trans travel reviews

Best transatlantic cruises for 2024 and 2025, plus tips and what to expect

A transatlantic cruise ranks high on many travelers' bucket lists, especially those who love the camaraderie and adventure of a voyage by ship. Today's roughly 4,000-nautical-mile transatlantic crossing is more akin to the pre-aviation "Grand Tour" wealthy Americans once enjoyed than the immigration journeys many of our European ancestors made from the 17th to early 20th centuries.

Leisurely and luxurious, a one-way sailing offers fine dining, wellness-oriented pampering, enlightening lectures, glamorous nightlife and plenty of time to relax. Transatlantic cruises are also a solution for travelers who prefer not to fly and a tempting option for cruise lovers seeking a longer itinerary at an affordable price.

Is a transatlantic cruise right for everyone? Not necessarily, especially for anyone prone to moderate to severe sea sickness. However, for those who love sea days — and many cruisers do — a crossing can offer an uninterrupted "floating resort" experience; plus, it provides the added bonus of delivering you to Europe or returning you home without a cramped transatlantic flight.

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Here's everything you need to know about cruising the Atlantic — plus a selection of the best transatlantic cruises you can book in 2024 and 2025.

Which cruise lines offer transatlantic crossings?

While Cunard Line is most famous for its weekly crossings between Southampton, England, and New York City — which sail from April to December on its ocean liner Queen Mary 2 — pretty much every major cruise line offers transatlantic crossings.

These generally occur in the spring (late March to early May) and fall (September to November). In the spring, ships are repositioned from the Caribbean to Europe, and in the fall, vessels sail from Europe to the U.S. to begin Canada-New England and Caribbean itineraries.

Also known as repositioning cruises , these sailings are usually longer than a traditional crossing and often include several port calls beyond the city of embarkation and disembarkation.

Even better, cruise fares for these itineraries are typically one-third to one-half the price of a cruise of the same length that visits a new port daily. This makes them a great deal for travelers looking to settle into shipboard life rather than just sightsee.

These types of transatlantic/repositioning itineraries are offered by Azamara, Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Regent, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Seabourn, Sea Dream Yacht Club, Silversea, Star Clippers, Windstar, Viking and Virgin.

When is the best time of year for transatlantic cruises?

The best time to take a transatlantic cruise depends on what you're looking for: great weather, smooth seas, the best price or specific ports of call.

Generally speaking, May, June and July are recommended for warmer weather and gentler seas — before the Atlantic hurricane season peaks in August, September and October — although storms can arise any time of the year.

March, April and November — while not ideal due to cooler temperatures that can limit on-deck and poolside enjoyment — are a good option and a terrific value. This is especially true if the ship's route is a southerly one between Florida and the Mediterranean rather than between northern Europe and New York.

As noted above, the best prices are generally in spring and fall for repositioning cruises. These itineraries may also visit several appealing ports in the Mediterranean or Caribbean as well as call on the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Iceland or Bermuda in the Atlantic.

Related: Why I was wrong about transatlantic cruises

How long does the crossing take?

It varies. The classic nonstop transatlantic itinerary aboard Queen Mary 2 is a seven-night voyage between New York and Southampton (and vice versa). On the other hand, transatlantic repositioning cruises generally range in length from 11 to 21 nights, with an average of 14 nights (seven or eight of them typically sea days).

Will the seas be rough?

It's up to Mother Nature. At times, the Atlantic can be smooth sailing, even in spring and fall. Yet unpredictable wind and water current patterns can create rough seas seemingly out of nowhere any time of year.

Captains can generally maneuver around storms — and try to do so whenever possible for the comfort of all onboard. Additionally, modern cruise ships are equipped with stabilizers that reduce a ship's rolling motion due to wind or waves.

However, if you're even slightly prone to seasickness, don't throw caution to the wind. You'll be better off on a larger ship (pick a midship cabin on a lower deck); also, be sure to pack medication, patches, bands or whatever works best for you. While it might seem counterintuitive, having a window or balcony actually helps offset seasickness since it offers fresh air and a horizon view. If you're concerned, opt for an ocean-view or balcony cabin over an inside one.

Which side of the ship is best for a transatlantic crossing?

It honestly doesn't make much difference whether you book a cabin on the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the ship since most daytime views will be of the ocean. However, if you're departing from a Mediterranean port, say Rome or Barcelona, for a southerly crossing, book a starboard cabin; this might offer a view of the Rock of Gibraltar if your ship transits between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic during daylight hours. For a U.S.-to-Europe eastward crossing, you'd want the opposite — a port-side cabin.

Similarly, if your crossing takes you from northern Europe on a northerly route to the U.S., and you want to be among the first to spot land (perhaps Greenland or Newfoundland), book a starboard cabin. If you are cruising into New York Harbor just before dawn and want to see the Statue of Liberty from your cabin, book on the port side.

More important for an Atlantic crossing location-wise is your cabin's deck number and whether the cabin is situated forward, midship or aft. Generally, the ship's movement through rough seas will feel less severe if your cabin is midship and on one of the lower or middle decks versus the top-most decks.

Related: The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship

Which ports do transatlantic cruises visit?

Where you embark and disembark will determine your route and the ports you potentially call on. Ships repositioning to or from the Baltic Sea and the British Isles generally take a northerly route. Vessels sailing from the Mediterranean cross on a more southerly route, especially if they are repositioning to or from a winter home port in Florida.

On a northerly crossing, you can expect to embark in a port such as Copenhagen; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Southampton or New York. Depending on the length of the cruise, expect to call on ports in Ireland (Dublin or Cork), Iceland (Reykjavik), Greenland (Qaqortoq or Nuuk), Atlantic Canada (St. John's in Newfoundland, or Sydney or Halifax in Nova Scotia) and Bermuda (King's Wharf).

On a southerly crossing between Barcelona or Rome in the Mediterranean and Miami or Fort Lauderdale, typical ports of call include Madeira; Grand Canary or Tenerife in the Canary Islands; Ponta Delgada in the Azores; and one or two islands in the Caribbean, such as St. Maarten or Puerto Rico.

Is it better to book an eastbound or westbound cruise?

Which direction you book really depends on whether you're aboard for the experience or you're using the crossing as a substitute for a flight to reach the other side of the ocean. Below are a few factors to keep in mind.

Aside from Queen Mary 2 crossings, westbound transatlantic repositioning cruises (from Europe to the U.S.) take place in the fall during the Atlantic hurricane season; some are also scheduled for mid-to-late November when storm formation has generally diminished. Eastbound cruises (from the U.S. to Europe) happen in spring, a season also often known for periods of gray skies and rain.

When considering westbound versus eastbound crossings, factor in the time change. While a transatlantic cruise is a terrific way to avoid the jet lag caused by flying across multiple time zones in a single day, you will be subject to almost daily reminders to reset your clock.

On westbound cruises, you'll have to set your clock back at night, thus gaining an extra hour of sleep on most days. On eastbound cruises, you'll set it ahead an hour and lose an hour of leisure time or sleep.

Another factor to keep in mind is that unless you plan to return home on another transatlantic cruise, you'll also need to book a one-way flight. Before committing to a specific eastbound or westbound itinerary, always check your flight options. One-way tickets are sometimes more expensive than round-trip fares.

Best transatlantic cruises for 2024 and 2025

There are dozens of opportunities to cross the Atlantic by cruise ship, but here are some of the best itineraries available in the next two years.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2

• Transatlantic crossings: May to December 2024 and 2025

There's nothing quite like it. Cunard 's weekly transatlantic crossing between New York and Southampton aboard the 2,691-guest Queen Mary 2 celebrates the grand age of ocean liners with a level of pomp and ceremony that appeals to Cunard loyalists, bucket-listers and memory-making couples or families celebrating a milestone anniversary or birthday.

These eight-night eastbound and six-night westbound voyages are all about the sea. There are interludes of culinary enjoyment and evening entertainment designed for travelers who appreciate formality and glamour.

A typical day might include time in the library perusing the largest book collection at sea, getting an illuminating astronomy lesson in the onboard planetarium and enjoying traditional afternoon tea.

The evening lineup generally starts with a multicourse dinner (same table and same waiter nightly) followed by a Broadway-inspired show, an abridged Shakespeare play or even a magic act. The ship is also famous for its Gala Evenings, capped off with Champagne sipping and dancing to a live orchestra. Yes, pack those ballgowns and tuxes.

Cruise fares start at $1,129 per person for an inside cabin and $1,619 per person for a balcony room.

Virgin Voyages' Scarlet Lady

• 16-night Rome to Miami: Nov. 28-Dec. 14, 2024
• 15-night Miami to Casablanca and Barcelona cruises: May 3-18, 2025

Virgin Voyages ' 2,770-guest Scarlet Lady has an onboard ambience that rivals a youthful beach club. Passengers and crew will keep the party going day and night this fall on a 16-night Rome to Miami transatlantic sailing. The sailing has calls on Barcelona and Malaga in Spain; Funchal on the island of Madeira; and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Or, party in reverse on the ship's 15-night Miami to Casablanca and Barcelona crossing in May 2025. It stops in Grand Canary and Santa Cruz de Tenerife; Casablanca, Morocco; and Barcelona.

The ship's 20 excellent dining venues, cutting-edge entertainment (campy and a bit naughty — think Drag Queen Bingo), impressive lineup of wellness classes (from yoga at sunrise to On-the-Upswing Bungee aerobics) and fun activities ('90s Boy Band Dance Class, anyone?) provide plenty of ways to pass the time.

Cruise fares start at $4,384 per cabin (or less than $2,200 per person) for the Rome-to-Miami sailing and $3,706 per cabin (or less than $1,900 per person) for the Miami-to-Barcelona sailing.

Disney Cruise Line's Disney Dream

• 13-night eastbound transatlantic cruise: May 5-18, 2024
• 13-night westbound transatlantic cruise: Oct. 20-Nov. 2, 2024

Certain Disney fans — namely childless adult couples and empty nesters — love the brand's storytelling and Imagineering but prefer not to share a two-week cruise with hundreds of kids and teens. These 13-night eastbound and westbound crossings from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale aboard 2,500-passenger Disney Dream offer a solution to that dilemma.

Each of these transatlantic cruises occurs when almost everyone ages 5 to 18 is still in school. Yes, some kids will likely be on board, but certainly not in overwhelming numbers.

These crossings feature nine to 11 sea days during which Disney Cruise Line offers all kinds of immersive entertainment, excellent onboard dining and a southerly route in spring that means plenty of pool time. On top of that, each sailing includes a mix of culturally rich ports.

