Editorials
Giving Back: How Our Partnership with Rainbow Railroad Supports the LGBTQI+ Community
Discover Out Of Office's commitment to the LGBTQI+ community through our significant annual support of Rainbow Railroad. Learn how this partnership helps rescue individuals from persecution and creates a safer world.
At Out Of Office, we believe luxury travel should be accessible to everyone, regardless of who they are or whom they love. As the world’s leading inclusive luxury travel specialist, we have always been dedicated to creating exceptional experiences where exclusivity and inclusivity go hand in hand.
We are proud to announce our partnership with Rainbow Railroad, an international organisation that helps at-risk LGBTQI+ individuals escape persecution and violence in their home countries. This collaboration represents the perfect alignment of our values and mission—to create positive change in how the world of luxury travel can be made equal to all.
Understanding the Need
The reality is stark and sobering. In more than 60 countries worldwide, homosexuality remains criminalised. In approximately 10 of those nations, a conviction can result in the death penalty. Every day, LGBTQI+ individuals face threats, violence, and persecution simply for being who they are.
About Out Of Office
Out Of Office is a luxury tailor-made travel company with a focus on delivering exclusivity and inclusivity. Our passion for global adventure is matched only by our deep commitment to delivering exceptional five-star service.
Everything we do is customised and designed especially for you – our valued customer – based on your exact personal requirements. Each member of our team is widely travelled. This means you get access to first-rate travel insights and the best possible advice from our team of luxury travel experts.
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Since 2006, Rainbow Railroad has provided support for almost 20,000 LGBTQI+ individuals, including nearly 2,400 people they have helped resettle to safer countries. In 2024 alone, the organisation responded to requests for help from 13,429 LGBTQI+ people across more than 90 countries and successfully provided assistance to 5,817 individuals.
These are not merely statistics—they represent real lives, dreams, and futures saved.
A Shared Vision
At Out Of Office, we specialise in creating bespoke travel experiences for everyone, with particular expertise in LGBTQ+ travel. We understand that travel is about freedom—the freedom to explore, to connect, and to be oneself without fear or prejudice. Yet we recognise that for many in our global community, this fundamental freedom is not a reality.
Our founder and CEO, Darren Burn, explains:
“Out Of Office was founded on the principle that everyone deserves to travel with dignity and safety. Our partnership with Rainbow Railroad extends this belief beyond holidays—it’s about fundamental human rights. When someone books with us, they’re not just planning a beautiful escape; they’re contributing to a world where more LGBTQI+ people can experience the basic freedom of safety. This cause resonates deeply with me because travel changed my life and as someone living in a country where it’s not illegal to be gay I know that I’m in an extremely privileged position. I believe everyone deserves that opportunity—starting with the right to live authentically without fear.”
How Our Partnership Works
As part of our commitment to the LGBTQI+ community, Out Of Office makes a significant annual contribution to Rainbow Railroad. This support directly funds their vital work, including:
- Emergency Travel Support (ETS): Helping vulnerable LGBTQI+ people plan routes to safer countries where they can resettle and begin lives free from persecution.
- Government Resettlement Pathways: Working with governments to create official channels for LGBTQI+ refugees.
- Cash Assistance and Non-Monetary Resources: Providing immediate support to help individuals improve their safety.
- Partner Organisation Support: Funding and capacity building for local organisations in affected countries.
- Crisis Response: Addressing situations globally that put LGBTQI+ people at increased risk.
Through their new Communities of Care initiative, Rainbow Railroad is enhancing the support provided to LGBTQI+ newcomers after they have arrived in safer countries like Canada and the United States. They create networks of volunteers, partner organisations, and community groups in the destinations where refugees resettle, ensuring ongoing support beyond the initial journey to safety.
No two trips we plan are the same. Yours will be no exception.
Request a quote →The Complexity of Global Travel
As luxury travel specialists with deep expertise in LGBTQ+ travel, we navigate a complex world. We appreciate that many of our clients wish to experience destinations where, unfortunately, LGBTQI+ rights are not recognised or are actively suppressed. We always provide honest, transparent guidance about the reality on the ground in these locations.
This presents us with a profound responsibility—and our partnership with Rainbow Railroad is one way we address it. While we facilitate travel to countries where it may be illegal to be LGBTQ+, we simultaneously invest in helping individuals escape persecution in those same regions.
The irony is not lost on us: we help some travellers visit countries safely from which others desperately need to flee. This duality fuels our commitment to change, to education, and to using our position in the industry to advocate for a world where such disparities no longer exist.
Your Impact
When you choose Out Of Office for your travel needs, you become part of this important mission. Our commitment to Rainbow Railroad is made possible by clients like you who value both exceptional travel experiences and social responsibility.
In 2025, Rainbow Railroad aims to support at least 6,000 at-risk LGBTQI+ people. Through our partnership, we contribute meaningfully to this goal.
If you wish to make an even greater impact, we can facilitate additional direct contributions to Rainbow Railroad on your behalf. Simply let your travel specialist know, and we will arrange this as part of your booking process.
Your journey with us becomes more than a holiday—it becomes a statement of values and a tangible force for good in the world. It represents the beautiful harmony of experiencing privilege while extending it to others.
Looking Forward
Our partnership with Rainbow Railroad reflects our commitment to a future where travel is truly for all. Where the freedom to explore the world is matched by the freedom to be oneself, everywhere.
Through thoughtfully crafted experiences and meaningful partnerships, we at Out Of Office will continue to champion a world where exclusivity and inclusivity truly go hand in hand—not just in luxury hotels and bespoke itineraries, but in the fundamental human right to live and travel without fear.
To learn more about Rainbow Railroad and their vital work, please visit www.rainbowrailroad.org. To make a donation to Rainbow Railroad, please visit our dedicated partnership page to make a donation.
Out Of Office is the world’s leading inclusive luxury travel specialist. We craft bespoke experiences for all travellers, with particular expertise in LGBTQ+ travel safety and inclusion. Our team of luxury travel specialists provides unrivalled expertise and personalised service, ensuring every journey reflects our core values of professionalism, exclusivity, exceptional experiences, and inclusivity.
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From your first conversation, you’ll have one dedicated expert looking after your trip from start to finish, getting to know you and taking care of every detail along the way. Your journey starts with a complimentary, no-obligation consultation.
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We plant trees for every booking
For every booking made with Out Of Office we commit to planting trees in your name to help reduce the impact of travel on future generations. You'll even get a link to see where your trees are planted in the world via our partner Ecologi.
We donate to Rainbow Railroad with every booking
Rainbow Railroad helps LGBTQ+ people escape state-sponsored violence and persecution. A donation goes with every trip we sell, funded by us and never added to your price.
Start Planning Your Trip
Tell us where you would love to go, when you are thinking of travelling and what kind of trip you have in mind. One of our LGBTQ+ travel specialists will create a tailor-made itinerary designed around your destination, style and preferences.
One named specialist, first enquiry to homecoming. No call centre, and nothing is charged until you decide to book.