Editorials
Written by the people who plan the trips
Avoiding Middle East Flight Routes: Alternatives for LGBTQ+ Travellers
For many of our clients, the question of how to get somewhere matters almost as much as the destination itself. Transiting through Qatar, the UAE, or Saudi Arabia has become routine for long-haul travel from the UK, Europe, and increasingly the United States.
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Aspen Travel Guide: Skiing, High Society & Gay Ski Week
Aspen's trajectory from silver mining town to one of the most recognisable luxury resort addresses in the world is not, strictly speaking, a story about skiing. It is a story about reinvention, about the particular alchemy that happens when serious money, serious culture, and extraordinary natural surroundings occupy the same small mountain valley. The skiing helped, obviously. But plenty of ski resorts have good skiing.
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New Zealand North or South Island: Which Should You Visit?
Planning a trip to New Zealand usually starts with one question: North Island or South Island? The country may look compact on a map, but the two islands offer distinctly different atmospheres. One is shaped by coastline, culture, and wine. The other is defined by mountains, fjords, and vast, cinematic landscapes. Choosing between them is less about right or wrong and more about the kind of experience you want to have.
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Plan Your Gay Honeymoon in New Zealand
New Zealand has a reasonable claim to being the most spectacular country on earth for landscape travel. Two islands packed with fiords, volcanoes, glaciers, vineyards, and coastline that shifts from black sand to turquoise depending on which direction you're facing. For a honeymoon, that combination of physical drama and genuine intimacy, particularly in the South Island's quieter corners, is hard to beat.
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Plan Your Gay Honeymoon in Scotland
Scotland has been legal for same-sex marriage since 2014. More than a decade on, it has gotten very good at it. The celebrants are experienced, the best hotels understand what the occasion means, and the country brings none of the ambiguity that surrounds honeymoons in destinations where the legal framework is newer or the welcome less certain. The scenery helps. So does the whisky.
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Plan Your Gay Honeymoon in Japan
Japan is one of the most rewarding honeymoon destinations in the world and one of the more complex to plan well. The experiences that define a trip here, the right ryokan, a private temple viewing at dawn, a counter restaurant with no English menu and a three-month waiting list, exist slightly off the standard path and tend to require knowing how to ask. For same-sex couples, there is an additional layer.
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Is Same-Sex Marriage Legal in Japan in 2026?
Japan occupies a fascinating position in the global LGBTQ+ landscape. It is a country known for safety, social harmony and refined hospitality, yet it does not currently have nationwide marriage equality. For same-sex couples considering a honeymoon, wedding celebration or luxury trip, understanding the distinction between legal framework and lived experience is key.
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A Different Kind of Safari: Kruger Wildlife and Kalahari
South Africa is one of the finest safari destinations in the world, and for LGBTQ+ travellers, it is also one of the most comfortable and rewarding. Strong legal protections, a sophisticated luxury lodge network, and long experience welcoming same-sex couples make it possible to focus entirely on the safari itself. This exclusive journey combines two of the country’s most extraordinary wilderness regions, offering a deeply immersive experience that balances iconic wildlife with exceptional seclusion.
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Beyond Kruger: Exploring KwaZulu-Natal’s Wild Coast and Highlands
KwaZulu-Natal is one of South Africa’s most geographically diverse regions, where wildlife-rich wetlands, Indian Ocean beaches, and dramatic mountain landscapes sit within a single, beautifully connected journey. Located on the country’s eastern edge, it is a place defined by contrast, moving from subtropical coastline to protected wilderness and into the high-altitude kingdom of Lesotho. This part of South Africa offers a very different experience from the classic safari regions.
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Kinosaki Onsen: Japan’s Most Romantic Town for Gay Couples
Most couples who plan a Japan honeymoon spend a long time deliberating between Tokyo and Kyoto, then add Hakone as an onsen option because it appears on every list. Kinosaki Onsen, a small town on the Sea of Japan coast in Hyogo Prefecture, appears on almost none of them. That oversight is worth correcting.
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Thailand’s Wellness Retreats: Beyond the Spa Menu
Thailand's wellness landscape goes deeper than hotel spas offering Thai massage. The country's centuries-old healing traditions (herbal medicine, sound therapy, Buddhist meditation practices) now operate at luxury resort level through properties that employ traditional Thai medicine doctors, meditation masters, and herbalists alongside standard spa offerings.
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Bangkok, Through the Kitchen
Bangkok's culinary landscape operates on a different logic than most luxury food destinations. Michelin stars belong to street vendors cooking from carts. The city's most influential chefs often run 20-seat restaurants in converted shophouses rather than hotel dining rooms. Female chefs who spent years researching regional Thai techniques now lead kitchens that book months ahead through Instagram DMs, not reservation platforms.
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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.