It’s 2021 Pride Month and we could not be more excited to get to celebrate the progress we’ve all made for the LGBTQIA+ community (most referred to as LGBT+). The travel industry specifically, is such an accepting industry for LGBT+ Pride, and we have plenty of stunning Protected Trust Services (PTS) members that celebrate Pride all year round. One of those being the luxury travel company, Huben Travel.
When it comes to going on holiday to relax, it’s so important to us and our members that the consumer is comfortable and treated respectfully by whatever folks in the travel industry they encounter. For Huben Travel, that is why they have chosen to focus on LGBT+ travel, to ensure that the consumer can go on holiday and feel safe.
In the spirit of celebrating our progress, and the joyous time that is Pride Month, we would like to celebrate the important work that Huben Travel does and recommend them for your next LGBT+ friendly holiday.
What Does the Industry Do for LGBT+ in Travel?
When we spoke with Hugh and Ben from Huben Travel, they seemed just as passionate as us about the great contribution that the travel industry gives to Pride, and how well they work together. With such a massive community focus in both, it’s no wonder we celebrate Pride so thoroughly.
Ben said that the travel industry is such an accepting community of people. With so many jobs in travel attracting the LGBT+ community, and so many companies giving even small bits of support through Pride month, we all felt it is a wonderful industry to celebrate Pride through.
Ben reminded us of the great things Virgin Atlantic have done for Pride recently with their Pride flight to New York, an entire Pride float, and drag DJs on the plane to create such an accepting and loving atmosphere.
Hugh added that even something as small as changing their company logo to involve the Pride flag showed their support and gave consumers comfort. He said, “they know that if they look after those clients then they’ll come back,” about the less focused companies in the travel industry.
Seeing so much of an industry embracing Pride and showing their support, in as big or little a way as they can, even this year when the industry has been uncertain, it is a wonderful thing to see. And to see our PTS members contributing to this as well is delightful.
Ben also recommended London as one of his favourite Pride events. The atmosphere and the community are dazzling, and he said, “I love the bit when it’s family friendly, I really enjoy all of that kind of stuff. When it’s a family event and you can bring kids along and they can see what it’s all about, it’s really lovely.”
Who Are Huben Travel?
A luxury, LGBT+ focused travel business, Huben Travel are a personal-focused company started from a passion for the world and experience with the need for friendly, safe spaces in travel.
Talking to Hugh and Ben about their business and how it all came to life for them, Ben explained that it all began when they were booking their honeymoon. Trying to go to the Maldives, but warned that they might not be accepted, was what inspired them. Ben said, “We took that experience of booking our honeymoon and thought, ‘okay, let’s create a company that can help people find places to go that are LGBTQ+ friendly’.”
A young company that started in the early days of lockdown, they committed themselves to creating a safe service, “speaking to hotels, and building a collection of hotels that [they] know are safe,” so that their customers can be certain they’re going to be comfortable on holiday.
How Do Huben Travel Provide Their Unique Service?
Something special about providing such a specific service, is the relationships that Huben create. Hugh said, “we make sure that we have done our research before we send anyone on holiday,” emphasising the little details that make all the difference.
Something easily seen in their Huben Honeymoons bookings, they focus on making an LGBT+ holiday as personal as possible. Ensuring hotels are catering to same sex couples and calling ahead to make sure that everything is planned for helps the hotel provide the best service they can, and allows the consumer to relax without a hitch.
Ben stated, “we do an infinite amount of research and we go into so much detail…we’re not mass market so we can afford to be personal in terms of our service, so we really get to know people and really get to know what they want.”
They go the extra mile, having one-to-one calls with each consumer when they book a honeymoon with champagne or a takeout while they go through the quotes on offer. Those little personal touches are what make Huben Travel so unique (I’m tempted to book a holiday with them myself).
What LGBT+ Travel Holidays Do They Sell?
Hugh summed up their myriad of services in saying they provide, “anything you can possibly think of, but with a focus on LGBTQ+,” providing a full and well-rounded offer so the community can feel safe no matter where they want to go.
With hosted tours, where Ben and Hugh will take the consumer wine tasting in California, or on a ski holiday or cruise, and luxury hotels across Europe and America, there is endless possibilities.
At the moment, Ben said, they are getting lots of bookings for staycations and not much is going on for 2022 and 2023. With so much uncertainty, their consumers are turning to the comforts and treasures of the UK for their holidays, and they are doing all they can to keep costs as low as possible so their consumers can still enjoy a holiday, wherever they venture.
Despite this, they sustain a really personal service, and Hugh mentioned that “90% of the time we’ve been there, or we’ve definitely done our research into the hotels,” so that they can still give you the luxury holiday you want with the security of knowing you’ll have a grand time.
Ben also gave us the exciting knowledge that they will be looking into the international islands of the Maldives soon so that they can confirm if that is a possible future destination for their consumers.
However, specifically they agreed that America is a favourite destination that they offer. Hugh said, “we got engaged in New York, we love Disney. We went to San Francisco in 2019 and absolutely loved California, we love Napa and we love the wine valley,” enthusiastically, going on to talk about “specially a driving holiday in America because the roads are so great.”
Seeing one of our members so passionate about the holidays they’re selling under the protection of a secure trust account is what makes a great travel company that you know means you can travel with trust. From getting to know each and every one of their consumers to provide them the perfect, accepting holiday they need, to having great relationships with their suppliers so everyone can do their best, we highly recommend taking a trip with Huben Travel.
To get in contact with Huben Travel and book your LGBT+ safe holiday, you can visit their website. And if you want to know more about our other wonderful LGBT+ supportive members, you can get in contact with head office at 0207 190 9988 or email ask@protectedtrustservices.com.
If you would like more information and advice on your protection abroad, you can visit our travel consumer protection page, or for LGBT+ specific travel advice, you can visit the government website.
At present (10th June 2021) there are restrictions on travel to Maldives and America in place, so please keep an eye on the government website to determine their restrictions and if it’s safe to travel there at the moment. This is subject to changes and we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
