Category Archives: news
Mexico Tourism Launches New Gay App
MEXICO’S Federal Secretary of Tourism is promoting new gay travel app MéxicoGayde (@MexicoGayde), reports SDPnoticias.com.
The app promises to list all gay-friendly destinations in Mexico including bars, restaurants, theaters, spas, exhibitions and NGOs. MéxicoGayde will also allow you to review and rate venues.
Download MéxicoGayde here.
Meal Sharing – Bringing People Together
Meal sharing sites are bringing people together, over food.
MealSharing.com – Find a home cooked meal in over 450 cities worldwide!
Meal Sharing brings people together over home cooked meals. Our mission is to build communities through shared resources, facilitate deeper cultural exchange, and encourage people to cook at home to enable a healthier lifestyle.
“We want to make it possible for people, who otherwise would probably never meet, to get together and have a good time over food. We want to make that experience safe and enriching for everyone involved.”
EatWith.com – Eat With is a passionate community of food lovers and world travelers.
EatWith hosts share a talent for making amazing meals and a love for welcoming people into their homes to share them. Join us around the table to experience the most creative, gourmet and handmade meals your city has to offer.
EatFeastly.com – Inspired by his travels and unique food experiences abroad, the exceptionally bearded Noah Karesh wanted to unlock the diverse food and cultural potential of Washington, D.C. Flooded with too many impersonal and sterile restaurants, he sought to reintroduce the original social dining option: the home cooked meal.
His vision: to create a marketplace where passionate cooks could connect with adventurous eaters seeking more authentic and social dining options by offering home cooked meals in a cook’s home. In lowering the barriers to entry for cooks to share their skills and stories with the world, he wanted to let cooks monetize their passions and provide exciting new food opportunities for eaters.
Mens Hair Loss Solutions Specialist
Minimally Invasive Hair Restoration
With (FUE) Follicular Unit Extraction And Surgical Robotic Technology
International lecturer and teacher, Dr. William Yates, M.D., Board Certified Hair Restoration Surgeon, breaks through the old stereotypes of hair loss and hair transplant and brings Chicago’s North Shore the very latest cutting edge technological advancements in the field, offering patients an array of state-of-the-art facial and hair restoration services. He is a world-renowned expert in Follicular Unit Extraction.
(* Dr Yates is in Chicago but see’s patients from all over the US. You may even qualify for special discounted travel arrangements.)
He is so passionate and confident the Follicular Unit Extraction technique is superior to traditional methods; he only performs this highly skilled technique for hair transplantation.
Dr. Yates specialized skills make him one of the elite surgeons to educate and train other physicians to perform this specialized technique both locally and internationally.
What is FUE?
While performed under local anesthesia, the hair or follicular units are individually harvested or punched from the back of the scalp or donor area in the hands of Dr. Yates using whatever instrument is best for his patient to obtain optimal results. He utilizes the most advanced ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System or various manual, hand-held instruments to delicately punch out each individual hair follicle.
The camera system and algorithms in place with the robot or Dr. Yates skilled eyes and hands, choose the most robust hairs to remove for transplantation. With the traditional strip method for hair transplantation, not only do you have to take all hairs (even weak hair), the patient also incurs a painful cut, stitches and scar that they have to live with and conceal the rest of their lives.
Dr. Yates utilizes state of the art biological solutions such as Hypothermosol and ATPv (adenosine triphosphate) to store, protect and ensure optimal survival of these valuable grafts while awaiting transplant into the balding areas of the scalp for both men and women.
The finishing touch is completed by Dr. Yates artistic ability to create a natural hairline and hair density in his patient’s areas of thinning throughout the scalp. He uses micro-incisions to create sites to place each individual follicular unit, which will grow into a natural, undetectable pattern over the next year.
The results – – Phenomenal, Natural, Permanent Hair that patients can style anyway they desire without a scar in the back of the scalp. It’s cutting edge methodology like this that separates Dr. Yates’ concierge practice from the cookie cutter competition, who still rely on the antiquated guesswork with a scalpel from when they started 30 years ago.