On the eastbound crossing, they are Ponta Delgada; Lisbon; and Cadiz, Cartagena and Barcelona, Spain. On the westbound crossing, the ports are Ponta Delgada and the new Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Eastbound fares for balcony cabins start at $4,516 for two adults (or about $2,258 per person). Westbound fares are a bit pricier, starting at $5,517 for an inside cabin ($2,708 per person).

Related: 5 reasons why Disney cruises aren't just for kids

Holland America's Nieuw Statendam

• 28-night Adriatic Dream and Passage to America: Nov. 2-30, 2024

For a shoulder-season meander through the Adriatic and Mediterranean followed by a transatlantic crossing, Holland America 's 28-night Adriatic Dream and Passage to America visits 14 ports in seven countries. This makes it a true hybrid of an ocean crossing and a traditional cruise.

The sailing, aboard the 3,665-passenger Nieuw Statendam, departs from Athens and visits ports in Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Albania, Spain and Portugal before arriving in Fort Lauderdale. Of the 12 sea days, two include scenic cruising.

The voyage takes place in November, so expect temperatures to be on the cooler side in most ports and during the crossing. It's a good thing, then, that Nieuw Statendam has an indoor pool with a retractable roof. Holland America passengers, mostly older retirees, can also pass the time dining at each of the 10 onboard restaurants and enjoy entertainment that includes live bands at the B.B. King's Blues Club and Rolling Stone Rock Room.

At $2,499 per person for an inside cabin and $3,749 per person for a balcony cabin, fares are a great deal for a four-week sailing.

Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Apex

• 13-night Spain, Portugal and Bermuda transatlantic: Oct. 26-Nov. 8, 2024
• 13-night Bermuda and Portugal transatlantic: March 8-21, 2025

Celebrity Cruises ' Spain, Portugal and Bermuda transatlantic sailing from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale offers 13 nights aboard its newest ship, Celebrity Ascent. The sailing features port calls in Alicante, Spain; Gibraltar; Ponta Delgada; and King's Wharf, along with eight sea days.

Accommodating 3,260 passengers, Celebrity Ascent is a megaship designed with adults in mind. On board, you'll find multiple hot tubs but no waterslides, contemporary decor, 32 sophisticated food and beverage venues (including Voyages, Daniel Boulud's restaurant at sea, bookable at extra cost), an indoor solarium pool, a glittering Grand Plaza housing the line's signature Martini Bar, and nightly entertainment ranging from high-tech theater productions to multisensory events in Eden.

Inside cabin fares start at $1,353 per person and balcony cabin fares at $2,399 per person.

If you prefer to cross the Atlantic in spring 2025, take sister Edge Class ship Celebrity Apex , which carries 2,910 passengers. It will sail a 13-night Bermuda and Portugal transatlantic cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona with port calls at Bermuda's Royal Naval Dockyard; Ponta Delgada; and Valencia.

Inside cabins for that cruise start from $799 per person and balcony rooms from $1,272 per person.

Viking's Viking Mars

• 20-night Atlantic and Mediterranean Horizons: March 27-April 16, 2025

Passengers aboard Viking Mars for its 20-night Atlantic and Mediterranean Horizons sailing from Fort Lauderdale to Rome will meander through the Caribbean to the French-Dutch island of St. Martin/St. Maarten. They will spend six days crossing the Atlantic and call on Madeira and then overnight in Barcelona. Then, they will visit the French ports of Sete and Marseille, followed by Monte Carlo, Monaco, and another overnight in Livorno, Italy (gateway to Florence).

The 930-passenger Viking Mars is an adults-only ship featuring a sleek Scandinavian design. Guests can enjoy elevated (and complimentary) dining in eight venues, as well as daily activities that include lectures by guest speakers and resident historians. ( Viking bills itself as "the thinking person's cruise.")

They will also get unlimited access to the thermal suite at the Liv Nordic Spa, a main pool with a retractable roof (there's also an aft infinity pool and hot tub), and complimentary beer and wine with lunch and dinner.

Better still, the transatlantic cruise fare is about one-third less than a typical three-week Viking itinerary, with balcony cabins starting at $7,198 per person.

Princess Cruises' Sky Princess

• 27-night Moroccan and Iberian Grand Adventure: March 9-April 5, 2025

To snag an excellent deal on an almost month-long journey, check out the 27-night Morocco and Iberian Grand Adventure . It sails from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton aboard the 3,660-passenger Sky Princess. Princess Cruises guests will enjoy a southerly spring crossing that culminates with visits to 10 ports in four countries (Portugal, Morocco, Spain and England) — including Madeira, three Canary Islands and Casablanca.

Sky Princess , which debuted in 2019, is a Royal Class ship featuring three pools, a glittering Italian-style Piazza (home to Alfredo's Pizzeria — some of the best pizza at sea), four specialty dining venues (at an extra cost), poolside Movies Under the Stars and original production shows in the Princess Theater.

Inside cabins start at $2,847 per person and balcony cabins at $4,747 per person.

Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Princess Cruises ship

Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Splendor

• 14-night Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro: Jan. 5-19, 2025

If crossing the southern Atlantic Ocean from Africa to South America on a small luxury cruise ship is on your bucket list, consider Regent Seven Seas Cruises ' early 2025 Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro sailing.

While not a bargain by any means, this 14-night itinerary aboard the 750-passenger, all-suite Seven Seas Splendor is all-inclusive. Business-class airfare, transfers, top-notch cuisine, unlimited beverages, gratuities, Wi-Fi and most shore excursions are all included in the fare.

Start by taking in the scenic beauty of Namibia, with a port call in Luderitz, known for its colorful colonial architecture. Another call is Walvis Bay, where the ship will overnight. Here, you'll get a chance to experience the country's dramatic sand dunes and resident flamingos. Then, as you cross the Atlantic, you'll visit the remote island of St. Helena, where Napoleon died in exile, before continuing on to an overnight stay in Rio de Janeiro ahead of disembarkation.

All-inclusive fares start at $12,949 per person for a suite with a balcony.

Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima

• 16-night Transatlantic (Italy, France and Spain): Nov. 7-23, 2024

Board in Rome and tour the Mediterranean in the shoulder season before crossing the Atlantic to New York on a November 2024 Norwegian Cruise Line cruise. The Transatlantic (Italy, France and Spain) sailing aboard Norwegian Prima visits Livorno (for Pisa and Florence); Cannes, France; Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Malaga and Cadiz, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Ponta Delgada. You'll spend six days at sea.

The 3,099-passenger Norwegian Prima , which debuted in 2022, features 14 restaurants (six included and eight specialty options for an added fee) and 19 bars and lounges. It also sports a three-level go-kart racetrack and virtual-reality gaming. Entertainment options include "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical," stand-up comedy at The Improv at Sea and a rock cover band in Syd Norman's Pour House.

Inside cabins start at $1,499 per person and balcony cabins at $2,199 per person.

Silversea Cruises' Silver Ray

• 25-night Rome to Fort Lauderdale: Nov. 7-Dec. 2, 2025

Plan ahead to score a suite on the 25-night Rome to Fort Lauderdale transatlantic crossing in late 2025 aboard Silversea Cruises ' newest all-suite luxury ship, Silver Ray, debuting in summer 2024.

Not only is the price all-inclusive, but the 728-passenger ship will visit 11 ports in five countries. You'll experience Livorno; Monte Carlo, Monaco; Marseille; Valencia, Barcelona (overnight), Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Cadiz, Spain; and Lisbon and Madeira. Then, you'll cross the Atlantic and spend an overnight in Hamilton, Bermuda before disembarking in Fort Lauderdale.

Silver Ray is Silversea's second Nova Class ship. It features spacious suites and inviting exterior and interior spaces perfect for late-season Mediterranean cruising and a cool-weather transatlantic crossing. Its culinary-focused S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program tempts tastebuds with region- and port-inspired menus, cooking classes and cocktails.

All-inclusive, door-to-door fares — which include economy-class flights, transfers, complimentary beverages and gourmet dining, butler service, gratuities and select shore excursions — start at $13,100 per person for Classic Veranda Suite.

Bottom line

No matter your reason for considering a transatlantic cruise, you're guaranteed to experience the secret magic of sea days, with ample time to relax and unwind. With no land in sight for roughly a week, you can enjoy the ship's amenities without feeling rushed.

Make new friends over coffee or a game of bridge, watch movies in your cabin, learn more about the world during lectures by onboard experts, or treat yourself to rejuvenating massages and facials in the spa.

Even better, per-night rates are typically lower on crossings than on round-trip, port-intensive cruises. So, you can enjoy a longer sailing at a fraction of the usual cost. No matter which transatlantic cruise you deem best for your travel style and interests, it will surely be a memorable bucket-list trip.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• Top ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

Trips can bring joy to trans travelers. Here are tips to make the most of your getaways.

Travel can be frustrating and complicated for anyone, but for transgender people there’s an entirely separate list of considerations to add. It can take some extra research and planning to make sure trans travelers are going somewhere they won’t be targeted during vacation.

According to research from Booking.com , 74% of trans-identifying travelers say they feel like some destinations are off-limits to them because those places are potentially unsafe.

“Do your homework and make sure it’s going to be safe for you,” C.P. Hoffman, senior policy counsel at the National Center for Transgender Equality told USA TODAY. “There are a lot of places in the world where people are incredibly transphobic.” 

But that doesn’t mean there’s no trans joy in travel. It does mean, however, that finding that joy can take a little extra preparation.

What are the biggest barriers for trans travelers?

Airports can be especially fraught for trans travelers, with both security checkpoints and passport control presenting potential points of conflict.

“The way that (the Transportation Security Administration has) the software built, it makes assumptions as to items of clothing, body parts, etc., based on whether the TSA agent pushes a blue button for if they think you’re a boy or a pink button for if they think you’re a girl,” Hoffman said. “If they push that pink button, it’s not going to flag that you’re wearing a bra, and if they push that blue button it’s not going to flag that there’s a little bit more stuff in the front of your pants.” 

But if TSA agents push the wrong button for a trans traveler, the result can be a more intensive security screening, including a pat down in some cases.

“It’s deeply, deeply frustrating,” Hoffman said. “It’s something that a huge number of trans people know that if they go to the airport, they’re just going to have to deal with this.” 

Hoffman acknowledged that such issues are becoming less common over time.

