Lesbian travel: where to stay as a couple or a woman travelling alone

Stay with a host who welcomes women

A room in someone's home can suit you if you like local advice or a bit of company. The question is whether your host is glad to have you, and the routes below handle that differently. Whichever you use, check the host, the reviews and the house details before you go.

Among Our People. On Stay with a local, hosts say who they'd love to welcome and how they live at home, and you can see your host's photos and, if they've chosen to share it, their gender and orientation. Each stay shows how well it matches you (Stay with a local). We're new, so check who's hosting in the city you're heading to.

Airbnb. Hosts can't turn you away for being lesbian. Separately, a host who shares common spaces such as a bathroom or kitchen can choose to welcome only guests of their own gender (Airbnb Help Center), so a woman host can offer her spare room to women only. That rule is about gender, though, and tells you nothing about whether she'll welcome a lesbian couple. You can't filter for LGBTQ+ hosts, so read profiles and reviews. Our guide to gay Airbnb has tips on spotting a friendly host.

Host A Sister. A free Facebook group, started in 2019 by Rashvinda Kaur, where women offer each other a place to stay, a meet-up or a travel buddy (South China Morning Post). It works differently from a booking site: it's people arranging things with each other, without listings, reviews or payments through a platform. It also isn't an LGBTQ+ group. So message your host, get to know her a little and agree on what to expect before you stay.

Women-only hostels and dorms

Many hostels have female-only dorms, and a few cities have hostels just for women. They're cheap and sociable, and handy if you'd like company for a day trip. If you're a couple wanting a double bed, a hostel's private room is the thing to look for. Search "women-only hostel" with your city name and read recent reviews, which tell you more than the marketing.

Lesbian-friendly B&Bs and holiday lets

A few directories list places that welcome lesbian guests. LesbianAccommodation.co.uk, for example, lists B&Bs, guest houses and holiday homes for women, couples and families, mainly in the UK and southern Europe (LesbianAccommodation.co.uk). Treat it as a list of leads rather than a vetted guide. It doesn't say how listings are chosen, and some look a few years old, so contact each place directly to confirm it's still open, has space and welcomes you.

Gay B&Bs can be a good option too. Some are for women or men only and others welcome everyone, so read who each one is for. Our guide to gay bed and breakfast explains what to look for.

Holidays run for queer women

If you'd rather travel with other women than plan it all yourself, there are specialists. Olivia, for example, runs cruises, resort holidays and adventure trips for lesbians and LGBTQ+ women, and says it has done so for more than 35 years (Olivia). They're a different kind of trip, with the travel and the company sorted for you, and they suit some people perfectly.

Before you go

The UK government's advice for LGBT+ travellers says to research everywhere you're going, "not just at a country level", because cities and rural areas can differ a lot (GOV.UK, FCDO). GOV.UK currently estimates that around 70 countries penalise consensual same-sex activity, and warns that some hotels, especially in rural areas, may refuse same-sex couples. The country pages of your own government's travel advice are a good start, wherever you live.

A few habits help when you're travelling alone:

Tell someone where you're staying, and keep the address saved offline.

Arrive in daylight the first time if you can.

Keep messages and payment on the booking site.

Meet new people somewhere public first.

And if you're two women booking a room with one bed, say so when you book. A short "We're a couple, so one double bed is perfect" makes the arrival easier for everyone, and the reply tells you a lot about the host.

Questions people ask

Are there lesbian-only hotels? There are a few women-only guest houses, and companies such as Olivia take over whole resorts or ships for lesbian and LGBTQ+ women on set dates. Most of the time, though, you'll be choosing between gay-friendly places, so read who each one welcomes.

Can I find a homestay with a woman host? Yes. On Airbnb, a woman host who shares her home can choose to welcome only women. On Among Our People, you can see your host's gender if they've chosen to share it, and they say who they'd love to welcome.

Is it safe to travel as a lesbian couple? It depends where you go. Check your government's travel advice for every place on your route, not just the country, and read the listing and reviews before you book.

What's the best accommodation for solo female travel? It depends on your budget and how much company you want. Women-only hostel dorms are cheap and sociable; a room with a host who welcomes women gives you a local to ask; a B&B gives you more privacy.