Category Archives: Lesbian Travel
AQUA GIRL presents THE LARGEST GAY WOMEN’S CHARITY Event in the Country
Aqua Girl® traces its beginnings to the year 1999. That year, Alison Burgos and NYC’s legendary women’s producer, Shescape, gathered a committee of like-minded women from around South Florida to produce an exciting one-night event to benefit breast cancer. The event, Sweet Charity, was an extraordinary dance event bringing together over 800 women and raising over $15,000 for two local breast cancer organizations, Cancer Link and Gilda’s Club.
We can’t believe how time flies. Now in its fourteenth fabulous year, Aqua Girl® continues to attract women from all corners of the country, the Americas and around the globe. The week continues to grow with an ever-expanding variety of events that enhance its appeal and have created what is now the hottest women’s festivals in the country.
As the largest charity women’s week in the country, your participation in Aqua Girl® contributes to a very good cause. In fact, 100% of the proceeds from Aqua Girl® benefit the Aqua Foundation for Women, a not-for-profit foundation whose primary mission is to serve as the funding catalyst for lesbian, bisexual, and transgender wellness and equality in South Florida through grants, scholarships, and initiatives.
Attention Lesbian Travelers! EDEN 2013 Eve, Chef K, AzMarie to name a few!
to show you what we got in store for you. Each night is gaymazing and
YOU will have a most excellent experience! Here is an update on all the
events going on during EDEN Weekend. If you have any questions just
let us know and we will try to answer them in a timely fashion. We
heart you and look forward to seeing each and every one of you!
Thursday, June 27th 2013
657 Harrison, SF
9pm-2am
http://edenfoodie.eventbrite.
7pm-9pm
9pm-3am
9pm-3am
6pm-midnight
More info at EDEN IN THE BAY
WANT TO GO FOR FREE????
WE HAVE 2 VIP TICKETS for the first caller at 773-878-5323 that wants to go! Leave me a message and I will get back to you with the details on where to pick them up!
California Lesbians! Win FREE tickets to Eden Pride
EDEN Pride Weekend San
Francisco will be a smashing weekend filled with up to 12 events at
three venues and one secret location for lesbian, bisexual and
transgender individuals and their friends June 27 – 30, 2013.
EDEN Pride Events is
gearing up for EDEN’s weekend during San Francisco Pride by bringing
events back to familiar venues and adding new dance clubs.
“Each year EDEN brings
together the hottest venues in the city for our attendees. This year is
no different,” said Christine De La Rosa, founder and producer of EDEN
Pride Events. “We are bringing back the Factory and the Supperclub from
previous years while adding to the mix the Mezzanine.”
That’s why in 2013
EDEN Pride Events launched the EDEN LGBTQ Youth Foundation, where 100%
of the proceeds from this year’s EDEN Pride Events season will go toward
supporting LGBTQ youth. Eden in the Bay.
GET ALL THE DETAILS FOR EVENTS HOTELS AND MORE ONLINE
WANT FREE TICKETS??
Lesbian and Women Travel Events 2013
EDEN Pride Weekend San
Francisco will be a smashing weekend filled with up to 12 events at
three venues and one secret location for lesbian, bisexual and
transgender individuals and their friends June 27 – 30, 2013.
EDEN Pride Events is
gearing up for EDEN’s weekend during San Francisco Pride by bringing
events back to familiar venues and adding new dance clubs.
“Each year EDEN brings
together the hottest venues in the city for our attendees. This year is
no different,” said Christine De La Rosa, founder and producer of EDEN
Pride Events. “We are bringing back the Factory and the Supperclub from
previous years while adding to the mix the Mezzanine.”
EDEN Pride Events is
committed to bringing quality events of every genre to the Bay Area, as
well as to our regional, national and international constituencies. EDEN
Pride Events believes in the idea that art, in any form, makes our
local and global communities better places to live. We challenge
ourselves into making those ideas become realities for our team, our
artists, our performers, our DJs, our vendors and our communities.
That’s why in 2013
EDEN Pride Events launched the EDEN LGBTQ Youth Foundation, where 100%
of the proceeds from this year’s EDEN Pride Events season will go toward
supporting LGBTQ youth. Eden in the Bay.
GET ALL THE DETAILS FOR EVENTS HOTELS AND MORE ONLINE
WANT FREE TICKETS??
New Gay Travel Survey Examines LGBT Tourists Motivations
The University of Tennessee and the University of South Carolina are
conducting research concerning the travel motives and expenditures of
members of the LGBT community.
is estimated that tourism is a $1.3 trillion industry, of which $65
billion is generated by LGBT tourists (CMI, 2011).
continues to be a vast amount of research conducted on the various
motivators that lead people to travel, there are very few studies that
explore LGBT tourists’ motivations.
Will the BBC Three series Lip Service Bring Lesbians to Glasgow?
A Glasgow tour company is looking to cash-in on the city’s fame as the location of BBC Three series Lip Service by offering special lesbian-themed travel packages.
The series, which follows lesbian life in the Scottish city, has highlighted the attractions of the city’s gay-quarter for tourists, and a specialist travel company is looking to capitalise on the success with gay-friendly tours and civil partnership breaks.
Glasgow hopes Lip Service will do for Glasgow what the The L Word has done for West Hollywood, with lesbian travellers flocking to see places shown in the series. According to Scotland on Sunday, some of the locations featured in the show, such as The Trans-Europe Café, have already seen an increase in lesbian customers.