Going through customs and even renewing their passport can be an exercise in frustration for trans travelers too. Even as the U.S. allows nongendered identification markers on official documents now, Hoffman said using them isn’t always the best choice for everyone.

“Do you want an ID that identifies you to whoever will be seeing it as trans?” Hoffman said. “Passports are the things that nonbinary folk end up going with a binary gender marker on because a lot of us are worried about just what might happen in a foreign country.” 

Beyond that, concerns about safety rank high for trans travelers. 

Barber said 87% of transmasculine (male presenting) and 89% of transfeminine (female presenting) travelers feel they have to consider the safety landscape of the destinations they want to visit. 

“They do face a disproportionate rate of violence, of hate crimes than the rest of us do,” Kristofer Barber, Booking.com’s director of global communications, told USA TODAY.

How can trans travelers optimize their travel experiences?

Even with some extra obstacles to navigate, trans travelers can go and experience joy in many places.

Hoffman and Barber both said that the key to great travel, especially for trans folks, is to connect with the destination’s local queer community and try to have authentic experiences. 

“Search the local groups in the area and see if there’s cool, queer clubs that are around and what the great stuff is locally that people go to,” Hoffman said. “There are things that don’t end up in the Rick Steeves guidebook or whatever.” 

For example, Hoffman said they’re planning a trip to Uruguay to visit an “extremely queer beach” they read about in a novel . 

“The beach is a real place," they said. “These lesbians from Montevideo found this little space for themselves away from the city where they could go and be themselves.”

Hoffman added that Uruguay is routinely ranked as one of the most queer-friendly travel destinations in the world. It was among the first countries to legalize same-sex marriage nationally. They also said they've been taking tango classes with their partner at the Uruguayan Embassy and found the environment there very welcoming.

Hoffman also offered some practical tips.

To avoid those more invasive pat downs, they said, trans travelers can enroll in the PreCheck program, although they acknowledged that it’s frustrating to need to pay extra.

“You go into a different line where they don’t use those same machines,” Hoffman said. “Basically, all the trans people I know who travel frequently, especially for work, they’re like, ‘this is a tax on trans people, I just have to do this in order to not be harassed all the time.’”

They also said it’s important to remember to pack necessities like medicine in carry-on bags.

“If you’re on hormone replacement therapy, put that in your carry-on so if your bag is lost or delayed, you won’t find yourself without access to your medicine,” Hoffman said.

In general, Hoffman said, understanding the culture of where you're visiting is important to having the best experience.

“I definitely want to make sure that I’m safe for wherever I’m going," they said. "At different points, that’s meant different things. Earlier in my transition, that would mean appearing a way I didn’t necessarily appear every day while going through airport security so I wouldn’t have to deal with the (hassle) ... or making sure I do research so I can know how receptive the local community is to queer people flirting or being smoochy in public.”

Barber added that many brands like airlines and hotels are trying to boost their inclusive profile, and said it could make for a better travel experience to seek out those brands when possible.

Cruising Altitude: The fastest way to board planes is an option you'd hate

What are the best destinations for trans travelers?

While firm data doesn’t exist on the most trans-friendly destinations specifically, Booking.com’s data shows that New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are among the most welcoming domestic destinations for LGBTQ+ travelers more generally, and Kyoto, Japan, Nice, France; and Chiang Mai, Thailand, are among the best for queer travelers abroad.

Hoffman also said they’ve recently heard of more queer travelers visiting Latin America and Canada.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]

Should You Take a Transatlantic Cruise?

 LOIC VENANCE / Getty Images

Transatlantic cruises rank among the most iconic types of travel. They generally fall into two categories. The first type is a regularly scheduled transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 , the only cruise ship that routinely sails back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean between New York City and London (Southampton). These cruises run between late April and early January and take about six or seven days in each direction because the ship does not have any ports of call. The Queen Mary 2 crosses the Atlantic about 50 times a year on this week-long route.

The second type of transatlantic crossing is a repositioning cruise for ships that sail in the Caribbean, Central America, or South America in the winter and in Europe for the rest of the year. Most transatlantic repositioning cruises sail in the spring and fall months, but travelers can find one or more ships crossing the Atlantic every month of the year. These crossings are usually longer than a week since they include a few ports of call in the Caribbean or the Atlantic Ocean.

Both types of transatlantic crossings are different than a cruise where the ship is docked at a new port of call each day. Travelers planning a transatlantic cruise vacation need to think about the pros and cons of what it's like to be out of sight of land for days at a time.

Pro: Bargain Prices

TripSavvy / Linda Garrison

Cruise lines follow the sun, moving most of their ships to another part of the world to help guests enjoy the best weather and most daylight on their vacation. Because these repositioning cruises are often longer (10 or more days) and include only a few ports of call, the cruise lines usually reduce the price per day to attract more travelers. The ships have a "captive audience" on sea days, and onboard guests tend to spend more money on drinks, gambling, and in the retail boutique shops. So, cruise lines need to have the ships full when making the crossing.

When planning a repositioning cruise across the Atlantic, be sure to check out the cruise right before or after your transatlantic crossing. The cruise lines often discount these cruises for those willing to book back-to-back.

Pro: No Flying

Fred Bahurlet / Getty Images

A long flight across the Atlantic is stressful, tiring, and often not a good beginning or ending to your vacation. A transatlantic cruise at the beginning of your vacation can get you into a relaxed mood, and one at the end of your vacation can help ease you back to the normal work life. North Americans with more vacation time can cross the Atlantic at the beginning of their vacation, travel around Europe via land or on another cruise, and then take a second transatlantic cruise back home. They only have to drive or fly to the embarkation port.

Pro: No Jet Lag

Simon Marcus Taplin / Getty Images

One of the factors every traveler loves about a transatlantic cruise is the lack of jet lag when arriving at their destination. Since continental Europe is about six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in North America (depending on the time of year), ships traveling westbound lose an hour almost every day. Those traveling eastbound gain an hour, making some cruise days 25 hours long! Although losing or gaining an hour each day can be a little disconcerting, it's far better than the jet lag you can get from flying across the Atlantic.

Pro: Learn Something New

Cruise ships on transatlantic crossings offer many educational, entertaining, and fun activities on the many sea days. For example, guests can take classes in computing, photography, cooking, bridge, fitness, or ballroom dancing. Or, they can attend lectures on a variety of topics that expand their knowledge on history, travel, health, music, or art. Smaller ships and more luxury brands tend to feature more guest lecturers and educational opportunities than larger ships do. 

Pro: Relax and Unwind

When arriving home from vacation, many travelers often complain that they "need a vacation from their vacation!" Although many are surprised at how quickly the sea days fly by on a transatlantic cruise, no one is forcing guests to do anything other than whatever they want to do. Some guests bring along an e-reader full of novels, while others catch up on movies, try their luck in the casino, or spend time unwinding in the spa or fitness center. On a transatlantic cruise, someone else is cooking and cleaning up after you. Guests can sleep in as long as they wish or go to bed right after dinner. It's their choice.

Con: No (or Few) Ports of Call

The traditional transatlantic crossing of the Queen Mary 2 does not feature any ports of call, leaving New York and arriving in Southampton seven days later (or vice versa). 

Most transatlantic repositioning cruises taking the southern route between the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas make stopovers at ports of call in the Caribbean, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Canary Islands. Ships crossing the northern route might stopover in Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Bermuda, Newfoundland, or Atlantic Canada.

While you won't have as many ports of call as on a seven-day Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise, some of the ports are unique and can only be seen on an extended voyage like a transatlantic crossing.

Con: Weather and Rough Seas

Weather can be a major concern for some travelers planning a transatlantic cruise. On traditional cruises, ships are sailing most nights and in a different port each day. They often are not far from land, so even though the weather can be rough, it doesn't last long.

Crossing the Atlantic can be different since the ship might not see land for several days. 

The good news is that modern cruise ships have amazing stabilizers, so most guests won't feel the wave action. Those who are prone to seasickness should have a variety of remedies to prevent or treat this malady. 

It's no guarantee, but transatlantic cruises in the summer months usually have the best weather, although hurricanes and tropical storms can affect ships sailing either the southern route or northern route.

Believe it or not, there are cruise travelers who love stormy weather and rough seas. A transatlantic crossing in the winter months of November through March is ideal for these die-hard travelers. They can get a good price and might even "enjoy" a storm!

Con: Passengers Tend to Be Older

Holger Leue / Getty Images

A general rule for cruises is the longer the cruise, the older the passengers. This is not surprising, because senior travelers have more time off and more disposable income. Although many younger travelers enjoy socializing with seniors, most transatlantic crossings are not "party" cruises. The bars and discos probably won't be packed after midnight like on shorter voyages where travelers are trying to cram as much as possible into their vacation time.

Con: Too Much Free Time

Although most travelers can get into the rhythm and routine of a transatlantic cruise, some people feel almost claustrophobic when surrounded by water 24 hours a day for several days. This feeling is rare, but a transatlantic cruise might not be for everyone. If you can't wait to get off the ship each day when on a traditional cruise moving from port to port, you might not embrace several consecutive days at sea. If you are a self-starter who appreciates free time alone or doesn't require constant entertainment, you probably will come home planning your next transatlantic voyage. 

Is a Transatlantic Cruise For You?

If you consider these pros and cons and your own personality type, you can decide if a transatlantic cruise is the right vacation for you. Since this type of cruise is often a good bargain, offering no-jet-lag travel and the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate, a crossing might be a perfect cruise vacation for you.

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Explore > Company > News > Traveling While Transgender in 2020

Traveling While Transgender in 2020

UPDATE: This article was refreshed in June, 2020 with new information on updated TSA regulations, US state-licensed, non-binary identities, and more. A new link to the Orbitz LGBTQ Welcoming Hotels hub page was also added in February, 2021.

Mark Twain once famously said, “ Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. ”

By public acclaim, the evidence for this appears to be true, or at least it is so for those who have the wealth, privilege and social position to travel.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice” – Mark Twain

But what about those who are outside of the social mainstream, especially those whose gender identity might not match their original birth certificate designation or even the physical features of their face and/or body? For them, the enlightenment and joy of travel presents a host of difficult obstacles that most gender normative people have never considered.

As an American transgender woman myself who has traveled, both before and after transitioning, I’d like to share some of the experiences we face so that you, as a potential ally to our community, may both better understand and help to make our voyages as enjoyable as yours.

