5x The best vacation destinations for lgbt families in 2025
If you’re looking for the best vacation destinations for LGBT families, you’re looking for more than the average kid-friendly destination. We always make sure the country or city we’ll be visiting is safe for queer families. For that reason, we’re keeping Russia, Poland, and Jamaica – amongst others – off our list (but hopefully, one day, we’ll get to visit them too!)
That being said, there are destinations where being a gay or gay couple is still illegal. Still, they are on the verge of changing their ways, and it’s possible to travel hassle-free even when locals realize we’re traveling as a two-mum-family. This was the case in Malaysia, an excellent destination for (young) children.
However, this list is reserved for the places in the world where queer families do not need to worry. Where we not only feel safe but also accepted and equal. Many of these LGBT-friendly travel destinations we’ve visited ourselves, but some have been contributed by other queer families that love to travel.
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The best vacation destinations for LGBTQ Families
San Francisco, US
San Francisco is one of the best-known cities for celebrating LGBTQ+ culture. Not only was San Francisco the first city to legalize gay marriage and accept gay couples in the U.S., but it was also the birthplace of the rainbow flag. Brave the fog, and discover San Francisco’s queer-focused delights alongside its popular mainstream attractions.
The GLBT Historical Society Museum in the Castro District celebrates San Francisco’s queer history with rotating exhibitions showcasing art and more. Plus, children under 12 can enter for free! So when planning for LGBT-friendly vacations, don’t forget to include San Francisco in your travel destinations.
Noe Valley is one of San Francisco’s gay-friendly neighborhoods that doesn’t have a gay bar or nightclub on every block (you can find that in the Castro and SoMa), so it’s a perfect choice for family-friendly fun. Don’t miss Diamond Cafe for a delicious brunch!
Nearly all of SF’s hotels are welcoming to queer families—it’s basically the norm—but some favorite LGBT-friendly hotel chains include the Parker Guest House, Inn on Castro, and Axiom Hotel. While San Francisco is a mecca of LGBTQ+ culture in June, accommodations fill up fast during Pride Month! Be prepared for the city to be crowded with many folks excited to celebrate.
And while you’re in town, be sure to enjoy some of San Francisco’s classic attractions: the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Land’s End are crowd-pleasers with plenty of Instagrammable opportunities. While San Francisco is known for being a crazy-expensive place to live, travel to SF luckily does not follow suit.
If you’re visiting multiple big cities and LGBT vacation spots in California, you can snag a bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco for only $35. No matter where you’re coming from, it’s easy to fly into SFO or any nearby Bay Area airports and start the family adventure of a lifetime.
Contributed by Mary from Bucket List Places
Bruges, Belgium
As one of the first countries in the world – second only to the Netherlands – to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, Belgium is a great holiday destination for LGBTQ+ families.
It’s often skipped in favor of its more famous neighbors, France, the UK, and The Netherlands. But the country is jam-packed with interesting sights and fun activities for gay trips with kids.
One of those places is the Medieval city of Bruges, often referred to as ‘the Venice of the North’. Here, you and the kids get to see what it must’ve been like in a 12th Century Europe. The cobblestone streets and the horsedrawn carriages give the city a fairytale-like feeling. And there are plenty of things to do in Bruges with kids too, such as The Historium, a visit to the nearby bird conservatory Het Zwin or experience the best day trip with the family to the coast!
Queer families are welcome everywhere. In fact, most people won’t even bat an eye to see two people of the same sex walk hand in hand. There’s also been a lot to do lately around transsexuality and identifying as non-binary. So, no need to worry about that either.
You can spend the night at the centrally-located Grand Hotel Normandy where the kids can take a dip into the heated indoor pool after a busy day of exploring. The hotel has family rooms that can sleep up to four people. For a more budget-friendly alternative, head to Guest House Adonis which offers family rooms up to five people and has a great location for gay vacations!
When you’re done exploring Bruges and its surroundings, continue with Antwerp, Gent, Dinant, and Liège for a real ‘tour de la Belgique’!
Contributed by Babs from Next Stop Belgium
Kauai, Hawaii
If you’re looking for the best vacation destinations for LGBT families that are welcoming towards queer families and gay vacation itineraries, the islands of Hawaii are a fantastic choice!
Hawaii is a beautiful, progressive, and one of the most LGBT-friendly states that pride itself on its aloha spirit. Aloha is so much more than a word for just hello and goodbye! Aloha literally means “the breath of life” in Hawaiian, but it is an invitation to live in harmony and treat others with kindness and empathy.
All islands in Hawaii are great for queer families, but in particular, Kauai stands out as one of the more family-friendly islands. It maintains a rustic environment where nothing outshines the natural beauty, and the small towns of Kauai give a natural community feel.
There are many great things to do on a Kauai itinerary for families of any age and activity preference: here are just a few ideas!