“It’s permanent and not many people can do it right,” says Dr. Yates. “This is the investment that lasts.”
WITH FUE THERE ARE NO TRANVERSE VISIBLE SCARS ACROSS THE BACK OF THE HEAD
If someone is unable to shave the back of his or her scalp for FUE, he also has an answer for this. Dr. Yates is able to creatively trim the hair so that the donor area is completely concealed and you can return to work immediately without any visible signs of a procedure.
Dr. Yates is also very skilled at restoring facial hair such as beards, mustaches, goatees and eyebrows.
He also performs recovery and repair work on patients who have had multiple, visible scars; old-fashioned and undesirable plug procedures; and creative body hair (beard, chest, back hair) harvesting for transplantation for individuals who are “tapped out” of donor hair in the back of their scalp.
State of the Art
Non-Surgical Options…
PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)
This therapy has been FDA approved and utilized for over 30 years for advanced wound healing. Now, we are seeing exciting results with PRP for hair growth. A patient’s blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets to a specific concentration effective for hair growth. The platelets are then activated and injected back into the scalp at the level of the hair follicles. This process stimulates the body’s own growth factors and stem cells to slow hair loss, reverse miniaturized hair to produce a strong, visible hair again, and if used at the time of a hair transplant, it encourages faster graft growth. This has been very effective for both men and women.
Stromal Vascular Fraction or Stem Cell Therapy with Fat Transfer
Adult stem cells are most concentrated in our bodies in bone marrow and even more so in fat tissue or adipose. Dr. Yates is able to harvest these fat cells and concentrate and purify them in a centrifuge system. He then combines the fat cells with PRP to inject into the scalp to stimulate hair growth and stabilize further hair loss. This process offers even more benefits than just PRP alone by replacing the lost layer of subcutaneous fat in the scalp where the hair follicle thrives.
Scalp Micro-Pigmentation (SMP)
With SMP, pigment is used on the scalp to create the appearance of real hair follicles recreating hairlines, adding the appearance of density to thinning areas and covering unsightly scars. This advanced solution for hair loss replicates real shaven hair follicles on the scalp. The appearance is so realistic that it actually looks like you have hair. We know how the hair should look when pigmented, because that’s all we do everyday – HAIR! If someone has limited donor hair and has been told they were not a good candidate for a hair transplant procedure, they now have a great option! This is perfect for those who wear a very closely cropped hairstyle!
Hair Styling for Thinning Hair
Since hair loss affects so many people and everyone’s self-esteem, Dr. Yates even offers an onsite Licensed Cosmetologist with over 17 years of experience. She studied in Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, New York, Miami and Chicago. She specializes in styling and educating patients to look their best if they suffer with hair loss.
Someone doesn’t have to be bald to feel the confidence shaking reality of hair loss. For many, it can appear as a lack of volume and expanding thinness. Slowly, their scalp becomes more apparent through the diminishing volume of their hair. Dr. Yates can stop that hair loss in its tracks and reduce the appearance of thinning hair for men and women using the most advanced treatments available in the industry.
When hair transplantation is done correctly by a proficient surgeon, the results look so natural that nobody would know you had a procedure. To achieve the best, natural, and attractive results, you need a meticulous surgeon with proven results.
The team at Yates Hair Science Group delivers the best care and quality everyday and are recognized leaders in the field.
565 Lakeview Parkway Suite 108
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
AND
50 E Washington, Suite 200,Chicago, IL 60602
PHONE: 312-261-0872 or visit them online at dryateshairscience.com
Gay Travel to Montreal and Amsterdam
Two of my Favorite cities!
SPRING AND SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON AHEAD
Days are getting longer already!
59 days until SPRING!
START PLANNING NOW!
