FAQs about our trips

Who goes on these trips? What are the accommodations like? Will I be the only single person?

Common questions about gay adventure travel

Here are some of the questions we're most often asked. Questions about particular trips are answered on the FAQs page for that trip. If you have further questions, or would like to discuss a trip, please give us a call toll-free: 1-866-294-8174.

How many people are in your average Hanns Ebensten Travel group?
One of the distinguishing features of Hanns Ebensten Travel is the intimacy of the group. We are not only a gay-friendly option for travelers, we are also an alternative for people who like companionship but cannot tolerate large buses and crowds of people. Consequently, our groups range in size from six to twenty participants. In the monasteries at Mount Athos we are limited to no more than six or seven non-Orthodox visitors. On the ss Karim, our luxury stern wheeler on the Nile, we can comfortably accommodate twenty-five guests. On our other tours, we typically restrict our groups to 10-16 participants. This makes a nice experience in traveling (no giant buses-phew!), restaurants can seat us at one or two tables, and we can move our groups easily through attractions and sites without the impersonal 1-2-3 sheep type counting.

How old are most tour members? What is an average group like?
One of the nice things about a Hanns Ebensten Travel group is the diversity of ages and backgrounds. Most of our tours are designated for gay men, but some are open to both men and women, as noted for each trip on our website.

The age of participants typically ranges from early 30’s to 60’s, although we occasionally see younger participants, and some of our fittest travelers have been in their 70s or even early 80s. Our tour members are mostly professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, college teachers, scientists and marketing representatives. We also have our fair share of artists, writers, musicians and their publicists, and occasionally surprises (good ones!).

Our tours are not "party tours" and consequently our tour members are mostly mature travelers (not necessarily in years) who are seeking a personal, educational and even spiritual adventure with like-minded people. We also make a point to allow time to relax and have fun. Whether that means skinny dipping around our private huts in Tahiti or dancing at the bars in local clubs, there is always time for playfulness and high spirits. We are on vacation after all!

Do I need any special medical or cancellation insurance?
We are one of the few companies that includes basic medical and evacuation travel insurance for all of our trips. In other words, we cover you for any illness or injury which occurs during the tour (except while in the water for scuba diving, for which we recommend DAN insurance).

We also recommend that everyone on our trips have personal medical insurance, in which case the coverage included with our tours is secondary coverage, which is intended to cover deductibles, co-pays and other costs not covered by your personal insurance.

To protect your financial investment, we also encourage you to add trip cancellation insurance to the tour fee for your trip, at the time of your deposit, or within 14 days after the deposit is paid. The price varies by trip, so please ask us for the amount for your tour, or see your statement.

This coverage can be useful if you, your traveling companion, your business or life partner, or a family member have an occurrence that causes you to need to cancel your trip. Please read our Terms & Conditions carefully so that you understand our cancellation policy.

Many other companies offer this coverage as well. Be sure to read the policy carefully, so that you know what situations are and are not covered by the policy.

Is it any problem if a straight friend joins me on a trip?
Each year we designate more of our trips as being for "gay men, lesbians, and friends." so we encourage any of our straight friends who enjoy traveling with an open-minded group to join these tours.

In addition, many of our trips are designated for gay men only or for gay men and lesbians. The company was founded because, even these days, gay men and lesbians sometimes encounter a cool reception from people who aren't gay, and many of us would rather take a vacation in an atmosphere where that's not an issue. Our groups are also mostly small and intimate (some with as few as six participants) and the camaraderie is as important as the scenery. So while we occasionally welcome friends and family to join us, we tend to keep our groups essentially for gay men. It has been our mission since the start and we still believe it is important to offer trips for men to be together without the pressures they may experience at home (in smaller cities) and in their jobs. At the same time, we also acknowledge a wider mix of participants and personalities can also make for a great trip and are willing to consider anyone who wants to travel with us.

So your friend is certainly welcome to travel with us. We think you'll have a great time, and the kind of people who come on our trips will enjoy having a friendly but wider mix of participants and personalities.

Do I need to speak a foreign language for your overseas trips?
No. Most people who travel abroad with us don't speak the language. But we encourage you to brush up on any language skills you have that are relevant for the area you're going to, and to learn a few basic phrases, such as hello and thank you, in the local language. You'll find even a few words make a big difference in your interactions with local people.

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