As reported by the newspaper, among the tours being offered is the Lip Service Valentine’s Special. The two-night package including dinner at the restaurant where the characters Cat and Sam have their first date, and VIP passes to gay club the Polo Lounge.
Ruth Cochrane says “It shows the city off. So often on television it’s seen as dingy and dark, but this shows off the architecture and makes it look like a cosmopolitan place to be.
Cochrane also believes that local lesbians live up to the stunning looks of stars of the series Ruta Gedmintas and Laura Fraser. “I think there are girls that look like that around,” she said, and describes Glasgow as having “great nightlife”.
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and represents one of the oldest settlements in Western Europe.
A visit to Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city and the third largest in Britain, is a cosmopolitan delight with about a million dining choices, great museums, impressive shopping, and wide streets that throng with people. There’s a big-city attitude and a big-city ambience here that is softened by the quiet burr of Scottish voices, and by the seemingly ever-present mist. Occasionally, that mist will lift (if you’re lucky), revealing a sun that never gets too hot but casts its magic on the Victorian splendors of this very chic and buzzing city.
Passport magazine gives an in depth look at Gay Lesbian Travel to Glasgow !
Lesbian Travel and Festival at Eressos on Greece’s Lesbos island
It’s September and for a 10th year, the village of Eressos on Greece’s Lesbos island has drawn lesbians from across Europe to a unique international festival for women.
In a country strongly influenced by the Greek Orthodox church and where roughly half the population is against same-sex marriage, the lesbian-run event has been quietly growing in this corner of the Aegean Sea.
Over the past decade, attendance at the two-week International Women’s Festival has jumped from 30 to hundreds of women – mainly German, British, Dutch and Scandinavian, but also Greek and Italian.
Lesbians began to visit the island in the 70s, and have been coming back ever since. Tensions have been high at times and trouble has brewed in the past. Three Lesbians (natives of the island of Lesbos) submitted a legal challenge in an attempt to stop the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece (OLKE) from using the term “lesbian”. The use of the word to denote a sexual preference derives from the island’s association with Sappho, the ancient poet who wrote about her love for women. But according to Dimitris Lambou, editor of the rightwing publication Davlos (Torch), and two female colleagues, using lesbian in this way “disgraces them around the world”; islanders, they say, are suffering “psychological and moral rape”. SERIOUSLY?! A Greek court dismissed a lawsuit!
Lesbian holiday and gay travelers are attracted by the island’s association with
Sappho, the seventh century Greek poet who wrote about her love for women and was born in Eressos.
Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women! Just get over it already!
Dimitris Lambrou one of the litigants in the case said Sappho was not gay. “But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent – including women – be considered homosexual?”
“The word lesbian has been associated with gay women for the past few decades but we have been Lesbians for thousands of years,” he said.
According to an LGBT holiday and travel agency in Greece, lesbians now make up 60 per cent of visitors who come to the village, rising to 90 per cent in September when the lesbian festival takes place!
As the economic crisis continues to pinch Greece hard, Greek holidaymakers spent less this summer and many are grateful for the extended season brought by lesbian tourism.
“People in the village have got used it, especially the young people, but the old people still discuss it among themselves,” one agent says.
Gay Lesbian Travel Guide
Lesbian Travel – Vancouver for Girls!
Recognized by Community Marketing, Inc. for being the top international travel destination among lesbians, Vancouver boasts one of the most welcoming and accepting communities in the Americas. World-class dining, entertainment and quality service unfold upon your arrival to the sassy city by the Pacific.
Vancouver has become the most famous place as one of the gay tourist destination in Canada. In LGBT surveys, the city of Vancouver is placing fourth in the rankings in the category most popular vacation spot outside the United States, after London, Puerto Vallarta and Paris. City of Montreal and Toronto itself is ranked eighth and sixth.
The West End is a cute little jewel in the heart of Vancouver. Marvel at the floral arrangements elegantly presented along the edges of the Edwardian-style homes between Davie and Denman streets as you mosey on over to your favorite brunch spot for mimosas and great company.
Granville Island is home to the Granville Island Public Market – a favorite lesbian hotspot. This indoor and outdoor fresh-as-the-fields marketplace can be equated to Vancouver’s version of Seattle’s Pike Place Market – with a tad bit more flair and room to breathe. Delectable morsels are on display for the tasting and there is no shortage of crisp fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats and alternatives for every discerning palate. Purchase a picnic lunch, sit on the deck and make a day of people-watching and counting colorful water taxis as they glide along the translucent water.
Commercial Drive is one of the most flavorful parts of the city and should not be missed. Portuguese and Italian immigrants once settled in this adorable community and cooked up feasts with recipes that are still being utilized (in one form or another) to locals, visitors and passerby. Whether you feel the need to sit in the sun with a slice of pizza or take a walk along the East side of Vancouver with a fresh cappuccino in hand, Commercial Drive has a little bit of everything to suit your needs. Lesbians and friends – you must check out the Sapphic-infused Womyns’Ware sex toy shop for a truly unforgettable experience.
Wreck Beach is Vancouver’s exclusive clothing-optional gay beach and it is definitely worth visiting – even for a few minutes. There are hundreds of steps to hike as you make your way down to the beach and back up to the main road so be prepared for a sweat. Consisting of mainly gay males, Wreck Beach may either be the perfect spot for you or the most uncomfortable, but, either way, it will be truly unforgettable. Watch out for the geoduck (gooey duck) clams shooting water up at you from below the sand!
Stanley Park is comprised of roughly 1,000 acres centrally located less than one mile away from downtown Vancouver. