• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Find out how several same sex couple families approach family travel and learn about some LGBT family travel resources.

Like many families, the Steinman-Iacullo clan of Staten Island enjoy an annual Labor Day weekend road trip. Yet one morning while cruising through Virginia, one parent at the wheel, the other in back playing with 4-year-old daughter Hope, they were stopped by state police on suspicion of kidnapping. "We were just too complacent," laments Wayne Steinman more than a dozen years later. "We weren't traveling with her adoption papers."

As an officer watched one parent, the other was interrogated at a roadside restaurant. "We were freaking out," he recalls, until the Virginia state police asked the toddler about her traveling companions. "This is Daddy Wayne," Hope replied proudly, "and this is Daddy Sal," she added, winning over the troopers' hearts and minds.

While the war for acceptance is still being waged on many fronts, there are signs that the travel and tourism industry is drawing gays into the mainstream. For several years, travel innovators have courted the homosexual market. Although this group is estimated to comprise only 4% to 6% of the U.S. population - a relative drop in the bucket travelwise - in marketing terms it's a prosperous demographic. Gay households boast a higher than average disposable income and those who choose to spend it on travel have created a $54.1 billion market. The Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, a pioneer in marketing to this audience, estimates that in 2003, over 830,000 gay and lesbian visitors contributed $810 million to the local economy.

Not until early 2004, when same-sex marriages hit the headlines with wedding photos of couples and their kids, did America's "family values" population get to see these "other" families. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, which counted 594,000 households run by same-sex partners, 27% or 162,000 households have children under 18 at home. Most experts agree that official counts are too low. A private marketing study done in 2002 by Witeck-Combs Communications estimated the gay family niche-within-a-niche at 2.6 million households. And the New York Times estimates that New York City alone is home to more than 26,000 same-sex couples.

Whatever its size, today's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender households, collectively known as LGBT or less politically correct "gay families," are served by support groups, print and online publications and only recently, the mainstream travel industry. For many gay parents interviewed, it's just the start.

Gay Family Travel

"Most gay travel is for singles or couples, with the emphasis on dining or partying," laments Steve, financial auditor for a large multi-national firm based in New York City. "There is nothing that is offered for alternative family travel."

To meet this need and capitalize on growing public acceptance of alternative lifestyles, Rosie O'Donnell and partner Kelli launched R Family Vacations (866/732-6822). Their company caters to this alternative family niche with cruise vacations in different parts of the world.

The R Family Vacations cruise features discussion groups on adoption, surrogacy and gay parenting run by the Family Equality Council (formerly the Family Pride Coalition), the grandaddy of all gay family services, while playing down the late night party scene. "Unfortunately, we are not in a time where everyone in this country is accepting of gays and lesbians and their families. A cruise like ours gives people a week on vacation free from this hate," claims Gregg Kaminsky, founding partner of R Family Vacations.

For the past few years, the privately chartered Norwegian Dawn has pulled out of New York harbor with the O'Donnells, their four children, and a few thousand clients on its way to Florida and the Bahamas. (The maiden voyage was documented in the HBO film All Aboard!) Kaminsky, who chose Norwegian Cruise Line because of their quality facilities and experience with gay and lesbian charters, brings a few hundred children under 18 aboard for R Family's customized programming, special entertainment and enhanced kids programs. The fledgling travel company now offers other cruise itineraries and land-based programs for what they view as a "huge growth opportunity" in serving both gay and lesbian parent families.

Relatively new to the gay and lesbian scene, the gay-owned and operated Attitude Hotels boasts Premier, Comfort, and Value hotels along with a selection of inns and B&B's. Accommodations can be found throughout Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, and many other locales with plans to expand worldwide. The hotel primarily focuses on providing a unique experience for the gay and lesbian community to bond in a welcoming environment. And because they tote themselves as "straight-friendly", the hotels set the standard for diversity. The Attitude brand also welcomes children, but each hotel differs in location, design, and amenities, so inquire about your needs in advance by contacting Attitude through their website.