7 Tips for Maximizing Your Pride Travel This June

Are you ready for Pride Month?

Pride 2019 is nigh and as those around the world celebrate the month of love and acceptance, many will travel to festivals around the world to ring in the festivities.

Whether attending a festival for the first or the 30th time, it’s important to fully think through your travel plans in an effort to maximize your time while traveling for Pride. Knowing this, Curio Collection by Hilton, specializing in unique experiential travel, has compiled a list of tips to keep top of mind as you plan any Pride travel for June.

Travelers should explore new cities and exciting experiences this year, and what better way to do this than during Pride festivities?

1. Map out your trip

First things first, map out what kind of trip you’re looking to embark on. Are you looking to organize a trip with a group of friends? Or maybe you’re looking to be extra adventurous and embark on a solo trip. Regardless, it’s important to get ahead of planning as often prices rise and tickets sell out for events if you wait until the last minute!

2. Pick a a city you've never been to

When traveling to a new city during Pride and experiencing the local festival, people, and culture, it’s almost as if you’re celebrating it for the first time. Whether you’re celebrating at World Pride in New York City, Chicago Pride Fest, or traveling abroad to a destination festival like Barcelona Pride, each Pride festival around the world has a different vibe and unique events for you to participate in.

3. Choose an LGBTQ-friendly hotel

While traveling, LGBTQ travelers should seek out LGBTQ-friendly hotels to ensure their accommodations are both comfortable and welcoming. Hotels like those that are part of Curio Collection by Hilton make it a point to provide each traveler with unique experiences and encourage local discovery while visiting new destinations at some of its properties in top Pride destinations like Martinique New York on Broadway in New York City or 100 Queen’s Gate Hotel in London. As Hilton has received a score of 100 on the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index for six consecutive years and ongoingly collaborates with a number of the LGBTQ community’s most influential organizations, LGBTQ guests and travelers can be assured that whether staying at a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel or just stopping in to grab a quick drink, all are welcome and encouraged to celebrate Pride at their properties.

4. Support LGBTQ businesses and restaurants

Eating at restaurants like Meme’s Diner and Hudson Jane in Brooklyn or Le Petit Prince de Paris in Paris provides an LGBTQ-friendly ambiance to travelers, all while supporting restaurateurs of the LGBTQ community. If you find yourself shopping during your trip or needing to pick something up that you forgot to pack, a great habit to keep in mind is taking a peek at a destination’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce to find LGBTQ-owned businesses in the area.

5. Stay safe and hydrated

As with any travel, be vigilant and aware of your surroundings while on your Pride trip, especially if visiting a new or unfamiliar city. Ensure that you map out a plan to stick together while at a festival or if traveling solo, have a contact you can call if something doesn’t go as planned. Pride is mid-year and kicks off the hot summer months for many around the world. Drink lots of water while outside celebrating and if you’re feeling extra sustainable, bring a water bottle and refill at refill stations.

6. Plan ahead and use loyalty points for experiences

If you’re able to get your group organized well in advance of your trip, you will often get the most bang for your buck, especially with loyalty programs offering Pride specials when redeeming points. For example, Hilton Honors is currently offering a Pride ‘weekender package’ for its members to get 50 percent off Sunday after staying three nights, because no one really wants to go home the Sunday after Pride, right? Airline companies such as Virgin Atlantic or Delta have also previously come out with flash Pride sales with substantially lower flights for those traveling on Pride weekends. So keep a look out for last-minute flight deals!

7. Plan out experiences for all

Pride is for everyone: you, your friends, and your family. Festivals and parades have activities for all and it’s a great idea to look into what kinds of different activities each location offers, especially for the kids. This year, festivals like WorldPride assembled a family guide for those traveling with little ones that include activities such as LGBTQ+ Pride Night at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, NYC Pride’s Family Movie Night and even Youth Pride at Central Park’s SummerStage.