Signaling That You’re Single and Ready to Mingle with other LGBTQ+ Women on Vacation by Jenny Block
It can be awkward traveling on a trip solo hoping to meet that next special someone and not knowing how to let people know that you to single. Here are four ways to do just that from the subtle to the hilarious depending on your personality style!
Travel to and with lesbians and other LGBTQ+ women.
The best place to meet lesbians is where lesbians gather, of course. Traveling on a cruise or a resort or adventure trip with a company which specifically caters to lesbians and LGBTQ+ folks is a good start. You can also check out women focused festivals like FernFest in Michigan or Women’s Week in Provincetown, MA. Go to concerts and comedy shows with bands and artists with known lesbian followings. Identify Prides in your area that have women-specific events like dyke marches or woman pride parties. You’ll know when you are in a woman-centered environment, and suddenly your dating pool odds will improve exponentially.
Join an organized solos group.
Some cruises, resorts, and adventure trips offer solo tracks for single lesbians and single LGBTQ+ travelers. These groups cater to giving Solos a community on-trip, so that when you choose to be social, and want to make new friends or more, you have specified events where everyone is in the same boat (sometimes literally!). With Solos programming you’ll always have people to eat with, watch entertainment with, and adventure with. And you might meet your match too! Just remember that not all solos are single, so it may take a conversation or so to figure out if that cutie in the corner is open to a dance later.
Wear your heart on your sleeve (or your finger).
Wear a T-shirt with a flirty message that signals you’re single and ready to date! If you’re on a trip that is not primarily LGBTQ+, wear a rainbow shirt or other pride gear to help fellow lesbians or non-binary folks find you. Another signal you can put out there is the thumb ring. No one knows for sure why this became a fashion staple of queer women, but the urban dictionary even acknowledges if a woman wears a thumb ring on her right thumb, she is bisexual or lesbian. There are some that even go farther, claiming that the left thumb signals that you’re taken and a right thumb ring signals that you are single. Other visual signals can include piercings, haircuts, and carabiners, to name a few. Some of these events even have symbols on-trip that will signify your relationship status. Take advantage of those programs because she might see you before you see her!
Put yourself out there.
It can be easy when you’re traveling by yourself to keep to yourself. But there’s not a chance of meeting anyone if you don’t, well, meet anyone. So, ask to join people at meals or activities on that majestic Alaska cruise. Take a dance class. Get up early for yoga and then invite someone to breakfast. Strike up a conversation at the pool on a San Diego cruise to Mexico or before a comedy show or concert is about to begin or lets out. It can be scary at first, but it will be worth it! And honestly, one of the best signals you can put out there is eye contact, a smile, and the openness to connect with a new person. Let the intuition of gaydar do the rest. We all know the feeling when you meet someone new and the chemistry crackles.
Best of luck in your search! Before you know it you will be off on your next romantic lesbian vacation!
Put yourself out there.
Find out more about Olivia's Solos Program
