When we first wrote about Amsterdam Pride in 2015, reflecting on why the city still needs a Gay Pride weekend, we didn’t realize that this personal opinion piece would lay the foundation for what Couple of Men would become. Ten years later, our blog, our book, and our travels have taken us around the world as openly gay husbands, documenting the joys and challenges of being visible as a couple. Today, the core questions remain just as relevant: What is gay travel? Why does it matter? And what does it mean to us personally? In this article, we reflect on what the gay travel movement means in 2025, why it still matters, and how our shared story — from our first Amsterdam Pride together to writing our own queer travel book — has shaped our perspective.
Gay travel, as both a concept and a segment of the wider LGBTQ+ travel community, is not only about where you go but also about how you move through the world as your true self. It’s about having the freedom to hold hands without fear, to dance in the streets at Pride, to discover queer history, and to support businesses that welcome us authentically. For us, gay travel also carries responsibility: to remember where we come from, to acknowledge those who can’t travel safely, and to use our visibility to inspire change.
What is gay travel?
Gay travel has always been more than just a niche in the tourism industry. It is, first and foremost, about living openly while navigating the world. When we travel as Karl and Daan, we are not only tourists but also representatives of a community that still faces challenges in many countries. Gay travel in practice means walking into a hotel lobby and being recognized as partners without hesitation, choosing a destination not just for its sights but for its inclusivity, and creating memories that affirm who we are.
Our book reflects on the fact that, growing up, neither of us imagined that being visible as a gay couple would one day be part of our daily lives. Daan, growing up in the Netherlands, saw Pride flags in his home city but also encountered subtle homophobia. Karl, raised in East Germany, remembers the silence around queer lives in his youth. For both of us, the act of traveling openly as gay men became a symbol of freedom. It was about rewriting childhood fears into adult experiences of pride.
Historically, the gay travel segment emerged because queer people needed safe spaces. From underground bars to coded meeting points, LGBTQ+ communities created networks of belonging. Today, many of those spaces are celebrated openly. Yet, the risks remain real: same-sex relationships are still criminalized in over 60 countries. This duality is why the gay travel experience remains so important. It’s not just about gay beaches and nightlife. It’s about being visible, authentic, and safe while exploring the world.
Reading tip: Explore our curated gay travel guides from around the world.
Advertisement
KLM Flight Deals
Fly around the world with our gay-friendly partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and its partners Air France and Delta Air Lines in Economy, Premium Comfort and Business Class to LGBTQ+ welcoming destinations worldwide.
Why gay travel still matters
Our first Pride together in Amsterdam in 2015 was a weekend of pure joy. We walked through the streets during the Pride Walk, waved at the Drag Queen Olympics, and stood along the canals as boats full of color and energy passed by. We felt at home, surrounded by a city celebrating love. But at the same time, we were deeply aware of the news that had shocked the LGBTQ+ world only days before: the attack at Jerusalem Pride, where a young woman was murdered for marching openly.
This contrast became a defining moment for us. While we celebrated in Amsterdam, others were risking their lives for the same visibility. Gay travel, we realized, was not just a personal choice — it was a political act. Our presence in these spaces is a reminder of progress, but also of how far we still have to go.
In our book, we write about how growing up shaped our awareness of safety. Karl recalls moments of hiding affection, even when traveling within Europe. Daan reflects on how Amsterdam gave him confidence, but also how fragile that safety felt when stories of violence reached us from abroad. These personal histories connect to a global reality: even in 2025, visibility is not guaranteed everywhere. This is why gay travel matters, not only as an industry but as a practice of resilience and visibility. It’s about claiming space, showing that queer lives belong everywhere, and supporting destinations that actively create safety.
Traveling as a gay couple is, therefore, both celebration and activism. It is joy mixed with remembrance, freedom mixed with awareness. Every trip we take is a reminder that Pride is not only a party — it remains a necessity. According to the Gay Travel Index 2025, visibility and safety still vary greatly across countries.
Read more about all the Pride events in Germany
Gay Travel Index 2025
The Berlin-based Spartacus informs LGBTQ+ and queer travelers about how gay-friendly a holiday destination is according to several ranking factors and criteria.
Which country ranks first? Where is it safe to travel to as a gay and LGBTQ+ traveler?
You can use the GTI to prepare for your gaycation and as a guide when choosing a holiday destination.
Our first Pride in Amsterdam together
Although both of us had experienced Pride separately before, 2015 marked the first time we celebrated Amsterdam Pride together. That weekend was transformative. We remember the faces in the crowd, not just from the LGBTQ+ community but from families, tourists, and older couples who stood alongside the streets cheering. Their support, their presence, was as moving as the parade itself. Pride in Amsterdam showed us that visibility is not only about queer people demonstrating and celebrating together – it’s about allies standing with us.
In our book, we share how this Pride became one of the key moments in our journey as a couple. It solidified the decision to tell our story more openly and to dedicate ourselves to creating content for others like us. Amsterdam Pride became a metaphor for what gay travel means: the combination of joy, love, and solidarity that empowers us to keep moving forward.
But Pride also reminded us of the fragility of acceptance. That year, while rainbow flags lined the canals, there were still moments when we hesitated before holding hands. These slight hesitations, rooted in years of conditioning, are why visibility matters so much. Celebrating our first Pride in Amsterdam together was fun and healing at the same time. It helped us embrace the idea that our love story could be told openly and proudly, not only at home but across the world.
Read more in our Amsterdam Gay Cruising Guide about the city’s vibrant queer nightlife.
Advertisement
Order our book now!
The perfect present to inspire (German-speaking) LGBTQ+ travelers and their allies to travel the world open-minded, respectfully, and with a happy heart.
