Transgender Vacations Launches Group Travel Company

Stephanie Land understands the fears of transgender folks traveling alone. She knows it can be an intimidating, even frightening proposition. A transgender woman who started to transition in 2000, Land is a travel agent who has journeyed throughout the United States as a woman.

Although she says she felt no anxiety during her trips to cities such as New York, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago, Land recognizes that others may not feel as comfortable leaving their home base as she does. So last year she founded what she believes is the world's only travel agency geared specifically to transgender men and women - Transgender Vacations.

"When I starting thinking about this, it occurred to me that everybody's doing the gay and lesbian travel thing," Land notes. "I want to bring the T in LGBT to travel! There are plenty of gay cruises with companies like RSVP Vacations, Atlantis Events and Brand g, but sometimes we don't want to go on gay cruises and tours, we want to be with a broader mix of people, like on a straight cruise."

Land, who is escorting her first group on a weeklong cruise of the Caribbean December 14, adds, "Right now, I'm just trying to get myself out there and let people know that I'm willing to work with transgenders and that we can travel as a group so we feel comfortable. Because a lot of transgenders worry about what people might think about them when they travel, about documentation, all this stuff. I thought it would be a great idea to be in a group, so you don't have to feel scared."

Land has been a travel agent based in the Dallas area for over a decade, working early in her career for companies such as Adventure Tours, American Express Travel and Neiman Marcus Travel. When she began her transition, however, she quickly hit a roadblock. "I lived as a woman for four years, and I was out of work for four years," she says. "Trying to get a job for a transgender person is very tough here in Texas. We don't have discrimination laws. I had to go back to living as a male, which is something I did not want to do, although Dynamic Travel, the company that I work for now, knows about me. But I still want to be called Stephanie outside of the office, because I'm Stephanie on the inside."

A Year of Discovery

Judging by the trips she is offering through Transgender Vacations, 2015 should be a banner year for Land. The company's first 2015 excursion is to Las Vegas, March 25-29. Prices start at $325 per person for four nights of accommodation at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino (entertainment and airfare not included).

Transgender Vacations is also booking now for a four-night trip to the Moon Palace Golf and Spa Resort in Cancun beginning August 18. Prices begin at $913 per person and include lodging, meals and snacks, drinks, sports, activities, entertainment, parties, gratuities and taxes. Clients who reserve now through December 31 will receive a $750 resort credit good for excursions such as dolphin swims.

The company will wrap up the year with cruises in October and November. For transgender folks in Europe - or those from this country who would love to experience the best of the Mediterranean - Transgender Vacations is featuring a seven-night trip on the Royal Caribbean ship Splendor of the Seas departing from Venice, Italy, October 17. Ports of call include Kotor, Montenegro and Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Argostoli, Greece. Prices start at $880 per person (valid through December 31) and include meals, taxes, gratuities and a $100 on-board credit per stateroom.

The five-night cruise to the Caribbean embarks from Tampa on November 7 aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. Stops include the LGBT-friendly ports of Key West and Cozumel. Prices begin at $565 and include meals, taxes and gratuities.

Land believes in the power of travel to enrich and embolden, and through Transgender Vacations she wants to ensure her transgender peers have the opportunity to experience it.

"Traveling, going to exotic places, seeing the world...why not? Why shouldn't we? Everyone else wants to do that! And if you want to transition, you've got to go out into the real world anyway and overcome your fears," says Land. "It's a lot better than it was 10 or 15 years ago, but people are still going to give looks. I know that I can't control what others think, but with a group of us we all can feel comfortable because we're with our own people."

To learn more about Transgender Vacations, CLICK HERE.