Here are 2 GREAT GETAWAYS to add to your spring/summer calendar
MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL – JULY 3-6 (2015)
More than 500 concerts – most FREE
World’s Best Artists and Genres of Music
AND …..
AMSTERDAM PRIDE – JUL 28- AUG 3 (2015)
World Famous Canal Parade
Circuit Parties & Street Parties
Amsterdam’s most popular festival
JOIN ME! LET’S PARTY! I can arrange great pricing for you and provide helpful tour information in both cities! Dave @ Donovan Travel
BEST European Countries for Food and Drink
While Italy is NOT the gayest European city, it did rank as the best food and drink in Europe – not surprisingly.
THRILLIST recently ranked all 48 European countries by food and drink. Italy, France and Spain were on top. Followed next by Germany, Belgium and Croatia. – At the bottom of the list were countries like Andorra, Monaco and Montenegro. Check it out HERE.
Flying Coach Economy gets WORSE in 2015
IF you think coach / economy flights are bad now….just wait…it’s getting worse in 2015!
If you think flying coach is a cramped and claustrophobic experience, then you’re going to hate what’s coming in the months ahead.
An increasing number of airlines are starting to install more paid-legroom seats on their planes (because people buy them), eating into the legroom of the standard coach seat – which we all know is already limited.
Airlines such as JetBlue, American, United, Frontier, and Spirit are introducing a new class of roomier seats with names such as Economy Plus (United) and Classic Plus (Frontier) that offer passengers more space to spread out but at a higher price tag. To make room on the plane for these pricier seats, the standard coach experience gets a little more cramped.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT ON A BICYCLE SEAT?
While luxury airlines unveil multi-room apartments in the sky, the future of economy seating for the rest of us is looking smaller and even less comfortable.
In a recent patent filing, plane manufacturer Airbus included diagrams for new standing seats. (ABOVE).
The design is meant to fit even more passengers on flights, specifically on short-haul trips where the added discomfort could be more tolerable, at least in Airbus’ estimation.
Even though the Airbus plan is still just a concept, there is no question air carriers want to fit more economy passengers on each plane.
Boeing is working on adding capacity to its 737 narrow-body airplane model, which is used for short-haul flights. The manufacturer plans to squeeze in more passengers by reducing the space between seats by two inches. Read more at MASHABLE.
“I don’t want to be tortured,” says Judy Greene, a musician who lives in New York.
Durnford King, a TV writer based in Santa Monica, Calif., wonders, “What’s next, rolling passengers up in bubble wrap and packing them in like sausages?”
How to avoid economy “minus” in 2015
Find airlines with more legroom, for now. Some airlines still offer a civil amount of space, even in economy class. One of your best bets is to find planes configured for international travel flying domestic flights. Depending on the aircraft type, your seat may have as much as 33 inches of pitch.
Book for comfort. Expedia.com just added a service called RouteHappy, which displays flights based on comfort. Hipmunk.com also lets you sort fares by “agony.”
Lobby for legroom. Tell your elected representative it’s time to draw the line and to set minimum seat standards on planes. Getting rid of what passes for economy class today would be a good start. Read more on this at USA TODAY.
A Britain Locked up Moroccan prison – for being GAY
This is EXACTLY why I will not travel
to anti-gay destinations!
People say I should see Dubai and just act very straight. That me and my partner should see Russia and get separate rooms. We were recently invited on an African Safari in Tanzania. When they found out we were gay writers, she said as long as we acted straight, and did not kiss or touch each other, everything “should be ok“. Should be?? I will not step foot on soil that would put my life in jeopardy.
A Brit has been locked up in a filthy Moroccan prison – for being GAY.
Ray Cole, 69, from Deal in Kent, was on holiday in Marrakesh last month to visit a Moroccan man, Jamal Jam Wald Nass.
But the pair were approached at a bus stop by police officers, and were arrested under suspicion of homosexuality, Pinknews.co.uk reported.
Retired magazine publisher Ray has been locked up since September 18 while his desperate family have pleaded with the Moroccan authorities to free him.