Transgender traveler concerns

Public travel today is a far more complicated experience than it was in the past. The needs for heightened security on public transportation, especially in the air and at sea, has led to very strict, invasive security measures that are an unpleasant annoyance for most folks, but can be profoundly humiliating to the trans community. We face such issues as:

1. TSA Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) body scans that reveal our bodies in which many of us have so much shame

2. Aggressive, invasive and intimate TSA pat-down searches

3. Going through TSA checks with body prosthetics

4. Traveling with prescription hormone medications (especially injection supplies)

5. Traveling before our ID has been updated for name and gender

6. Getting misgendered (sometimes intentionally) by airline and hotel staff or TSA officers

7. Being forced to sit for an extended period of time next to someone who is overtly transphobic

8. Public humiliation or overt outing by TSA officers, travel services staff or hotel front desk staff

9. International (or domestic) travel to destinations where transgender people are not socially or legally accepted in their identified gender, especially when the travel is required for work

It doesn’t begin and end at the airport, either. Even taking road trips by car can be a source of deep worry over issues such as:

1. Traveling to/through a place that is hostile to trans people (by legislation or culture, both inside the US and international)

2. Having to visit public rest stops, stores, restaurants, and gas stations in unfriendly areas on road trips

3. Facing confrontations for using the public restroom of the gender in which we identify while traveling

4. Visiting potentially unwelcoming rural areas vs. the anonymity of large urban areas

5. Going to public swimming pools, saunas or into public changing rooms

6. Being confronted with verbal abuse and, all too often, unthinkable physical violence by intolerant, local people

7. Traveling for a variety of transgender surgeries where, on the return trip, we will appear/be different than when we departed

For the trans community, all these issues and more are significant obstacles to be prepared for, dealt with, and overcome, one at a time, over and over. You simply cannot know how much mental and emotional energy it takes for trans people to get ourselves ready to leave our safe space and venture out into the unknown. It can be excruciatingly hard.

How to cope as a trans traveler

But trans people need not abandon the personally enriching experiences of travel in their lives. While the safe world is quite a bit smaller for us, there are still places we can go and things we can do to both protect ourselves and our civil rights as traveling citizens.

1. Know your rights!

Review the  TSA Transgender Policies webpage and install the  FlyRights  app on your mobile device.

2. Consider applying for TSA PreCheck membership

The TSA PreCheck application process runs a thorough background check on all applicants. As a result, the level of trust TSA has in TSA PreCheck-identified passengers is greatly elevated, and reportedly this benefits the process of transgender passengers passing through airport security with less hassle due to lessened scrutiny at the security gate. There is a cost for this, however. For a 5-year membership, it’s $85. The Trusted Traveler program includes TSA PreCheck and other pre-screening programs that can be bundled together to help assist international travelers shorten their wait to see Customs officers.

3. Remain positive, gracious and respectful while working with TSA officers

Be so at all times in your interactions. Calmly answer all reasonable questions directly. Never shout or threaten a TSA officer. Jokes are highly discouraged as well. The goal is to get through the security screening process safely and quickly with minimal hassle, then be on your way. If necessary, calmly ask for a supervisor if the interactions with TSA officers become unreasonable.

4. Consider self-identifying to the TSA as transgender

You may consider privately self-identifying as trans to a TSA officer before going through their millimeter wave advanced imaging technology screening booth (they choose between separate, binary-gender image screening settings and “unexpected anomalies” may raise a red flag, resulting in a more thorough, body pat-down search )

5. Opt-out of body scanning

You can opt-out of the AIT body screening and ask instead for a pat-down search.

6. Carry a TSA Notification Card

Consider carrying a  TSA Notification Card if you carry prescribed, injection medications or wear a prosthesis .

7. Ask for a pat-down in private

If you are selected for a pat-down search, you can ask for it to be done in a private screening area with a witness or companion of your choosing.

8. Ask for a same-gender officer as you identify for a pat-down

You can ask for a TSA officer of the same gender as your gender identity to perform the pat-down search.

9. Let TSA know if you are wearing prosthetics

You may wish to self-identify if you are wearing prosthetics prior to a screening or pat-down. If you are asked to either show a prosthetic or a body part, or lift, raise or remove any clothing, ask for a supervisor. Note that if the prosthetic alarms in the screening, the TSA requires that you conduct a self-pat-down followed by an explosives test of your hands. If those results are positive, a more thorough pat-down will be conducted, but still under the same rules as above.

10. Politely correct accidental misgenderings

Politely correct a person who initially misgendered you by mistake. If you are repeatedly misgendered or are shown disrespect, calmly ask for a supervisor.

11. Ask for a TSA Supervisor

If need be, calmly ask to speak to a TSA supervisor at any time.

12. Ask for a private luggage check screening

If your carry-on baggage is selected to be opened, you may ask for a private screening.

13. Bundle all prescription medications & supplies in one bag

If you are packing  prescription medications , including hypodermic needles and hormones, inside your carry-on bag, TSA regulations require you put them all together in a separate bag, preferably in their original packaging with prescription labels.

14. Gender presentation is not relevant to your ability to travel

How you present, gender-wise, is not relevant to your ability to travel. The only thing that is relevant is matching your ID documents’ name and gender marker to your reservations. The TSA cannot reject you for your gender presentation.

15. Update your ID photo

If necessary, consider updating your government photo ID with a current photo if you haven’t had a legal name change.

16. Update your legal IDs if you have legally changed your name

If you have legally changed your name and/or gender designation, follow up by updating your driver’s license, passport, and TSA PreCheck card with new personal identity data. Note that many US states have now begun enabling their citizens to select alternative gender designations to the binary options of female and male, and more are planning to follow suit. Also, at the time of this post update, a bill has been brought before the US Congress proposing that the US State Department allow alternative gender markers on US passports.

17. Make travel reservations using your legal name

Make your flight reservations in the name based on the legal ID documents you will bring to the airport for your flight. They must match, as required per law.

18. Make travel reservations using the gender marker on the ID you’ll use

Like with your name, you’ll need to make your flight reservations using the gender marker based on the legal ID documents you will bring to the airport for your flight. They must match. Note that per the TSA, there are several forms of identification you can use. This includes your REAL ID , a secure, state-issued identification (in some cases known as an enhanced driver’s license or EDL). But as noted in an earlier question above, some US States offer alternative gender markers beyond the binary, while US passports are still (as of this post update) only offered in binary gender markers. In addition, some airlines also accept alternative gender markers. So here’s the key to making this complex system work:

• Domestic only travel. If you are flying within the US only, you can use the gender marker listed on your REAL ID to book your flight. Present your REAL ID at airport security for your ID. The new deadline date for getting a REAL ID is October 1, 2021, so if you don’t get your driver’s license upgraded to a REAL ID/EDL by that time or you don’t bring another approved form of ID with you to the airport, you will not be allowed to get through security!
• International travel. If you are going to cross any international border, even Canada or Mexico, on your trip, you will be required to use your passport instead of a REAL ID, and thus be required to book your flight using the gender marker on your passport. Even if you have a US connection in the same trip, it’s still part of the international flight trip, and the passport supersedes the REAL ID.

19. Consider carrying medical letter for HRT & gender

You may opt to carry a copy of your medical letter for prescription hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and gender designation.

20. Consider bringing a medical letter for other medical supplies

If you are bringing dilators or syringes in a carry-on, it may be helpful to bring a letter of medical necessity.

21. Consider carrying your name change court document

You may also consider carrying a copy of your name change court order document. You might also consider carrying your old ID just in case.

22. How to file a complaint for mistreatment

If need be, you can file a civil rights complaint with the  TSA and/or  DHS immediately after the incident or as soon as possible afterward.

23. Stay at known LGBTQIA-friendly hotels

Stay at hotels and resorts that are explicitly LGBTQ friendly. Orbitz has a huge number of them in our lodging inventory, one of the largest LGBTQ-Welcoming hotel inventories in the travel industry , and that list continues to grow weekly.

24. Travel to known safe destinations for LGBTQIA people

Consider traveling to known  LGBTQIA-safe country destinations , or known  LGBTQIA-safe cities in North America .

For additional details, check out  Know Your Rights: Airport Security  by the National Center for Transgender Equality .

Advice for service workers who interact with trans travelers

So much of the above puts the onus on trans people to be compliant with and aware of the regulatory rules and laws as well as standing up for our rights against discrimination. However, for transgender allies and just kind-hearted people who work in government jobs in TSA, Customs, and law enforcement, as well as workers in the travel and hospitality industries, there are things you can do as well to help make our travel experience be so much easier. This includes:

• Be discreet about bringing public attention to someone who may be transgender.
• Avoid using gendered salutations, such as “sir”, “ma’am”, “Mr.”, “Ms.”, “gentleman” and “lady”, in your speech, especially if there is any possibility of perceived ambiguity in the person’s gender expression.
• Discreetly ask the traveler how they want to be identified (including their personal pronouns , name, salutations, etc.).
• Never ask a transgender person deeply personal questions about surgery, genitalia, medications, their “real” name, or anything else not relevant to their travel.
• For TSA: Proactively provide options to the traveler on who can do a pat-down search if one is needed.
• Treat transgender people with the same respect and dignity as you would any other person.

Ultimately, transgender travelers are just travelers. We travel because we have to be somewhere else and have to use public transportation facilities and services to get there. Along the way, we may have to visit the bathroom. This is no different than anyone else. If you show us the same respect and dignity that you expect from us, everything will be so much easier for everyone involved.

Travel can be such a positive, even life-changing, experience. In a perfect world, transgender travelers, like everyone else, would share another one of Mark Twain’s musings resulting from the amazing experience of travel: “ There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land (and work) again after a cheerful, careless voyage. ”

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The Trans Resort Bali Review

A beautiful blend of playful and relaxation, the trans resort bali fulfils the pure bliss and luxury comfort dream. families will find pleasure at the unique sandy beach pool for the little ones and themselves..

• One of a kind beach inspired pool that's fun and relaxing for all ages
• water activities, kids club and fitness centre provide all-day enjoyment
• Spacious rooms offer great value for money while the exclusive villa showcase the best of The Trans Resort Bali

There’s an irreplaceable warmth at The Trans Resort Bali that combines luxury comforts with the soul of the island’s traditional culture. The luxury resort feels inviting and inclusive to all guests seeking a relaxing refuge, within the hotspot of Seminyak. The Trans Resort prides itself on the people and that’s reflected in hospitality excellence that helps it stand out from the crowd.

