encountered problems with front desk, housekeeping, etc.

As a last resort I’d have my financial institution block payment if I had experienced discrimination. If you ever feel that your safety is at stake, make that known and move on immediately.

Merryn Johns is the editor in chief of Curve magazine, America’s best-selling lesbian magazine. She is also its acting travel editor. Merryn was the founding editor of BOUND magazine, the international lifestyle and leisure magazine for lesbians. She speaks publicly on the subject of lesbian marketing and travel. Based in New York City, she is originally from Sydney, Australia and travels to numerous international destinations each year.