LGBTQ Travel Index: Safe Gay Holiday Destinations

Nov. 26 2018

by misterb&b

Hate crime incidents have increased by 17% from 2016 in the U.S., as reported by the FBI’s yearly "Hate Crime Statistics" report in November; 20.6% of these were due to sexual-orientation, and 1.9% to gender identity bias. This was the largest reported increase by the report in almost 20 years (since the September 11 attacks).. 

Additionally, the risk is even more acute abroad - homosexuality is illegal in a third of the world, and in 8 countries, it is punishable by death. There have been multiple reported homicides and assaults in Iran, Egypt, and Brazil against the LGBTQ community in the past few years. This unfortunate reality makes traveling while gay extremely risky and potentially life-threatening, with vacationers, honeymooners or business travelers having to do critical safety research and extreme preparation before any type of a trip - in the US or abroad.

This year our family at misterb&b have teamed up with our data science A-team, and have created the misterb&b Holiday LGBTQ Travel Index—a ranking of the safest and most in-demand gay-friendly cities for LGBTQ travelers over the holidays. Why did we do this? We are the world’s largest short-term rental marketplace dedicated to the Gay community - and it’s critically important for us to help keep gay travelers safe as they travel around the world, wherever that may be. 

This year, we wanted to help allies of the LGBTQ community keep their loved ones safe as they travel. So we’ve launched the misterb&b gift card, which you can use to instantly email your loved ones. Give them the freedom to feel safe abroad by staying with gay hosts and in gay-friendly communities, and treat them to a gift of discovery. 

The Holiday LGBTQ Holiday Travel Index

To compile the Holiday LGBTQ Travel Index, we looked at what gay-friendly cities are the most popular for LGBTQ travelers overall and for the holidays specifically. The misterb&b Holiday LGBTQ Travel Index measures two things: 1) the volume of searches and bookings for each city on the misterb&b website over the holiday season, and 2) each country’s marriage equality laws and anti-hate crime laws specifically protecting LGBTQ people. 

Hottest LGBTQ Holiday Global Travel 

1 Wilton Manors, Florida, USA

2 Palm Springs, California, USA

3 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

4 Cathedral City, California, USA

5 Miami Beach, Florida, USA

6 Provincetown (Cape Cod), Massachusetts, USA

7 Wailuku, Hawaii, USA

8 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9 Limehouse (London), UK

10 Nashville, Tennessee, USA

11 St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

12 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

13 Lersoen (Copenhagen), Denmark

14 Arco da Calheta (Madeira), Portugal

15 Montevideo, Uruguay

16 Oakland Park, Florida, USA

17 Dallas, Texas, USA

18 Vienna, Austria

19 Honolulu, Hawaii

20 Maspalomas (Canary Islands), Spain

Hottest LGBTQ Travel Overall 


1 Paris, France


2 Barcelona, Spain


3 New York, NY, USA


4 Amsterdam, Netherlands


5 London, UK


6 Madrid, Spain


7 San Francisco, CA, USA


8 Lisbon, Portugal


9 Chicago, IL, USA


10 Los Angeles, CA, USA


11 Palm Springs, CA, USA


12 Toronto, ON, Canada


13 Lyon, France


14 Nice, France


15 Sitges, Spain



Was your favorite gay travel destination missing from our list? Let us know by sending us your suggestions to: stories@misterbandb.com. If you’re feeling inspired to travel to one of these top-rated destinations this holiday season, find your ideal misterb&b now and get packing.

Cover photo: Flickr/GPS