Gay Travel Index: Most LGBTQ+-friendly travel destinations

For many people, camping is the epitome of freedom. The freedom to let yourself be driven by the desire to travel, to go exactly where it is most beautiful and to spend the night in your own home on four wheels where you like it best. Unfortunately, this feeling of freedom is not always a given, especially for travellers from the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, people still encounter intolerance, prejudice, restrictions and sometimes even persecution because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Travellers from the LGBTQ+ community therefore often have to choose their travel destinations even more carefully - even when it comes to camping. How free and safe are people from the queer community in different holiday destinations? Where can they feel safe and welcome and meet like-minded people? The Spartacus Gay Travel Index takes a closer look at holiday destinations in Europe and around the world and assesses how LGBTQ+-friendly or unfriendly they are 🏳️‍🌈

'LGBTQ+' is an abbreviation of the English words 'Lesbian', 'Gay', 'Bisexual', 'Transsexual/Transgender' and 'Queer'. Additional letters are often added to the term. The term 'LGBTQIA+' includes all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, queer, but also intersex and asexual people. The '+' includes other gender identities. Here, you can find out more about what the respective sexual orientations and gender identities mean.

Going on holiday with peace of mind is important for all travellers, but unfortunately not everyone takes it for granted. This is also shown by a survey conducted by booking.com on LGBTQIA+ travel in 2023. According to the survey, 6 out of 10 LGBTQIA+ travellers have experienced discrimination when travelling and there is a growing concern for their own safety when travelling. Almost three quarters said they had to consider their safety and well-being as a person from the LGBTQIA+ community when choosing their travel destination - a significant increase compared to the previous year.

The Gay Travel Index has been published every year since 2012 by the travel blog 'Spartacus - International Gay Guide'. It measures the legal situation and living conditions for members of the LGBTQ+ community in countries around the world. Based on this, it ranks countries according to whether they are safe destinations for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people. In 2024, the Gay Travel Index analysed 213 countries for their LGBTQ+ friendliness. The evaluation takes into account sources from freely accessible NGOs and government organisations, among others. For example from the ILGA World, an association of several organisations that campaigns for queer human rights worldwide. It publishes annual world maps to illustrate the legal situation on the topic.

The Gay Travel Index uses a point system to rate countries and regions according to whether they are recommended as a travel destination for members of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2024, points were awarded for the first time in 18 categories, ranging from marriage for all, anti-discrimination laws, adoption rights and persecution to the death penalty for homosexuals. Countries in which Pride parades are banned or homosexuality is a criminal offence, for example, receive negative points. Countries that campaign against discrimination or allow homosexual couples to marry and adopt children have a positive effect on the ranking. A new category added this year is censorship, which covers, for example, bans on the rainbow flag or the restriction of content in books or films.

These are the most LGBTQ+-friendly countries according to the Gay Travel Index 2024

Five countries landed in first place this year: Canada, Malta (which was alone in first place the year before), New Zealand, Portugal and Spain scored the highest and are considered the most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations in the world, according to the index. New Zealand is new at the top, as transgender rights have been improved there. All five countries also support gay marriage, allow adoption for same-sex couples and the population tends to be queer-friendly.

Australia and Switzerland share second place. Australia receives a minus point from Spartacus in the 'HIV Travel Restrictions' category, as its entry regulations penalise gay people in particular. Switzerland receives a minus point because only 'male' or 'female' can be entered on the ID card. It is followed by Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Uruguay (the best-placed Latin American country).

Incidentally, Estonia made the biggest improvement in the ranking, rising from 47th to 32nd place. One of the reasons for this is that marriage for all has been possible in the country since the beginning of the year.

So you can see that even the countries in the top places still have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to LGBTQ+ friendliness. This makes it clear once again why travellers from the LGBTQ+ community often have to weigh up their destination choices much more carefully.

The entire report with the rating per country in the individual categories can be found here.

At the bottom of the Gay Travel Index are countries where travellers unfortunately face discrimination and sometimes even persecution due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Chechnya and Afghanistan are considered the most LGBTQ+-unfriendly countries in the world for travellers, followed by Yemen, Uganda and Somalia. Looking at Europe, Turkey, Belarus, Russia and the Vatican are in last place.

In the USA, the situation for lesbian, gay and queer travellers is divided. The United States is ranked 41st overall, but because the social and, above all, legal situation for people in the LGBTQ+ community in the USA varies greatly from state to state, Spartacus also published a separate index that takes a closer look at the 50 states. New York tops the list, followed by four states in second place: California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. If you are looking for an LGBTQ+-friendly destination, these states are a good choice. Montana and Oklahoma are at the bottom of the list. This is partly due to the attitudes of the residents and because the controversial 'conversion therapy' is practised here, which is intended to 'cure' homosexuality. Oklahoma also stands out due to its homophobic politicians.

Germany is at the top of the ranking with 10 points, making it into the top 10 of the most LGBTQ+-friendly countries. Germany (unfortunately!) receives a minus point for the reason that the locals are sometimes hostile towards homosexual and queer travellers. Transgender rights also have room for improvement with only one plus point.

Our capital Berlin is one of the largest gay metropolises in Europe and is therefore an exciting destination for the LGBTQ+ community. The first Christopher Street Day took place in Berlin back in 1979 and is now considered one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Cologne is also a top spot on the list, as the city is well known for its gay scene.

We made a list that shows you when you can celebrate diversity on Christopher Street Day in the major German cities. And maybe a campervan trip is a cool way to not only go on holiday in one of them, but also to stand up for tolerance?

You can find dates for Pride parades in other German cities here.

Fortunately, Europe has many interesting destinations where lesbian, gay or queer people can go on holiday without fear of rejection.

Hotspots for the lesbian and gay community (including camping) in Europe include Mykonos in Greece, Santorini and the island of Lesbos, which hosts one of the biggest lesbian parties in the world every year, the Sappho Women - International Eressos Women's Festival.

There are also popular destinations for the LGBTQ+ community in Spain: Gran Canaria, Ibiza and the former fishing village of Sitges, for example. In May, the popular Gay Pride Maspalomas takes place in Gran Canaria every year. And on Mallorca, the international lesbian festival Ella is celebrated every year.

Iceland is considered a particularly lesbian-friendly destination. No wonder, because in 2009, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the first openly gay head of government in the world. Also Sweden is considered one of the most queer-friendly destinations, with many major pride festivals taking place there.

Enjoying a carefree and free holiday is super important for every holidaymaker - but unfortunately not equally possible for everyone in every country. The idea that people from the LGBTQ+ community still have to fear restrictions, discrimination or even penalties and persecution in some countries is - to put it mildly - completely inconceivable to us. The Gay Travel Index is therefore not only relevant for queer travellers. It gives an indication of how seriously human rights, tolerance and openness are taken in different countries. For all those who wish to do so, it can also be a kind of moral compass that can influence the decision in favour of or against a destination.

We hope that there will be more and more places where tolerance and diversity are practised. Because travelling is for everyone. For everyone 🏳️‍🌈🫶

This is exactly why we changed our name from 'CamperBoys' to 'Off' in November 2023. Because the claim not to exclude anyone with our name was reason enough for us to make a fundamental change. And because we believe that we have a responsibility for the visibility of diversity in society, but also for the feelings of all people travelling with our campers. If you would like to find out more about our rebranding, you can find more information here: