In honor of Pride Month, travel insurance company Travel Guard has announced the expansion of its online educational initiatives designed for LGBTQ+ travelers.
The move is a response to the specific challenges the community often faces while on the road — last year, Booking.com research found that 59% of LGBTQ+ travelers have experienced discrimination when traveling.
Rhonda Sloan, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Travel Guard, says the company hopes to prepare and support these travelers by raising their awareness of potential risks and providing resources that empower them to “travel safe and smart.” Travel Guard has been publishing safety content for this group since 2019.
Our initiative helps ensure LGBTQ+ individuals can travel proud.
“The global landscape is ever-changing — some destinations have changed their stance on this community for the positive, but some have changed for the negative,” Sloan said. “[LGBTQ+ travelers face] significant barriers to travel safety, and we felt it was a good time to refresh this guidance for 2025. Our initiative helps ensure LGBTQ+ individuals can travel proud.”
Travel Guard's initiative is anchored by a dedicated LGBTQ+ website, where users will find travel safety tips that range from assessing potential risks in a destination and traveling with children to guidance for transgender travelers and the importance of making a paper trail. The site also includes a world map that shows the established rights (or lack thereof) of LGBTQ+ people in different countries, and a video series on some of the above topics and others by Tommy DiDario, an entertainment correspondent and host of the podcast “I’ve Never Said This Before.”
Travel Guard's safety guide was created in partnership with Hospitable Me, a leader in inclusive hospitality. Hospitable Me’s educational programs are used by hotels and travel brands around the world. It’s a resource Travel Guard is proud to use in order to better serve the LGBTQ+ community, and a resource other travel brands might access, too.
“We certainly welcome the efforts of any groups or companies who also want to make everyone feel more comfortable traveling,” Sloan said. “It’s a good thing for the travel industry and, candidly, for all of us.”