His distraught son Adrian Cole claims the authorities failed to notify his family or the British Consulate of the arrest, and Mr Cole was feared missing for nearly a week before he was eventually able to get in contact.
Both Mr Cole and Mr Jam Wald Nass were sentenced to four months in prison on October 2.
When police searched Mr Cole’s mobile phone and found a photograph of the two men together, it was used in court as ‘proof’ of homosexual acts.
Adrian Cole said: “The trial was a complete farce, it was just farcical.”
Homosexuality is still a crime in Morocco, with a maximum possible sentence of three years, with Adrian Cole noting “it could have been a lot worse”.
Airplane Travel and Flying with Service Dogs
Flying with Service Dogs
Flying with a service dog requires you to prepare in advance. Most airlines have specific rules and requirements for trips that depart from and connect through regions of extreme temperatures. Check your airline before you consider booking your flight; or you can opt to travel early in the day when you are certain that temperatures are cooler for your service dog. When flying with your dog, know that your dog will fly in a pressurized, heated and cooled section. Temperatures as well as pressures will be the same as they are in the passenger cabin.
Packing for your dog
• Ensure that you have your dog’s leash, collar or harness along with identification tags. You are advised not to take off your service dog’s identification tag while traveling. You never know, your dog can get lost and ID tags will make certain that he will find his way back to you.
• Make an effort of carrying motion sickness remedies. You need to consult your vet concerning medication or natural remedies that can alleviate motion sickness for your service dog, and the symptoms to look out for.
• Carrying along full paperwork for you service dog. This should include: license paperwork, proof of rabies vaccine, vaccination records, along with any other paperwork that you may need when boarding airplanes and crossing borders.
Important considerations you
need to make in advance
Most airlines may expect you to make at least forty eight hours notification, in advance.
Documentation is usually demanded when you do not provide credible assurance as far as your service dog is concerned. When making reservations, you are advised to request for a convenient seat. Inquire if they can have the seat next to you blocked, in the event that your service dog is large. This is usually not recommended, but chances are that they can block a seat for you if the flight doesn’t sell out.
Security checkpoints at the airport may present some challenges. First and foremost, make sure that your service dog does not wear any tags when going through metal detectors. This is to avoid any unnecessary search for you and your dog. You can also opt to go through the metal detectors first and then your dog; this way, the security guards will be certain that you and your dog are no threat, despite the fact that your dog may be wearing a tag.
It is advisable to make sure that your service dog is well fed and exercised before your departure. In addition, ensure that your dog drinks as well as poops in advance. It is quite inappropriate to feed your dog a few moments before take-off, he or she might get sick. Good exercise is essential for a service dog before take-off, since it helps the dog calm down. You are also advised not to sedate your dog, higher altitude pressures may make your dog vulnerable to cardiovascular and respiratory issues when sedated.
For your service dog to be allowed in the cabin you need to:
- Provide proof of your disability, and the manner in which your service dog proves helpful in easing the effect of your disability.
- Provide appropriate documentation confirming that your service dog has received an acceptable level of training that makes him a fit assisting companion for you.
- Provide confirmation that your dog is registered to serve as a service dog when booking your flight.
- Present a valid service dog identification card or equivalent documentation when you are checking in the flight.
- Ensure that your service dog can fit on your lap or alternatively in front of your seat.
As stated previously, not all airlines may allow you to fly with your service dog. Therefore, it is advisable to make early reservations to ascertain that your dog will be flying with you. In addition to different air travel rules, you may also find that some airlines charge extra fees when one is traveling with a service dog.
For more information visit Service Dogs Certification
HEATWAVE in Chicago November 15-16
To our knowledge this has never been done before! a 24 hour private party/event in an INDOOR waterpark / hotel resort. You check in around 3pm Saturday November 15th and you check out around 3pm Sunday November 16th! No kids, no families, 21+
And most rooms are $100 pp based on double occupancy!
