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What’s inside this issue
Why packed itineraries often feel wrong for full lives
How thoughtful travellers are rethinking what a good trip looks like
The case for fewer bases, more space, and better fit
How I help LGBTQ professionals plan travel that actually works
My Favourite Finds
The 2026 list of safe and welcoming LGBTQ destinations is here
Chicago in the spotlight as a great city for the gays
People are “breaking laws” to watch Heated Rivalry
LGBTQ history in Paris - the city of love
Main Feature
The Case For Spacious Travel
January has a habit of doing the same thing every year.
Your inbox fills up with glossy travel ads, summer is suddenly urgent, and everything is presented as a limited time opportunity you’re meant to grab before you’ve had a chance to think (or you’re bombarded with fitness shite!).
Seven days this. Twelve highlights here or there. That perfectly optimised itinerary which everyone has… urgh.
If you’ve found yourself looking at those itineraries and quietly thinking, this looks impressive, but I’d hate actually doing it, you’re not alone.
I’m writing this for you dear lovely queer human. Yes you right there with a cuppa tea and a biscuit in hand. Aside from scoffing bickies, you are someone organised, capable, and busy in a good way.
You have a full life already, with work and/or a business you care about, relationships you want to be present for, and TV shows like Stranger Things and Heated (raunchy) Rivalry to watch 🔥.
Basically, for people like you and me, travel doesn’t need to be louder or fuller. It needs to fit.
Which brings me to my point …
My long-standing gripe with most travel planning is rigidity. Fixed schedules that leave no room for how a day actually unfolds.
Packed mornings followed by packed afternoons, with just enough time in between to feel rushed rather than satisfied. Being moved on just as you’re settling into a place.
That style of travel assumes you need micro-managing on your holibobs. Most people I work with don’t. They need structure, yes, but with choice built in.
“For us LGBTQ travellers in particular, there’s often an extra layer at play. We’re not just choosing how we want to spend time, we’re also scanning for comfort, ease, and whether “it’s OK” to relax without having to explain ourselves”
When I look at an itinerary now, there are a couple of quiet signals I pay attention to. If something major is planned every morning and every afternoon, it’s usually too tight.
If there’s no buffer for weather, energy, or simple curiosity, people tend to burn out halfway through the trip, even if everything looks great on paper.
This isn’t just a personal hunch
There’s a well documented body of work around decision fatigue and overstimulation, including Barry Schwartz’s research on the paradox of choice.
The idea is simple but uncomfortable: more options and more stimulation don’t create freedom. They create pressure. Travel is especially vulnerable to this because we’re often trying to “make the most of it” rather than experience it.
What consistently works better for thoughtful, organised travellers (that is you my friend) is a different shape altogether.
Fewer bases but longer stays.
One anchor experience per day at most, with the rest left deliberately open as breathing room.
That space matters more than people realise. It’s often in those unstructured moments that conversations deepen, perspectives shift, or creative ideas surface.
I hear this all the time from clients, and I experience it myself. When the pace eases, the mind has room to wander.
Sometimes that leads to a simple moment of contentment. Sometimes it sparks clarity about something much bigger.
There’s also a practical side to this that rarely gets talked about honestly.
There’s an old but still telling statistic often quoted in the travel industry suggesting travellers saved around $450 per trip (roughly £350) by using an advisor.
I’ll be upfront, the data is super dated, and I’m wary of anyone who throws numbers around without questioning them.
But I do see the same pattern play out repeatedly today. When it comes to headline savings, fewer mistakes are made by going on a trip that is a better fit.
Far less money is wasted chasing experiences that were never right in the first place.
When travel goes wrong, it’s rarely because something was too quiet. It’s because it was too misaligned. Preach!
If you’ve ever looked at a trip plan and thought, “this looks good on paper, but I ain’t down with it”, you’re not being awkward or hard to please. You’re being honest, right?
Your life is fuller. Your time is more valuable. And travel should respect that.
If this resonates and you want to talk through what a well-structured but flexible trip could look like for your life, my inbox is always open. I offer personalised travel planning and trip curation for LGBTQ professionals who want trips that actually fit their lives.
That might mean sense checking an itinerary, shaping a longer trip with space built in, or curating something from scratch when you don’t want to start with a blank page.
If that sounds useful, come chat with me: https://calendly.com/outboundadventures-lgbt/30-minute-travel-requirements
Outro
That’s a wrap on this week’s issue. If you’ve ever tried to DIY a trip and ended up overwhelmed by tabs, or second-guessing what’s actually safe, that’s exactly what I help with.
Like this issue? Forward it to a travel-loving friend.
I’m Steve, your LGBTQ+ adventure curator. If you’re tired of rainbow-washed travel tips, rigid group tours, or just wondering where to go, you’re in the right place.