The playful resort feels very welcoming to families, with the beach swimming pool a safe, clean environment for families to feel at peace with their little ones, while the water activities bring everyone of all ages together. The exclusive villas deliver an elevated level of luxury and relaxing bliss, representing the epitome of The Trans Resort Bali experience.

HIDDEN OASIS IN SEMINYAK

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Beach Style Resort

If you’re looking for a relaxing beach vibe resort, it’s right here: the 80m leisure pool serves as a central hub of the complex. The beach-style pool is surrounded by the guest rooms, The Trans Restaurant, reception, and a vertical waterfall at the back, creating this quiet space within a busy area of Seminyak. Noise from the popular tourist spot is muted as soon as you enter The Trans Resort Bali.

This beach-inspired pool is an amazing spot for recreational water activities hosted daily including water volleyball, water polo, water basketball, and a kid’s slide. It’s as fun as it is a relaxing spot to soak in the sun for recharging. The white sand – imported from Australia – is unlike any I’ve come across, while the other half of the 80m pool satisfies the inner swimmer and family dip. The mix of fun and relaxation is a nice blend that is inviting passersby to the reception or restaurant at The Trans Resort Bali. A stop at the beach pool is a must .

The vibrant beach pool is very welcoming, as you can see it from the open-style reception. New arrivals are personally greeted with a Balinese Welcome and nutritious welcome drink as you await to check-in. The reception has plenty of comfortable sofas as you wait.

There are many lounge beds along the pool and sandy beach… you’ll even find movies played on the big screen for evening entertainment too. There’s always something going on here, in the kids club, fitness centre, and restaurant which adds wonderful energy and a vibrant atmosphere.

The fitness centre has a comprehensive set of machine equipment, yoga classrooms, a sauna, and steam rooms to take advantage of as part of your stay. You can find it towards the foot of the vertical waterfall feature at the end of the swimming pool. The waterfall splashes behind the fitness centre for a pleasant workout scenery, while the separated jacuzzi pool and steam room provide a mindful sanctuary to unwind in peace. You’ll find everything you need with provided towels, water, and friendly onsite trainers to help you during your stay.

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The standard Premium Room is very spacious in size for Bali, providing 65 sqm / 699 sq ft. and a generous balcony with a private jacuzzi and lounge bed. They face the inside of The Trans Resort Bali, offering different angles of the beach pool, and restaurant.

Complete with either a king or twin-size bed, an executive work desk, and sofa, it’s especially comfortable for couples and groups to feel at home. The bathroom is complete with a bathtub, shower, and brightly lit vanity table. The built-in two sets of wardrobes and luggage bench are enough to unpack your clothes with extra space inside the room to set aside your luggage.

The best-located Premium Rooms are set on the highest floors facing the beach resort for an incredible view from morning to sunset, while the Celebrity Suites offer the best way to enter the pool straight from the suite balcony. You’ll find excellent value for money with the room space and facilities at The Trans Resort Bali.

One-Bedroom Villa

The Trans Resort Bali additionally offers an exclusive set of one-bedroom villas and a Presidential villa for true private comfort. Each with its own private entrance, garden, pool, and a full suite of homely facilities, these are excellent private villas for an impressionable stay at The Trans Resort Bali.

The one-bedroom villa offers a huge 350 sq m / 3,767 sq ft of indoor and outdoor comfort, with Acque di Parma the luxury amenities of choice. Surrounded by beautiful sounds and visuals of nature, these embody an intimate luxury comfort that’s humble yet indulgent.

The traditional Balinese-inspired design retains features of the exposed thatched roofing, warm Balinese colours, and contrasting decor that looks great from day to night. A plethora of storage hides away your belongings to enjoy the huge amount of space at your leisure. You’ll find a minibar, a simple coffee machine, a hair dryer, high-quality robes, plush shoppers, and the most supplied bottled water I’ve ever come across – a total of 8 water bottles inside the room, bathroom, and outdoor garden – you’re never without the daily essentials.

The bathroom features two separate vanity tables with a centre jacuzzi bathtub and big mirrors for pampering and grooming. The rainforest-style glass-enclosed shower is powerful, responsive to temperature changes, and features an area you can sit down if you choose to.

There’s also direct access from the bathroom to the private pool with a double-door entrance for easy swim-to-refresh, though the outdoor shower next to the daybed works a treat before and after dipping in the pool. The garden isn’t just pretty to look at but serves as an incredibly relaxing space to unwind however you feel – choose to sit at the garden lounge, dinner table, daybeds, and lounge chairs. It’s pretty and functional to indulge in relaxing comfort that suits you.

A surprising aspect of The Trans Resort Bali is that the villa is cleaned twice daily, from early afternoon to evening. The house service is on call if you ever need to refresh towels, water bottles, or any concerns during your stay. This is luxury service pampering at its finest and highlights a real commitment to guest comfort. The villa experience is flawless from check in to check out, and if you don’t fancy walking, the buggy will take you to the reception anytime .

The Trans Restaurant

Buffet breakfast offers great value for money, with a wide array of dishes to choose from. From local Indonesian dishes to Japanese sushi, Chinese dim sum, or western continental and hot breakfast, there’s plenty to serve your light or heavy stomach. The a la carte menu offers The Trans chef specialties available on request.

If you’re looking to add extra icing on the cake, surprise your partner with the romantic dinner on offer at The Trans Restaurant. It’s a memorable way to enjoy the delicious full-set course dishes with a personal touch. We had ours at The Trans restaurant decorated with candlelights, flower petals, and a reserved poolside area.

There’s an option to do it at The 18th Rooftop or if you’re staying at the villa, inside your private villa garden. Whatever the occasion, it’s a nice way to finish off your stay here and I found it a great value package within a luxury resort environment.

Throughout the breakfast, lunch and dinner options, I cannot fault the flavorsome, and high-quality dishes. They’re all fresh, tasty, and have portions that will have you fully satisfied after each meal. The desserts like panna cotta, cheesecake, waffles, and pancakes are excellent treats for the hot summer. Buffet breakfast is served until the late morning (10.30 AM) which is great for those wanting to sleep in.

My personal feedback would be the duck wonton soup. While the duck is utterly tender, soaked in a delicious broth, I would have liked the wonton to be softer to make it perfect. This is my personal preference as the overall dish is highly satisfying in flavour, with generous portions of noodles, egg, duck, wonton size, and vegetables, offering excellent value for money nonetheless. This is just one example of many dishes served at The Trans Resort Bali that was consistent of the same excellence.

Final Verdict

Greeted as friends, farewell as family . The Trans Resort Bali feels as intimate as a family home, with gracious humbleness in the luxurious comforts it offers. You’ll find hospitality excellence at every corner of the resort, and a playful atmosphere that’s down to earth.

Sincerity is a word I would describe the kind of people you’ll meet here – welcoming, friendly, and caring to each and every guest.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a place of this standard that brings it all together, yet The Trans Resort Bali achieves this with outstanding success, day in, day out. Located in a strategically located spot within walking distance to Seminyak beach and the famous eat street, The Trans Resort Bali is one of the very finest in this part of Bali.

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Hiking the Newly Restored Trans Bhutan Trail Is the Best Way to Experience the Country

By Jessica Vincent

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

All listings featured in this story are independently selected by our editors. However, when you book something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

I’ve never been this close to a prince before. His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck is sitting on a wooden throne with his back to a bronze buddha, his bare feet touching the stone floor. The young royal wears neither crown nor jewels: only his orange kabney—a silk scarf draped across his left shoulder—gives away his noble rank. Around him, monks dressed in crimson red chant, the sound sending every hair on the back of my neck on end. The air smells of curdled milk from burning butter lamps, and the monastery walls are draped in silks of every color of the rainbow.

It’s September 28, and I’m inside Simtokha Dzong, Bhutan’s oldest fortress, just outside the capital city of Thimphu. Following one of the longest pandemic closures in the world, Bhutan—the landlocked Himalayan kingdom that opened to tourism for the first time in 1974—has finally reopened its borders. I’m among the first foreigners to visit the country in almost three years, but that’s not why I find myself in the presence of a prince.

I’m here for the inauguration of the Trans Bhutan Trail, a 403-kilometer route that for the first time in 60 years will allow people to walk, run, or cycle from Haa in the west of Bhutan to Trashigang in the east. The trail dates back to the 16th Century, when legendary runners, or garps, crossed the country on foot to deliver messages between Bhutan’s fortresses. Monks and pilgrims, on the other hand, used the footpaths to visit sacred temples and commute between seasonal residences. The trail was also an important trading route: rice from Paro valley was traded for yak cheese in the highlands and, over the border, silk was bartered with India .

But the introduction of Bhutan’s first tarmacked road in 1962 meant the trail was soon forgotten. With fewer hikers, bridges collapsed, stone steps crumbled, and the trail vanished into forest and farmland. In 2018, His Majesty the King announced plans to restore the trail to encourage locals and tourists to connect with Bhutan’s more remote communities with minimum impact on the environment. Real progress came in 2020, however. Led by the Bhutan Canada Foundation with the support of the Tourism Council of Bhutan, more than 900 furloughed workers helped to restore the trail during the pandemic, rebuilding 18 bridges and more than 10,000 steps. They also installed 170 “interactive signposts” made from recycled plastic, which today feature QR codes that share the history of each section of the trail.

“I don’t know any other country that could build a trail of this scale in three years,” says Sam Blyth, founder and chairman of the Bhutan Canada Foundation, as he addresses a crowd of journalists, monks, and dignitaries at the opening ceremony. “The Trans Bhutan Trail is a testament to the Bhutanese spirit of unity and collaboration.”

The Punakha Dzong, along the Trans Bhutan Trail, is a fortress where many Bhutanese kings have been crowned.

Today, the Trans Bhutan Trail is set to become one of the greatest long-distance treks in the world: the footpath passes through 27 gewogs (villages), four dzongs (fortressed monasteries), 21 temples, and 12 mountain passes, and takes 36 days to complete. I planned to walk the section from Punakha to Haa, a journey of seven days, three mountain passes (one of which is the highest on the trail), and around 100 kilometers.

When the monks have finished their prayers, we’re served butter tea and yellow rice with cashews before following the prince and prime minister outside, where a ribbon is cut, silk scarves are laid, and a wooden plaque unveiled to mark the official opening of the trail. A prayer wheel is turned clockwise, and a bell rings in the distance.

“Today we will walk in the footsteps of our ancestors,” says Dorji Dhradhul, chairman of the Trans Bhutan Trail Steering Committee and director general of Tourism Council Bhutan. “To walk this path is to understand what it means to be Bhutanese.”

Harrison Pierce

Alex Erdekian

Charlie Hobbs

The next day, with the smell of incense still lingering on my clothes, my guide and I begin our hike from Punakha. I’ve been paired with Sonam Rinchen, one of the few certified guides in Bhutan who has walked the Punakha-Haa section. A keen hiker and botanist, Sonam walked the trail before its official opening after volunteering in its restoration earlier in the year. “This trail is part of our history,” Sonam tells me. “But it’s also part of our future. Many villages that we will pass through have become isolated without a walking trail. The Trans Bhutan Trail is as much about connection as it is about hiking.”

Our journey begins on a hot morning at the Punakha Suspension Bridge, one of the longest and oldest of its kind in Bhutan. The Pho Chu river rages below us as we tread carefully on swaying metal planks, the swirling wind whipping at hundreds of prayer flags clinging to the structure’s metal lines. With us on the bridge are monks, school children, and a large cow—all of us, it seems, are on our way to greener pastures.

Buddha statue near Thimphu, Bhutan, which is along the Trans Bhutan Trail. 

Safely over the other side, we walk through Punakha’s electric green rice terraces and village orchards teeming with mangoes and papayas. Soon we see the golden domes and brass roofs of Punakha Dzong, the winter residence of the dratshang (the official body of monks) and where five generations of Bhutanese kings have been crowned. As we climb out of Punakha valley, we bump into a woman and her daughter traveling from their village of Genchukha, about an hour’s walk from here. They’re wearing beautiful silk kiras, one in baby blue and the other in chocolate brown. The mother wears a sunhat made of leaves and carries a sandwich bag filled with chanterelle mushrooms; the daughter holds a Samsung and a bag of rice.

“They’re walking to Punakha dzong to make an offering,” Sonam explains, chatting to the women in Dzongkha, Bhutan’s official language. When Sonam shares that we’re hiking to Haa along the Trans Bhutan Trail, a smile spreads across the mother’s face. “She walks this trail often to forage mushrooms,” Sonam translates, “but this is the first time she’s seen a tourist in three years.”

When I ask how she feels seeing a foreigner walking the trail, she looks directly at me and her eyes fill with tears. I don’t have to speak Dzongkha to know that something has moved her. “I’ve felt empty these past years,” she says. “Not seeing anyone on the trail made me sad. I’m very happy you’re here.”

The women continue to Punakha Dzong and leave Sonam and I in silence. “What that lady said,” Sonam says finally. “I’ve never spoken about this to anyone before, but she’s right—there has been emptiness here.” He wipes a tear from his own eye, and we carry on walking into a sun-scorched valley. 

That night we camp near the village of Toeb Chandana surrounded by white prayer flags and persimmon trees. Pink-hued fog clings to the forested hills around us, and a pack of dogs howl incessantly in the distance. Dinner—turnip leaf soup and chilies cooked in yak cheese—is served in the mess tent by 28-year-old Titu. Chatting over butter tea and puffed rice, Titu shares that he volunteered as a cook during the restoration of the Trans Bhutan Trail. “Workers spent long days building bridges and cutting bush in all weather conditions—our King told us that feeding them well was very important,” says Titu, who was tasked with preparing hot meals for hundreds of trail workers. “My hands hurt from cutting so much raw chicken, but I was proud to be doing my part for the trail.”

The days that follow are some of the most challenging I’ve experienced as a hiker. Rain falls heavily, turning parts of the trail into a muddy trench and bridges into a slip ‘n slide. I fall several times; Sonam emerges without a fleck of mud on his boots . The rain also brings the leeches: by nightfall, my socks are soaked with blood from two that have crept inside my boots. Bears, too, are a worry. In the thickest parts of the forest, Sonam shouts “OOOUI!” before turning a blind corner to warn them of our presence, and always carries a knife just in case. Some days, we walk for hours without seeing a single person.

Bears and leeches aside, I can’t help but see the trail’s beauty: rice paddies flecked with golden temples; mist-shrouded pine forests dancing with prayer flags; yak pastures flanked by mud and stone villages. On our most challenging day from Thimphu to Pumola pass, the highest point of the trail, I get my first-ever glimpse of the Himalayas. At 12,485 feet, we hang prayer flags to thank the mountain spirits for our safe passage and drink butter tea from a flask. A golden eagle circles above us and Sonam whistles to the wind in celebration.

Butter lamps are in many of the monasteries along the Trans Bhutan Trail.

We spend our last night on the trail at Tshering Farmhouse in Paro, where eight generations of the Yangzom family have lived for over two centuries. The house—built from mud and stone more than 200 years ago— is full of treasures: a prayer room strung with colorful silks and flickering butter lamps; hand-carved wooden masks and phalluses to ward off evil; Buddhist wall paintings so old that no one knows their story.

“You’re my first guest who has walked the trail!” says Thinley Yangzom, snapping a photo with me outside the house before ushering us into the dining room for tea and fried rice.

Thinley is one of four generations currently living in Tshering Farmhouse. As well as homestay hosts, Thinley and her family are official ambassadors of the trail, tasked with stamping hikers’ trail passports when they pass through Paro. While we tuck into her famous chili and cheese potatoes, Thinley gets the stamp out of its box for the first time, dips it in ink, and presses a blue Trans Bhutan Trail mark into my passport. We celebrate our achievement with a cup of her aunty’s homemade ara, Bhutanese rice wine.

Overhearing our conversation, a young man joins us and introduces himself as Singay. At first, I think he’s a relative of Thinley’s, but luck would have it that this is Singay Dradul, one of two guides who were employed to survey and map the trail in early 2021. He’s currently guiding a German group in the area and often sleeps at Thinley’s guesthouse when passing through Paro. One of the few people to have walked the trail in its entirety, Singay’s role involved speaking with village elders to gather previously unrecorded stories about the trail, many of which now feature in the QR codes, and have even helped to map sections of the route that were once thought to be lost.

“I studied Bhutanese culture and history to become a licensed guide,” says Singay, accepting a second glass of ara from Thinley. “But walking the trail made me see how alive Bhutanese culture is—it’s been the best education I’ve ever had.”

Singay’s words stick with me long after I hang up my boots. My journey on foot across Bhutan has taught me that the power of walking lies not only in getting closer to nature, but in traveling slowly enough to hear people’s stories. We often turn to history books and travel guides to understand a place, but as the Trans Bhutan Trail shows, the best ambassadors of a culture are those who live it.

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First Ride Honda Transalp: The Travel Review

Photo: Zac Kurylyk

When Honda debuted the new Transalp at EICMA in 2022, after 10 years out of production, it was explicitly billed as a travel bike—and when I got a chance to finally test the machine, that’s what I did with it. I rode the Transalp from Los Angeles to Las Vegas via superhighway, back roads and dirt roads over four days. Here’s what I found out about Honda’s middleweight ADV, which is new to the US market this year:

The engine suits the job

Honda’s parallel twins have a reputation for non-offensive reliability. That’s certainly the story for the smaller CB500X (or NX500, as it’s known now) and the larger Africa Twin, and that’s the case here too.

The engine is hidden away behind some plastic, but maintenance shouldn’t be too bad. Of course, I didn’t have to wrench on anything on this tour, but such long-term ownership questions are always at the back of my mind. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Unlike the aggressive torque curves of its close competitors (Suzuki’s 800 V-Strom or KTM’s 790/890 series), the Transalp has a more gentle climb. The horsepower curve is a very linear run to the top. This bike is made to rev, not to lug around at low speeds.

Image: Honda

In practical terms, that often meant I ran a gear low, if I was looking for instant on-tap power while street riding. It also meant that I had to really lay on the gas to overcome a strong headwind while cruising Route 66’s long desert sections at 80 mph. My fuel economy dropped from a respectable low-40s mpg to low-30s mpg, even as low as mid-20s at one point.

The Santa Monica mountains were the exact sort of riding the Transalp was made for. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

For long miles and long hours, the Transalp engine will haul you along at extra-legal speed without any unpleasant vibration. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

A comfortable chassis

The Showa suspension is very basic compared to what’s available on some other middleweight ADVs, but for users who stick to the bike’s intended purpose, it will match their needs well. Image: Honda

The saddle is easy to throw a leg over, and quite comfortable for all-day riding. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

The exhaust had a pleasant note. The low-mount design is another clue that this bike is not intended for hard-core off-road bashing. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Easy livin’

It was easy to use the switchgear on the left-hand handlebar, but I will note that the hazard light button placement was too close to the signals. Everything else was very straightforward, with no arcane acronyms for the safety systems, something that other OEMs sometimes fall prey to. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

The brakes worked well, and the ability to change ABS settings quickly on-the-fly was much appreciated. If you turn ABS or TC off, they will re-set to minimal intrusion when you restart the bike. Note that *only* rear ABS can be completely disabled; there is always some level of front ABS enabled. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

The finer things

I found there was a lot of rear-end chatter on washboard ruts; with limited time for testing, I wasn’t able to get everything dialed in like I wanted, but I think completely disabling TC would have helped quite a bit. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

Final thoughts

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So, before the trip they NEVER asked about dietary restrictions, I had to bring that up. Allergy to smoke requires a non-smoking room. Again, they NEVER asked prior to departure and that caused a problem in at least one hotel. No consistency in hotels. Some were very nice, others qualify as hostels. They did leave a voice message, after we left, asking for our cell phone number. Still waiting for a form of some type to provide feedback, I won't hold my breath ~ my feeling is, they don't want to hear it. Find another travel agency and have a great trip.

Not my choice, but traveling with a group and this is the agency THEY selected. Insurance question, on hold for 5 minutes and then the person says, "I'll pass it along." When I said we wanted land only, the guy said, "Good luck trying to get out of Munich." They are closed on Fridays. Usually when you call with a question, the person who is there cannot answer it. My husband has had better luck getting a response. I have traveled to places farther than Europe and felt better about going. I will write an update after our trip.

Could not ask for better service. They are on top of all the details for our trip.

It's been 20 years, but we did a Holy Land-Egypt-Rome tour with them in '95 and it was perfect. Great hotels, great food, great connections. The co-leader had done about ten trips with them and said they always did a nice job.

Quick, responsive and wonderful at fulfilling my travel needs. I have used this agency at least 4 times now and have never had a problem. Judy is patient and helpful. I will continue to use her for my travels.