From the producers of Six Flags OUT IN THE PARK, comes this very exciting event. HEATWAVE!
“We’re taking over Key Lime Cove INDOOR Water Resort, for 24 hours!” says Derrick Sorles of BestGayChicago.com. “Like our OUT IN THE PARK event at Six Flags, this will be a totally private event and it will benefit a local charity.”
Imagine 24 Hours of LGBT Paradise at
Key Lime Cove INDOOR Water Park Resort!
Be a part of the country’s first-ever 24-hour PRIVATE LGBT Indoor Poolside Dance Party and Water Park Celebration Benefiting a different charity every year. Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus will be the beneficiary for 2014!
Saturday, November 15th, 2014 3pm – Sunday, November 16th, 2014 3pm!
Room/Party Packages $98 Per Person/double occupancy,
includes ROOM + PARTY TICKETS!
4 person rooms as low as $85 per person.
PARTY LIKE A ROCKSTAR! Suites can accommodate 6-8 for $100 – $160 pp
*414 Resort-Style Key West Guest Rooms and LUXE Suites
- *Seven Room/Suite Options Sleeping/Connecting 2 to 12 Or More Guests
- * 12-Hour Indoor Water Park Dance Party Admission Included In Your Room Price
- * 4 Amazing DJ Sets and Poolside Dance Party from 3PM – 3AM
- * 45 Minutes Away from Chicago, Across From Six Flags Great America in Gurnee Illinois
- *65,000 Square Feet of INDOOR Water Park FUN – Always tropically-inspired, 84 degrees and Humid
- *10,000 Square Foot State-Of-The-Art Gaming Arcade
- *Restaurants, Bars, Confectionery Center, Convenience Store, Souvenirs
EVERYTHING A Guest Needs- Just bring your swim suit!
BOOK NOW! Call 877-360-0403 and tell them code HEAT WAVE!
(as of July 20th, this event is 55% sold out!) HEATWAVE CHICAGO
Gay and Straight Travel – Cities and Countries You Might Get Kidnapped!
GREAT ARTICLE this week at THRILLIST..
7 Countries Where You Are Most
Likely to be Kidnapped!
Gay travel or straight travel!
MEXICO – in Juarez, Tijuana and Tampico – Puerto Vallarta IS TOTALLY FINE!
HAITI – very unsafe everywhere.
BRAZIL -Sao Paulo and Rio – they look for wealthy businessmen and their family members mostly. But I have friends got to both cities, and during big events like Carnival and Pride, they do prey on all tourists to steal from and pick pocket.
Philippines – They watch for tourists.
India – Foreign and tourist abductions are rare. But they prey on Indian children.
Columbia – avoid rural areas, jungles and mountains – cities are usually OK
Venezuela is now considered the most dangerous country in Latin America
See all of the details at Thrillist
SPEED PASS with TSA PRE
LOVE THIS! TSA PreCheck!
With the TSA PreCheck program, you’ll get to use a special screening lane with fewer people in it. Plus, you’ll get to keep on your shoes, light outerwear, and belt, and also leave your liquids and laptop in your carry-on. You pay $85 for these privileges, though (good for a five-year membership in the program).
The TSA Pre✓™ application program is a DHS Trusted Traveler program. TSA began accepting taking TSA Pre✓™ applications on Dec. 4, 2013. TSA Pre✓™ allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers the opportunity to apply for expedited screening at participating U.S. airports.
Barry Diller – Gay Travel Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
IS SOMEONE REALLY WORTH?
The saying “the rich get richer and poor get poorer” is so true these days. I have countless friends being forced to accept jobs at $10 an hour, because that’s all they can find. Here in Chicago it is next to impossible to find jobs in the $40,000-$60,000 a year range. Meanwhile, company execs continue to rake in $MILLIONS PER YEAR with lavish expense accounts. How special are they? Are they THAT talented??
Take Barry Diller, for example. Closet case IAC top man, who just recently steeped down as CEO, and is known for his lavish spending habits, usually at his companys expense.
Private jets, private yachts, island hopping and more , and as GAWKER stated , “All in good fun, it would seem. “But given IAC’s lackluster stock performance, shareholders must be wondering whether they should subsidizing Diller’s holiday temptations. Employees certainly are; wrote one, cheekily, “Barry loves to spend time with his boys. Let’s face it, that costs money and IAC employees must understand these sacrifices.” – REALLY?!
So Friday, came sort of surprising news – that Barry Diller is stepping down as CEO of the company.
“I never thought I was a very good manager,” Barry Diller told Fortune yesterday, explaining why he stepped down as CEO of IAC, his internet business conglomerate. “I mean I am decent, but I want to go back to what I am good at, which is looking for opportunities to grow the business.”
Still, you have to wonder why, if Diller is such a mediocre manager, he deserved to be the second-most-richly-compensated CEO in America over the past decade.
As GAWKER points out , “It’s clear that resentment over Diller’s management style has been brewing at IAC for some time. And his private life has come under an uncomfortable spotlight around here for some time, as well. Still, this is rather sudden.”
TSA Wants to See You Naked
WHOOPSIE!
Planning to fly this holiday season? You’ve probably already braced yourself for long lines, delays and extra fees just to check your luggage.
Unfortunately, you can also expect another hassle at the airport this year. 70 airports around the country are now using controversial body scanners—also known as “naked scanners.”
These machines use low-dose radiation to produce strikingly graphic images of passengers’ bodies, essentially taking a naked picture as passengers pass through security checkpoints.
Authorities at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) say you can opt out of the naked scan. But doing so will subject you to new and highly invasive manual searches of your body, including your breasts, buttocks and inner thighs.
The Denver Post, in a front-page story Thursday morning, captures the entire debate over intensive hand-pat searches with one shot: a TSA employee with his gloved hand firmly in the junk zone of a passenger who remains–for his sake–happily unidentifiable. The TSA worker even seems to be struggling–his face fixed in a disturbing grimace.
The debate over hand searches launched into the top slot of most cable newscasts Monday with the camera-phone-captured encounter between TSA workers and a flyer who compared the searches to “sexual assault,” and advised agents not to “touch my junk.”
Now if the agent is really hot…….
Swine Flu is Back in Hong Kong Travel News
Get our those pesky face masks again. Philippine authorities stepped up airport health checks on Friday after Hong Kong confirmed its first human case of bird flu since 2003.
Doctors from the health department and quarantine bureau have been dispatched to man thermal scanners at the international arrivals section, said Manila ternational Airport Authority chief Jose Angel Honrado.
“We are prepared to address this potential threat,” Honrado told reporters. “We are not taking any chances.”
There are an estimated 250,000 Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong and many of them are expected to fly home during the Christmas holidays.
Hong Kong on Thursday reported its first human case of avian flu since 2003, and warned there was “high risk” that people could contract the potentially fatal disease in the territory.
The infected 59-year-old woman tested positive for Influenza A (H5), a variant of bird flu, and was in a serious condition in a hospital isolation ward Thursday.
The World Health Organization said that since 2003, over 500 human cases have been reported in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
Print vs. Digital Online Advertising in the LGBT Gay Travel Market
As a group, gays and lesbians spend $64.5 billion, yes billion, annually in the U.S. travel market, according to Community Marketing Inc., a gay-market research group based in San Francisco.
Surveys also show 85% of People Find What They Are
Looking For by Using Search Engines. Many consumers look online to find the most current, most up to date information.
“There has been a huge shift from print to online,” says Derrick Sorles, of Business Blogging Consultants in Chicago. “The Yellow Pages have become archaic to many people .”
Print magazines are shutting down left and right in major metropolitan marketplaces. More and more people use their computers to find the information they want and need. This is the Web 2.0 world we live in! 50% of all consumers, search ONLINE FIRST, before leaving the house!
The top 100 advertisers in the U.S., who represent 41 percent of total advertising spending, shifted about $1 billion last year from TV and newspapers to the Web. An analysis from Ad Age shows that overall media spending in “measured” categories (TV, print, radio, Web) by the top 100 advertisers was flat in 2007, with 0.3 percent growth to $61.3 billion. But spending on Web display ads rose 33 percent to $4.2 billion.
The article notes:
Put another way, these top-tier marketers increased measured Internet spending by $1 billion; slashed newspaper spending by $674 million; and cut TV budgets by $406 million.
This is yet one more piece of evidence that dollars are flowing from traditional media to the Web. The analysis is based on data from TNS Media Intelligence for 2007. TNS only measures display advertising, and not search.
- In most cases, digital Internet advertising is much less expensive than print.
- Reach a worldwide audience online – people searching and surfing for the news, information and entertainment on a specific site.
- SPEED – Get the word out faster digitally. In just minutes news, info and ad specials can be LIVE. No pesky deadlines.
ADVERTISERS can have a presence on our LGBT travel network for $50 a MONTH OR LESS – if you choose to advertise across multiple sites!
There is no better time to try advertising online then now!email me today or give me a call, and let me show you how. 773-878-5323
Michael Snell
Bogota Colombia Attracting More LGBT Travelers
Beaches, Nightclubs and Fashion!
The next big vacation spot for gays?
Colombia is now just behind Brazil and Argentina on the South American travel “gaydar,” according to the Miami Herald .
Colombia is a rather scary mystery for many. Colombian kidnappings and violent drug wars are so ’90s. The dangerous internal struggles that for decades so gripped Colombia have been on the wane. Colombia’s tourism drought has finally eased, revealing surprises and delights for modern visitors.
Colombia’s capital and, with about 7.5 million people, by far its largest city, Bogotá has the country’s biggest gay scene, one that’s surprisingly established and palpably still booming. South America’s first dedicated LGBT center, Colombia Diversa , opened here in 2006, and just received the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s 2010 Felipa de Souza Award for its groundbreaking work in improving the lives of the country’s LGBT citizens.
Progressive homosexual rights laws are among the reasons American LGBT travelers are making the trek there. Great shopping and beaches, plus an awesome fashion scene, are drawing tourists, too, and Colombia’s just three hours from Miami.
Gayborhood Located on the city’s north side just south of Zona G, Chapinero Alto (aka Chapinero, or “Chapigay,” or “Gay Hills”) is Bogota’s booming gay district, filled with bars, cafes, and even a gay-cruisy grocery store.
Someone at Lonely Planet said,”I have just stayed at a great gay hotel in Bogota called the High Park Hotel. It is the first, and only gay hotel in Bogota and bills itself as 100% Gay an Lesbian. Ironically it is run by a very charming and nice older straight couple. They make you feel entirely at home and you will do everything to help make your stay wonderful-though the proprietor speaks only limited english and his wife doesn’t speak any. They will arrange for an english speaking guide if you like–but I didn’t use this service I and got around Bogota just fine on my own with my very limited Spanish.”
Others at Trip Advisor also say it’s OK and more of a guesthouse, not really a hotel.
Colombia offers a wealth of diverse non-gay-specific but still-gay-appealing travel possibilities, including wilderness trekking to the ruins of Ciudad Perdida, extreme adventure mecca San Gil, and sun-basking on stunning Playa Blanca. Playa Blanca is a beautiful isolated beach on an island off Cartagena. Cartagena, is an old colonial city with a beautiful historic center and an impressive castle.
I have been told, if you go here, pack lightly! Shopping in Zona Rosa is a must. You will find all the top labels, and for much cheaper than in the US or Europe—Diesel jeans go for half price! Shops and boutiques line the streets, but you should also go into the Centro Commercial Andino and the Rápido shopping centers.
Whether you are gay or not, Bogotá is a wonderful city. But it is especially welcoming to gay and lesbians travelers who have little choice in the historically macho Latin society.
