Travel as you are
Boutique journeys, tailor-made for gay men
Every trip starts with a question
Planning a trip is a lot. Hundreds of hotels that look the same online, reviews that contradict each other, advice from everyone. And when you travel as a gay man, there’s one more question nobody else has to ask: will we feel at ease there? At the hotel, at dinner, on the walk back at night.
That’s the part I take care of. Gay Up Travel is a boutique travel company for gay men, and it’s one person: me. Every trip is designed and run by me from the first email to the last transfer — the route, the houses, the driver, the guides, the tables — from a blank page, around you, as a couple, on your own or with friends. And the part nobody else does: I’ve been the two men at check-in and at the dinner table, so everyone you’ll meet knows who’s coming. Friends and family who travel with you are welcome, of course.
I’ve been doing this since 2021, as a member of IGLTA — the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association — with ten years of relationships across Europe behind every trip.
So let’s begin. Tell me where you’d like to go.
Three ways to see Italy
9 nights
ITALY
ITALIAN ICONS: ROME, FLORENCE AND VENICE
8 nights
TUSCANY
FLORENCE & THE TUSCAN HILLS
8 nights
PUGLIA
HIDDEN ITALY: TRULLI, OSTUNI AND POLIGNANO
A free guide
Which Italy is yours?
Italy isn’t one trip. The Curator’s Edit: Italy is my guide to six journeys I plan for gay travelers, how to tell which one is yours, and the honest picture of Italy for two men today. Free, in your inbox within a minute.
What travellers say
“
Every detail was beyond incredible, from the hotel selections and guide-led excursions to the seamless transportation. The team was available whenever we had questions.
RON · SAN FRANCISCO
Athens & the Greek islands
“
From the moment you land you are pampered seamlessly. Any issues that come up are resolved quickly. Truly the most amazing experience of Greece and the Greek islands.
SEAN · SAN FRANCISCO
Athens & the Greek islands
“
A truly tailor-made approach: from the choice of islands to the itinerary, every detail was designed for us. Attentive, constant, never intrusive.
F. & A. · ITALY
Honeymoon in the Greek islands — translated from Italian
How it works
1
Tell me about your trip
Dates, who you’re traveling with, and what matters most to you. No long questionnaires — just the essentials.
2
I design your itinerary
Within two business days you’ll hear back from me with a first proposal — hand-picked hotels, experiences and a route, built around how you actually travel. From there, we shape it together.
3
We refine it. You travel.
We fine-tune every detail together — then I stay a message away for the whole trip. Not a call center: the person who built your itinerary.
From the Journal & GUT Specials
Places I’ve selected, told from the inside — not a catalog.
GUT Special — Malta
Sea, stone & late nights
Why I chose Malta for my clients — the island in golden light, told from the inside.
From the Journal
The Puglia I Come Home To
I’m from here. The whitewashed towns, the long lunches, the coast I send my clients to — and come back to myself.
Who we are
I’m Francesco, an Italian travel planner. I built Gay Up Travel in 2021 — a tailor-made travel company for gay men that I run myself, serving primarily North American clients. Born and raised in Puglia, I live six months of the year in the Veneto and six in Puglia. Over the years I’ve lived in and traveled across most of Europe — Italy, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Croatia — and well beyond, from Morocco to Vietnam. Ten years of relationships across these places, all in service of one thing: a trip where you can simply be yourself.
Member of IGLTA — the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association. Every partner on this site is personally vetted by me.
Tell me about your next trip
A few details are enough to start. Within two business days you’ll hear back from me with a first proposal for your trip, which we then shape together.