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

Review: 5 Things I Love About the Carl Friedrik Trunk

A bout once a year I need a bag that can handle more than a few days of clothing. Right now I’m oscillating between a very popular DTC brand’s hardshell luggage and a softside option I picked up a few years back.

Both have flaws. The hardshell is colorful, roomy and easy to spot on a luggage carousel, but it’s surprisingly easy to scuff up (I had to send it back for a replacement because it was damaged during its initial shipment). The softshell has less room and little organizational purpose — the interior and exterior pockets and compartments seem arbitrary.

Meanwhile, I fell in love with a Carl Friedrik backpack last year — I called it “refined minimalist” and ideal for commuting. My partner commandeered the pack and now uses it as a carry-on for shorter work trips. With that in mind, could Carl Friedrik deliver something equally elevated but built for longer trips, which would require something more than spacious minimalism?

Stuff We Swear By: Carl Friedrik’s Day-to-Day Backpack Is an Ideal Commuter Bag

Thankfully, yes. The Trunk by Carl Friedrik offers almost everything I need for long treks. It might not be for everyone and one claim by the brand I found to be dubious (or I’m a terrible packer). But here’s a quick outline below of what you’re getting and why I love the Trunk.

• 5.8” x 28.7” x 14.6” (W x H x D) 
• Including three packing cubes

And what we liked:

The 80/20 split lid opening 

If you set this down horizontally, the Trunk lives up to its moniker: Most everything you put in here will be in one section (or side). The zippered lid has a bit of room and seems ideal for dirty clothes, a single day’s outfit you need to grab quickly or (as shown in the CF promo pictures) a tennis racquet, because why not.

The ease of transport

While it looks intimidatingly heavy, The Trunk is just 13 lbs. when empty. And the 360-degree Hinomoto spinner wheels (which are nearly dead silent) and multi-stage retractable handle mean a person of nearly any height or strength will have no problem scooting the Trunk around.

The organizational versatility

I assumed the Trunk would be spacious but minimal, like the backpack. Instead, it appeals to my craving for organization — retractable fabric dividers can place your stuff into three makeshift compartments. The luggage also comes with three packing cubes, and there are compression straps to keep your inevitably overstuffed wardrobe in place.

The (somewhat lack of) colorways

Hardshell luggage is going to take a beating. Only available in black and grey (with some nice leather accents), the polycarbonate Trunk should keep its handsome facade longer than something more colorful. Admittedly, the Trunk smudges easily, but it also cleans up quickly (I used a cloth with a bit of soapy water). Besides, there’s a 100-day free trial and a lifetime warranty if things go bad — which is good, because (as mentioned before) I think airlines treat hardshell luggage more aggressively.

There are three latches on the Trunk, two with TSA-approved locks. You can set one or both of those with a three-digit lock code. Given that there’s only one way to open the bag, this means you won’t have to shell out for a separate lock. 

And a few tiny things that may give you pause…

Carl Friedrick claims the Trunk is ideal for “trips up to three weeks.” Even with the spacious interior and unobtrusive dividers, I see this at best for two weeks (it also depends if you have access to a washer/dryer). You’re going to need to lay the bag down horizontally to open or access anything. There are no outside pockets for quick document retrieval. The Vachetta leather handles require extra cleaning care and the brand suggests not allowing airlines to attach luggage tags to them, which might cause color loss — that’s an ask usually out of a passenger’s control. 

Most importantly, the Trunk is not cheap; at $745, it’s a few hundred dollars more than any other luggage piece I own.

Final thoughts

The Trunk is worth the extra money, as it’ll most likely be your luggage for long journeys for the next few decades. As a New Yorker with little apartment space, it also serves a cool dual purpose; I can use it as clothes storage when not in travel use. You know, like an actual trunk.

Trunk by Carl Friedrik

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Cass Review: Gender report author cannot travel on public transport over safety fears

Dr Hilary Cass says she is more upset and frustrated about the falsehoods being peddled about her research than the abuse directed at her, because it is "putting children at risk".

Saturday 20 April 2024 13:38, UK

The paediatrician behind a landmark report into transgender treatment of children has criticised the "disinformation" about her findings as she revealed she avoids travelling on public transport over security fears.

Dr Hilary Cass has said the attacks on her study were "inaccurate" and "unforgivable" as it put young people "at risk".

The recently-published Cass Review found that there was "remarkably weak evidence" to support gender treatments for children.

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The "toxicity of the debate" was also not helping, with people afraid of discussing transgender issues openly, she said.

The research was commissioned by NHS England four years ago after a steep rise in the numbers seeking help for gender issues.

Dr Cass told The Times newspaper: "I have been really frustrated by the criticisms, because it is straight disinformation. It is completely inaccurate.

"It started the day before the report came out when an influencer posted a picture of a list of papers that were apparently rejected because they were not randomised control trials.

"That list has absolutely nothing to do with either our report or any of the papers."

She added: "If you deliberately try to undermine a report that has looked at the evidence of children's healthcare, then that's unforgivable. You are putting children at risk by doing that."

Read more: What gender treatments are currently available to children?

She also hit out at Labour MP Dawn Butler, who questioned Health Secretary Victoria Atkins during a House of Commons debate on Monday about why "over 100 studies have not been in this Cass report".

Dr Cass expressed dismay at the Brent Central MP making assertions that were "completely wrong".

She said researchers had examined every research paper, but not all met the threshold standard for inclusion.

The total number of datasets deemed to be of high or medium-quality was 60 out of 103.

The Cass report made more than 32 recommendations, including that gender care operates "to the same standards" as other children's health services.

The review found the entire field of medicine aimed at enabling children to change gender had been "built on shaky foundations", with not enough evidence to support prescribing hormones to under-18s to pause puberty or to transition to the opposite sex.

Last month, NHS England confirmed children would no longer be prescribed puberty blockers outside of research trials.

It also emerged adult gender clinics had refused to take part in the review, which was described as "hugely disappointing" by Dr Cass.

'Vile emails'

Regarding the online abuse she has received, the physician said: "There are some pretty vile emails coming in at the moment.

"Most of which my team is protecting me from, so I'm not getting to see them."

She added: "What dismays me is just how childish the debate can become.

"If I don't agree with somebody then I'm called transphobic or a TERF [trans-exclusionary radical feminist]."

'Misinformation makes me seethe'

But asked if the vitriol had affected her, Dr Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "No... it's personal, but these people don't know me.

"I'm much, much more upset and frustrated about all this disinformation than I am about the abuse.

"The thing that makes me seethe is the misinformation."

She added: "I'm not going on public transport at the moment, following security advice, which is inconvenient."

NHS England has since announced a second Cass Review-style appraisal of adult gender clinics.

But Dr Cass confirmed to The Times she will not take part in that report.

She said: "You heard it right here - I am not going to do the adult gender clinic review."

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Hilary Cass warned of threats to safety after ‘vile’ abuse over NHS gender services review

The paediatrician, who has been advised to stop using public transport, describes ‘straight disinformation’ about report

The doctor behind a landmark review of the NHS’s gender identity services for children and young people has said fears had been raised about her personal safety amid online abuse after the report’s release.

Dr Hilary Cass told the Times she wished to address the “disinformation” circulating about the findings and recommendations handed down by the Cass review when it was published on 10 April.

She said she had received online abuse in the wake of the report and had been advised to stop using public transport.

The report said the evidence base for gender medicine in young people had been thin and children had been let down by a “toxic” public discourse around gender.

Cass told the Times: “I have been really frustrated by the criticisms, because it is straight disinformation. It is completely inaccurate.

“It started the day before the report came out when an influencer posted a picture of a list of papers that were apparently rejected because they were not randomised control trials.

“That list has absolutely nothing to do with either our report or any of the papers.”

Referring to the online abuse she had received, she said: “There are some pretty vile emails coming in at the moment, most of which my team is protecting me from, so I’m not getting to see them.”

She added: “I’m not going on public transport at the moment, following security advice, which is inconvenient.”

The report said the now shuttered Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, the only NHS gender identity development service for children in England and Wales, used puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones despite “remarkably weak evidence” that they improved the wellbeing of young people and concern they may harm health.

The report recommended that young people struggling with their gender identity should be screened to detect neurodevelopmental conditions and there should be an assessment of their mental health, because some who seek help with their gender identity may also have anxiety or depression, for example.

When the report was released, Cass stressed that her findings were not intended to undermine the validity of trans identities or challenge people’s right to transition, but rather to improve the care of the fast-growing number of children and young people with gender-related distress.

NHS England has since announced a second Cass review-style appraisal of adult gender clinics. Cass confirmed to the Times that she would not take part in the adult report after the abuse she suffered in recent weeks.

She said: “You heard it right here: I am not going to do the adult gender clinic review.”

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This trans author toured red-state libraries. What she found might surprise you

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The small brick plaza in front of the Pella, Iowa, public library was teeming with people. A gray-haired woman in a T-shirt stood stoically beside a large banner bearing a Bible quote with chapter and verse notation. There were a handful of other signs in the crowd. I can’t quote any of them because I kept my head down as I entered the plaza.

Inside the library, there were event posters with my face on them. I didn’t know if I’d be recognized in the crowd — or clocked as transgender. It occurred to me that in Iowa you don’t need a permit to carry a gun — open or concealed. A current of people was funneling into the library, and I joined them. I sensed, eerily, that some who were entering alongside me were protesters. I didn’t turn to look.

The event room was filling up fast, despite the fact that library director Mara Strickler held off on posting my visit to social media until three days before, opting instead for a word-of-mouth campaign. The crowd was mixed — age-wise and gender-wise — and overwhelmingly white (Pella, population 10,500-plus, is 95% white). A friend of mine who’d come from Iowa City told me later that some people in the back were giving out copies of my 2022 book, “ This Body I Wore,” which had just come out in paperback. The gray-haired woman in the T-shirt filed in and took a seat.

I found Strickler, who said there were only a few protesters inside the room and that I wouldn’t be using a microphone. She had a gift for me, and hoped I’d stick around long enough to receive it. Until then, it would just be me, my book and my naked voice in a packed room where I had no idea what was going to happen.

Last summer I embarked on a red-state library tour: visiting, free of charge, any library that invited me to do a book talk and presentation on the freedom to read. The tour was an idle thought I entertained early in 2023 — an extravagant, albeit enticing, “what if?” — when the American Library Assn. selected “This Body I Wore” for its Notable Books List.