Aside from the gay popular scenes of colorful Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, word on the street is that Bogotá, with its friendly chicos and chicas, cheap and accessible shopping, and unlimited number of cultural activities, is home to the third largest gay culture scene in South America. AND GROWING!
Gay Travel Business News – Passport Magazine Expanding and Growing
While most print magazines and newspapers are slashing pages and cutting back, Passport Magazine is one of the few print magazines which have increased its print frequency.
The magazine will grow from 8 issues per year to 9 and will still publish its annual “Weddings and Honeymoon” issue in May.
Proving GAY TRAVEL is still big business, sagging economy or not. Even this site, New Gay Travel Guide, now going into it’s 5th year online, continues to grow and pick up more readers in more countries! And we now have 9 LGBT sites under our umbrella.
Just the fact that RSVP and Atlantis are selling out full-ship charters (as opposed to specialty cruises that book just a portion of the vessel), and that a new lesbian-geared tour and cruise company, Sweet, launched in 2008, should make it clear that the popularity of gay and lesbian cruise travel is also on the rise.
The print magazine Passport, currently has 72,000 (?) subscribers and focuses on travel for the gay community, yet bills itself as “hetero-friendly gay travel magazine,” acknowledging that nearly 3% of its subscribers are heterosexual.
Best Gay Cities Best Gay New York Best Gay Chicago Best Gay News Magazine
Straight Couple Gets On Gay Cruise – And SUES!
HOW STUPID
ARE STRAIGHT PEOPLE???
A married straight couple is seeking financial compensation after discovering once their ship left port that they had been booked on an all-gay and lesbian cruise from Civitavecchia, north of Rome, to Barcelona.
Uh, were they BLIND?
Did they not notice 1500 men and no women on board?
The middle-aged couple alleges that the cruise company didn’t make it obvious enough that the cruise last month was for gays and lesbians and are suing for “lost satisfaction”, given that they were the only straight couple with 1500 gay passengers.
Gay rights activists say the couple’s lawsuit shows they are homophobic, though the couple’s attorney insists that’s not the case. They’re suing over a breach of contract; they allege the cruise line didn’t accurately represent the voyage.
The middle aged couple’s attorney is suing for “lost satisfaction”, given that they were the only straight couple with 1500 gay passengers and found the nightly shows and party themes “embarrassing.” PLUS they spotted friends they didn’t know were gay.
Wouldn’t know know within a few minutes, you were on the wrong boat???
Flight Tracking Service – Arrived OK
Travelling by air is full of uncertainties, from delays to cancellations to lost bags. Savvy travellers can already use Delaycast to assess their chances of having to wait longer than they’d planned, and now another brand-new service helps them notify the people who matter to them once they finally land safely on the ground.
ArrivedOK, a new service from Texas-based Eyeline Communications, lets air travellers automatically alert others that they’ve arrived at their destination.
You know the scene…the plane lands…and what happens? Everyone grabs a cell phone to call or send an arrival message to somebody — mother or father, wife or husband, girlfriend or boyfriend, colleague or boss, or maybe even a trick!
“ArrivedOK performs your Personal Arrival Tracking rather then just flight tracking. We track your cell phone in the visiting mobile network when you switch it on upon your arrival. Then we send ‘Arrived OK’ SMS message to the list of your recipients.”
Not only you can keep your friends and family up to date about your traveling around the globe, with ArrivedOK you can save your money on international roaming charges.
Try it out for free! ARRIVED OK
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Great Barrier Reef Caretaker – Best Job in the World
Imagine…living and working in Australia for 6 months,
exploring the Great Barrier Reef.
And your job is to write, blog, photograph and tell the world about it!
That is what I hope to be doing this coming July!
Please take 90 seconds and view my video and cast me a vote!
This would be a dream job for us!
VOTE FOR DERRICK SORLES!
Many thanks!
Derrick and Michael