If you have younger kids, you may want to relax in a resort pool and let your kiddos splash around or teach them to enjoy. Include snorkeling with sea turtles at Poipu Beach as part of your LGBTQ travel activities.
Older kids might enjoy boogie boarding at Brennecke’s Beach and a scenic road trip to the Waimea Canyon or the many roadside waterfalls. The whole family can also attend a luau at other LGBT-friendly resorts.
Have older kids who are real thrill-seekers? A doors-off helicopter tour over the Na Pali Coast is a Kauai activity they’ll never forget!
Every major resort in Kauai should be welcoming to LGBTQ+ families. But if you are looking for LGBT resorts certified by the IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association), the Plantation Hale Suite in Kapa’a is a fantastic option for families. It might be farther from gay travel destinations and other lesbian vacation spots though.
Contributed by Allison from Eternal Arrival
Salento, Colombia
A country that has made it to the top of the list of our favorite destinations, is Colombia! In this huge country, you go from colonial towns to massive cities to tropical islands to ancient archaeological sites to rainforests all in one trip.
Colombia has a bit of a conservative mindset, but we have to admit it was only the locals telling us about this. We felt completely accepted as a lesbian family traveling around! Furthermore, Colombia has some of the most progressive LGBTQ+ rights globally. Some notable changes include gender identity changes without psychiatric evaluation, same-sex adoption, and marriage.
Now it’s tough to pick just one among the best vacation destinations for LGBT. So we would recommend at least 2 weeks in Colombia to get a real feel of the country.
One of our favorite LGBTQ-friendly vacation spots is Salento. This village is located in the stunning coffee region and is a great base to learn more about coffee. You can ride horses and explore the valley with the largest palm trees in the world. It is one of the LGBT-friendly vacation spots that will definitely be a hit with your kids!
When you’re done visiting the top sights in Salento, head back to one of the gorgeous hotels in town. Unfortunately, the hostel we stayed in (which came recommended by the Goats on the Road and did not disappoint!) no longer exists.
Book a family room (up to 5 people!) at Hotel Salento Plaza if you prefer a central location. Also, in the center, Casa de las Dos Palmas offers simple 4-person rooms but comes with a pool and jacuzzi! Ecohotel Colibrí is located further from town and has few gay vacation spots. It is a big hit with families (a pool, a large garden, and family rooms for up to 6 people, what more do you need?). It was also surprisingly cheap!
Contributed by Babs from Moms on FlipFlops (that’s just me, hiiii)
Sanur, Bali
After selling our home, cars, and gifting all our belongings, my wife and I quit our teaching jobs in 2019, with a view to travel indefinitely and World school our 2-year-old son.
We had travelled to many LGBT-friendly places even with Vinnie so we took this new adventure in our stride.
We were heading for Australia from the UK, but as full-time travellers we had the capacity to break up journeys and spend longer than the school holiday periods exploring.
We decided that we would use Bali as our first destination and a stopover point on the way Down Under.
We chose a place called Sanur, as our base in Bali. It had a beach and was the main town in Bali. Not as busy and commercial as some of the other tourist areas, but not as remote or inland as Ubud, which was a renowned Worldschooling area.
It was my birthday so we spent the first week in 5* luxury, a hotel called the Maya Sanur Resort and Spa. It was beautiful: perfect rooms, pools, and close to the beach. We hired bikes and Vinnie travelled on the back in a seat as we rode up and down along the promenade. It was littered with stalls, restaurants, and shops. We even cycled along the path, waking before dawn one day to watch the sunrise over the ocean.
We decided to stay in Sanur for the next 3 weeks of our trip, and moved to the Bali Wirisana Inn. A more budget accommodation, but still amazing for our needs, with breakfast included and a pool!
We were able to commission a local driver and he was at our beck and call for the next 3 weeks. He was amazing helping with Vinnie and they built up a real friendship bond!
Our adventures took us from Monkey Forests to riding the waves with Dolphins. We explored volcanoes and the most beautiful religious temples ever! On our down days, we would spend time on the beach or a variety of children’s play centers where we could find trampolines and toys. The food was super cheap and so delicious! We could pop into any restaurant along the main street. The Balinese people were so friendly and just loved our little boy.
This was just a starting point for us as we headed to Australia. As it turned out, due to the pandemic, this was an absolute highlight of our short-lived trip!
Contributed by Michelle from Vinnie’s WorldSchooling Adventures (follow them on Instagram and Facebook)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Babs Rodrigus is the co-founder and main writer of Mums on FlipFlops . She is absolutely crazy about traveling – especially together with her wife and kids. Babs loves animals, chocolate (what did you expect from a Belgian?), reading, and writing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Babs Rodrigus is the co-founder and main writer of Mums on FlipFlops . She is absolutely crazy about traveling – especially together with her wife and kids. Babs loves animals, chocolate (what did you expect from a Belgian?), reading, and writing.