When my agent called with an offer of a paid speaking gig at an arts club in Arkansas, I thought, That puts me in a red state. With a single pin in a map, the tour began to take shape. I started contacting state library associations (every state has one) to get the word out. I’d traveled to Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia, North Carolina and seven other libraries in Iowa before I arrived in Pella in late July. Florida, which leads the U.S. in book bans , was on my calendar for September.

Two moms are at the center of the fight against book banning in America: ‘It’s exhausting’

I’d been following the wave of book bans and attacks on libraries, and reading local newspapers online, in addition to legislative bills, court filings and library board minutes. I published an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times highlighting the most salient feature of the book bans — the fact that a majority of the targeted books, as tracked by PEN America and the ALA, were by and about minorities, particularly Black and LGBTQ people.

I felt uniquely positioned — even qualified — for this tour. The 2023 Notable Books List citation was perfectly timed. The setting of my pre-transition memoir, in the conditions facing the budding trans communities of the late 20th century — when few of us were safe, accepted, employed, afforded medical care or visible in the media and libraries — also spoke to the current moment. Red-state legislatures were (and still are) trying to reverse decades of progress for trans freedom. ( ABC News reports the ACLU recorded “at least” 508 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in 2023; 84 of them passed.)

The other thing that qualified me were my years as a New York City public school teacher and a touring poet, experiences that trained me to be compelling and relevant in a hurry. And six years of teaching in a juvenile jail in the South Bronx knocked out any stage fright I could feel in front of a group.

For safety, I decided on two rules: 1) Never post my itinerary online; and 2) Never stay in a town where I’m presenting. The thing that concerned me most (a concern shared by several librarians I spoke to) was the possibility of a book vigilante from a surrounding county or state strapping on a gun and getting behind the wheel.

As it turns out, these precautions, for the most part, weren’t needed. My invitations came from libraries that were supported by communities and library boards overwhelmingly in favor of the freedom to read. These tended to be in larger cities, such as Springfield, Mo., or Davenport, Iowa, or in college towns, like Grinnell, Iowa, or Chapel Hill, N.C. Other than in Pella, small-town libraries under threat didn’t invite me.

Of course, nothing prevented me from turning off the road and walking, unannounced, into any library. Had I not done so, I wouldn’t have learned half as much.

The Eureka Springs Public Library, uphill from the center of a historic Arkansas mountain town, was empty except for two assistant librarians behind the reference desk. I asked if they were getting many book challenges. They told me they weren’t allowed to talk about the subject. One of them took out a printed paragraph and read it aloud: “Our library is a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Act 372,” she began. Act 372 , a law criminalizing librarians and booksellers for “furnishing a harmful item to a minor,” was signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and was set to take effect Aug. 1, 2023, but is under court challenge. After one assistant librarian finished reading, the other one said, “I hate politics.”

I walked into a good-sized library in a town in the Missouri Ozarks, asked to speak to a librarian and was pointed to a nervous blond woman who looked to be in her 30s. She knew a couple of things about me right away: that I’m trans, and that I’m an author. She knew this because I used my ALA-approved book as a calling card whenever I walked into a library.

Before I could ask my standard opening question of librarians — “Do you feel safe?” — the librarian had something she wanted me to know: “I don’t care if a person is rich or poor or homeless, Black or white or gay or whatever. I’m here to help everybody.” That declaration, akin to the postman’s creed, is something any librarian would say. The odd thing was where she chose to declare it — in the office behind the circulation desk, where she brought me to speak in private.

School librarians vilified as the ‘arm of Satan’ in book-banning wars

At the Salem Church Branch of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Spotsylvania, Va., I spoke with a librarian named Dinah King. In 2021, King was an elementary school librarian in the Spotsylvania school district, where the school board voted unanimously to ban 14 books. Two of the members called for burning them . Soon after, someone created a Facebook “ Book Burning event ” page, exhorting parents to get their kids to remove “books you do NOT want in our schools,” and bring them to a spot across the street from Riverbend High School, where the school board met.

King doubted the Facebook mob would follow through with their plan ( they didn’t — the police showed up in force). What upset her far more was being forced to pull every book from her elementary school library’s shelves to check for “inappropriate” content according to some nebulous definition. One day a fourth grader appeared in front of her with a book about gay civil rights leader Harvey Milk and parroted the line, “This book is an abomination.”

Before heading to Pella, I connected with veteran Iowa journalist Robert Leonard, who was described by the Des Moines Register as a “Trumpland translator” and had been covering a string of disturbing anti-trans incidents in the area. He’d recently reported on a proposal that would effectively ban trans people from an outdoor farmers market in Pella.

Leonard and I met for an interview in a study room in the library on the day of my event. Librarians there, he told me, “are afraid for their safety, for their funding, for their staff, because a small minority of people want to ... erase a group of people off the face of the Earth.”

Late in 2022, some townspeople tried to ban the award-winning graphic novel “Gender Queer” from the public library. They also wanted to inspect every book. The library board was having none of it, though there was a push for a ballot resolution that would give the city council control of the library.

In our interview , Leonard and I discussed my red-state tour and why I was doing it. I described what I saw as two layers to the book bans: politically connected groups such as Moms for Liberty spreading propaganda about “protecting children” and a MAGA base genuinely believing the propaganda. I was trying to reach a third group, the so-called movable middle who might be listening to what are considered neutral sources of journalism — and were being told the book bans are part of a culture war.

“It is not a culture war,” I said to Leonard.

“Now [that’s] just pretty amazing to me,” he said, stopping to register what he called an epiphany. “Just that statement — ‘It’s not a culture war’ — sort of reimagines my relationship with the media and my writing.”

How ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’ became America’s most banned book

Really? Surely he knew the difference between a political wedge issue and ethnic extermination, so why was this an “epiphany”? Maybe it’s because his colleagues throughout the media — at the very outlets that reported doxxing, smear campaigns and death threats to librarians — persist in misframing the crusade as “a culture war.” This includes sources and commentators across the political spectrum — not just the New York Post and Fox News but also PBS, NPR, the New York Times, the Associated Press and Reuters.

It’s one thing to have a culture war debate about school prayer, or a provocative painting in a museum; it’s quite another to stalk and hunt down library staff, to have Proud Boys descend on a library and terrify parents and children. Some of the methods being used — including threats of bombing, shooting and physical harm , and branding one’s opponents pedophiles — are straight out of the Nazi playbook.

This is why, when I spoke in libraries, I showed footage of the Nazi book burnings . Three months after Hitler came to power there were book burnings in 34 university cities and towns across Germany on the same night — May 10, 1933. But we only ever see newsreel footage of one: the bonfire in the public square outside the Berlin opera house.

As the newsreel played, I explained that the books going into that particular fire were not by Jewish authors; rather, they were burning the 20,000-volume library of a nearby gender clinic, the Institute for Sexual Research, founded by Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. The library contained the best of what was known in medical and social science pertaining to sex and gender, along with testimonials — memoirs — of LGBTQ people. I wanted people to see the parallels between today and Nazi Germany, where the government was defining many minorities as “un-German” and weaponizing “traditional values.”

When Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels appears, addressing the crowd in that Berlin square, I pointed out something else: While the book burnings were organized by “grassroots” student groups, the Nazi government was fully looped in. It’s not hard to connect the dots to today when I show them the lineup of MAGA elected officials at the Moms for Liberty convention in Philadelphia, or the video clip of them cheering for Hitler — and I never got any pushback.

The crowd for my talk at the Pella Public Library was buzzing in a way I’d never experienced. I introduced my book, and read a passage about the Fabric Factory bar in Times Square and the gender-nonconforming people who gathered there in the late 1980s — “people we were 20 years away from having any respectable words for.” I read a scene from 1977, when I watched Howard Cosell interview Renée Richards on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” after she’d won the right to compete in the women’s division of the U.S. Open as a “transsexual.” I was 14 and had never heard that word, or thought such a person could exist, even though I was such a person and somehow knew it.

People were listening; no one was interrupting.

Some states are trying to make sex binary. Transgender people see their existence denied

I closed my book and turned to the subject of book bans. I had three points to make: 1) The groups leading the book bans don’t give a damn about protecting children; if they did they’d be talking about assault weapons and smartphones; 2) The groups are highly organized and politically connected; and 3) Their goal, like in Nazi Germany, is to “synchronize culture” with white supremacy.

A man asked why we’re pretending that trans people are something new, when they’ve always existed. I said he had a great point and asked if he knew about the “trans panic” murder defense, a legal tactic now banned in 19 states. For decades, criminal defense attorneys argued that when a man discovers someone he’s attracted to is trans, it can induce panic and cause him to murder one of us.

“Politically,” I said, “MAGA Republicans are trying to induce national trans panic .” They are taking advantage of widespread ignorance about trans people. They want the public voting for candidates who promise to prevent us from transitioning or being seen. This is why they panic when someone trans is accepted and normalized, such as “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider , who had grandmas across America rooting for her. They don’t want books dispelling ignorance about us in libraries, and they especially don’t want trans children to assimilate and grow up in their gender.

Someone asked what would help librarians. “This,” I said, indicating the roomful of people who showed up to defend the freedom to read.

“Having traveled around, what advice would you give to librarians?”

“Advice? I don’t know. They know their situations better than I do. I would just tell them they’re heroes.”

Afterward Mara Strickler and I shared a hug. The gift she had for me was an assortment of fruit-tinged local beers. I poured a can for myself when I got back to my motel room — 30 miles away in Colfax, Iowa.

The goal of My Red-State Library Tour was to defend an institution I loved and to send the message that the book bans are a fascist-style campaign of cultural erasure, which our media has failed to grasp. I don’t know if I succeeded, though I would love for there to be copycats — other authors who travel to libraries to speak, repaying the favors they do for us.

Column: Need help finding a good book? Try one your 9th-grader isn’t allowed to read

But maybe the main thing I accomplished was simpler than any of that. On election night in 2016, when Florida was called for Donald Trump, I felt, instantly, my country get narrower. I would watch a growing number of trans refugees flee red states, give up their homes and often their jobs, to protect themselves or their kids. My tour was an affirmation, to myself as much as anyone else, that my body belongs in every state of this country. All of ours do, and our books belong in libraries.

Last year on election day, Moms for Liberty candidates were “ annihilated ” by members of actual parents’ rights groups. My eyes, however, were fixed on a town in southern Iowa and “Resolution No. 6442” — a measure to allow political officials to control the library in Pella, which went for Trump by 68% in 2020. That resolution was voted down, and a great institution remains independent. The vote was close: 51% to 49%, a difference of 87 people. I’d like to think some of those 87 were in the room when I spoke there.

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