Order our book online or purchase it in bookstores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
What gay travel means to us
For us, recognizing that LGBTQ+ travelers need inclusive gay travel information and the assurance that they can feel safe and seen during traveling makes it personal, political, and transformative. It means writing new stories on top of old fears. It means walking into spaces where our younger selves never imagined we would belong. And it means using our platform to inspire others to do the same.
Our biographies are filled with contrasts. Karl grew up in Dresden, where visibility was rare and often dangerous. Daan was raised in a country celebrated for tolerance, yet even in the Netherlands, subtle prejudices shaped his childhood. When we met, our journeys converged — and suddenly, the idea of traveling as an openly gay couple for a blog felt both liberating and radical. Our book shares how our first trips together were not just about discovering new places but about testing our freedom:
- Can we hold hands here?
- Can we book a double bed without awkward questions?
- Can we be ourselves?
Gay travel today means answering these questions with a proud “yes.” It means choosing destinations where we can laugh, kiss, and relax without fear. It also means raising awareness about where that isn’t possible yet. We travel not just for ourselves, but for those who cannot. Every article we write, every story we share, carries this dual responsibility: to celebrate joy, but also to shed light on injustice.
For us, the gay travel experience is love in motion. It’s our marriage, our book, our blog, and our life together on the road. It’s how we live and how we fight simply by being visible. Learn more about our story on our About Us page.
Read more about Karl and his coming out here
Gay Cruising Guides
Together with our dear friend and Gay Cruising Culture expert John, we are showing you the best cruising places of gay-friendly travel destinations worldwide. How to find gay cruising hot spots? How to do gay cruising? Is gay cruising legal ion my gaycation?
Safe & inclusive gay travel destinations
Not every place in the world offers the same freedom. That’s why we continue to highlight safe and inclusive destinations, both on our blog and in our book. The Gay Travel Index 2025 ranks countries based on legal protection, social acceptance, and political rights, and it remains an essential tool for planning.
Berlin: Queer history and nightlife
Berlin offers a unique mix of queer history and contemporary LGBTQ+ life. The city is filled with memorials, museums, and community spaces that honor the struggles of the past while embracing a vibrant nightlife scene today. For us, sitting in a café surrounded by queer couples or joining a street party in Kreuzberg has always made us feel welcome. Berlin continues to be a cornerstone of the gay travel community in Europe.
Sitges: A Mediterranean escape
Just south of Barcelona, Sitges has long been a safe haven for LGBTQ+ travelers. Its beaches are community spaces, and its festivals bring together people from all over the world. Relaxing on Sitges’ shores reminded us that gay tourism can be as much about leisure and joy as it is about activism. Sitges remains a staple in the Mediterranean gay travel scene.
Gran Canaria: Freedom in the Canary Islands
Dancing at Maspalomas Pride or relaxing at a clothing-optional resort, Gran Canaria has given us countless experiences of liberation. It is a place where bodies and love are celebrated openly, offering both community and relaxation. The island has become a cornerstone of the European gay travel scene, particularly for those seeking sunshine and freedom year-round.
By presenting these destinations as individual stories, we hope to inspire others to travel with confidence while showing that safe and empowering experiences can be found around the globe.
Learn more about The 14 Best Gay Men Only Hotels in Maspalomas
WorldPride Amsterdam 2026: Plan your trip now
Amsterdam will become the global capital of the rainbow LGBTQ+ movement. This guide helps you plan your queer-friendly trip: where to stay, what to do, and how to connect with the global LGBTQ+ community.
Gay Travel in 2025: Trends we see
The landscape of gay travel continues to evolve. In 2025, several trends stand out that reflect how our community moves through the world today.
First, queer cruises are booming. They offer safe spaces at sea where thousands of LGBTQ+ travelers can celebrate together. For many, it’s the first time they can truly let go without hesitation. We’ve joined these cruises and witnessed how transformative they can be, like an island full of like-minded gay men and LGBTQ+ communities floating free and liberating, full of queer joy.
Second, gay men-only and clothing-optional resorts are thriving, especially in destinations like Gran Canaria and emerging hotspots such as Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. These places create spaces where bodies and love are celebrated without shame. They are reminders of how queer culture redefines what leisure can mean in the gay travel community.
Read more about our 10 reasons for gay exclusive vacations
Finally, Pride events remain central. Even as they grow larger and more commercial, their political roots cannot be forgotten. From Amsterdam to New York to Sydney, Pride is both a festival and a protest. For us, it’s where the global gay travel community finds its heart, uniting in the streets filled with color, love, and resistance.
Gay travel in 2025 is diverse, global, and determined. It reflects how far we’ve come while reminding us that the journey isn’t over yet.
Reading tip: Gay Bear Events 2025–2026 Worlwide
LGBTQ+ travel guides 2025: safe & inclusive
Tested for safety, inclusion, and being a queer welcoming destination worldwide—from vibrant city breaks to outdoor escapes! Our LGBTQ+ and gay travel guides help you to travel with confidence.
Read more here: More blog articles and guides
Why gay travel will always matter: because of love, visibility, and resilience
From our first Amsterdam Pride together in 2015 to our travels across five continents, gay travel has been the thread connecting our personal lives, our blog, and our book. It is not just tourism — it is identity, love, and resilience in motion. For us, the gay travel journey means living openly, writing authentically, and celebrating visibility.
It means supporting inclusive destinations while remembering that not everyone has the same freedom. It is about joy, but also responsibility. That’s why we continue to share our stories: to inspire, to inform, and to empower others to see the world as their true selves.
Do you like it? PIN IT!
Do you want to know more about travel news from the LGBTQ+ community? Follow us on Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook! See you in Palm Springs or somewhere in this beautiful, diverse, and eclectic world! Karl & Daan.