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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Travel
Ella Braidwood

‘I stood there with my mouth open. It was a utopia’: 50 years of Olivia, the lesbian cruise company

large crowd smiles on a boat
Attendees pose on Olivia’s first cruise. Photograph: Courtesy of Olivia Travel

Jai Henrietta still remembers the first time she went on an Olivia Travel vacation: “I just stood there with my mouth open. Seeing 2,000 women in one space, all cuddling, holding hands, and kissing – it was a utopia for me.”

Henrietta has now traveled six times with Olivia, the world’s first travel company for lesbians. Her partner, Lyla Row, has been on 13 Olivia trips. For Row, the company takes away that “extra precaution” the couple otherwise has to take on holiday as a same-sex couple. “It’s relaxing, and that’s what a holiday should be – you shouldn’t be worrying about anything else,” she says.

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