It’s one thing to talk about inclusive travel. It’s another to live by it. We caught up with Luiz Marques, Senior Marketing Manager at Trafalgar, who shares how Trafalgar’s year-round commitment to inclusivity has deepened his pride in the company, reshaped how he travels, and sparked unexpected connections on the road.
Luiz just returned from Trafalgar’s Balkan Adventure with his husband John, and has shared thoughtful advice for LGBTQI+ travelers considering their first group tour – and why feeling seen, safe, and celebrated makes all the difference.
The importance of doing (not just saying) the right thing as a travel company
“One of the important things about representation is that it’s not just a matter of convenience,” says Luiz. “So many companies they just talk about pride in June, or they feature LGBTQI+ people in June – but it’s very important that representation is seen year round, as a natural part of their comms.”
Luiz says that otherwise LGBTQI+ people are kept as a niche and left on the sidelines.
“This one time when this guest emailed… to say that he did not like when we featured [past guests] Craig and Graham,” Luiz recalls. “It was just a regular newsletter talking about their experience with the Trafalgar Unlocked Awards.
“He emailed us to say that he did not like that. He doesn’t think that it was appropriate and everything. And I actually waited for [my colleague] Rita to respond … and her response was just so classy and just so to the point like: ‘This is who we are. This is who we stand for.’
“She didn’t try to make room for him, make him feel comfortable, or sort of distract him… Working for this company, that was such a big moment for me because I feel like it would have been easy for her to just to please him and say the customer is always right – but she stood up for the basic values of what we believe in.
“I’m proud to work somewhere where we do stand behind what we say.
“It’s really important to have people within the company who are representative of [LGBTQI+] communities and a diverse staff who are able to speak to those nuances in a way that is authentic and genuine.”
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How traveling with Trafalgar opens dialog with other guests
Luiz says that when he travels with Trafalgar, he feels comfortable and included, and he says the representation of himself and his husband help to bridge bridges, even with the more conservative guests on the trip.
“Like all the trips that we’ve been on, we’ve met people that are more conservative – but they’re still open to the dialog, to talking to you, to seeing you as a person,” he explains. “I find it interesting because I think those kinds of those people – the kind of people who maybe would have written that email in the first place – often grow the most when meeting people from different backgrounds.
“[They discover that] these are people that I like, these are people who make me laugh and who I kind of like have fun with – and that’s why inclusivity and representation and travel is important.”
Luiz says travel helps people experience new things, breaks down old narratives people believe about themselves and others, and helps people be more open minded.
“You’re not in a group of just Americans, of just people who believe the same thing,” he says. “You’re exposed to people from all over the world. We have guests from Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa – so there is diversity in people, cultures.”
How traveling with Trafalgar has changed his relationship with traveling
Recently Luiz and his husband joined Trafalgar’s Balkan Adventure, a 14-day trip across Eastern Europe that’s been on his bucket list for the past three years. He was concerned about having super high expectations for the trip, but says it was the ‘best tour ever’.
“It was so, so cool. There were seven countries – all so different – and we got to see so much,” he says.
A highlight was the day in Budva, in Montenegro. After an orientation of the citadel the afternoon is free and Luiz opted for the optional boat ride. “We talked to the captain, and he stopped for 10 minutes so we got a chance to jump in in the water and swim in the Adriatic Sea. It was just so nice and very relaxing. It felt like a vacation within a vacation.”
He says the trip included some long drives as you cross various borders. “I snoozed a lot on the coach. I always say coach time is a great time for you to just sit back, relax, take a nap, and then you recharge for when you get there,” says Luiz.
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Why going guided was perfect for the Balkans
“I don’t know how we would have felt going on this trip if had it not been on a group tour,” says Luiz. “Obviously you have the language barrier, which is already a big difference, but not only that, I think a lot of these countries are not at the forefront of LGBTQI+”
He says that while these countries might be open to tourism, many don’t recognize same sex unions and so you might feel hesitant to visit. “I think the tour was also that perfect setup, because we felt super safe and cared for.”
Beyond the safety net of the group and the Travel Director, going guided gives him more confidence for slightly more adventurous destinations. Luiz says it’s about the little things too – like being able to preference a double bed over twin beds at the start of the trip, meaning no funny interactions with hotel receptionists.
“Those little things make a difference so every time you [don’t] have to be reminded that some people will not think of you as a couple,” he says.
What advice would you give to LGBTQIA+ travelers?
“No matter where you’re at in life, what age you have, or where you want to go, I think the tour setup is a great one for anyone who’s maybe not feeling that confident, or for those that may have a lot of reservations,” says Luiz. “You may think that people will not like you, or you will not fit in, but you should give it a chance with a company that cares about uplifting the community.”
“My husband John and I go on Trafalgar tours because we love the group aspect,” says Luiz, but it wasn’t always this way. “When we first went on the Imperial Europe tour in 2022 John hated the idea.”
John, the shy introvert, didn’t want to join a tour, but Luiz needed to understand what a Trafalgar tour was like for work. “The compromise was that we would do a 10-day tour, and then the other four days or five days after that we had a vacation to Switzerland on our own,” says Luiz.
“By the time that we were saying goodbye to people, [John] was hugging them and crying. He missed helping elder people put the luggage on the carry on the overhead bins. And he was devastated when we got to Switzerland. He wanted to go back to the Trafalgar experience.
“Ever since then, he’s become the most loyal fan of Trafalgar.”
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Doing LGBTQI+ research for the destination before you visit
Whehther you’re joining a tour or going independently, Luiz says he always tries to learn about the history and current situation of the LGBTQI+ community in the places he visits.
“Where do people usually gather and feel more free to express themselves? Or what is the history of that country with LGBTQI+ rights? Do they recognize same sex unions?” Luiz says.
“I think it’s also nice for us to be aware of different struggles and different stages of progress across the world. When I went to the Dakotas, for example, I thought it was going to be a very traditional community.”
Luiz says he met two female artists in the community who were a couple. He noticed some symbolism in their work and asked about how accepted they were, and they said the community had no issue with them, which came as a surprise to him.
“It’s nice to see how our community lives in a place, because we know we’ve had it hard. It’s not like it’s perfect now, but not everyone is at the same level of progress,” he says.
Thanks to Luiz for sharing his experiences! Do you have any tips for LGBTQI+ travelers? Leave us a comment…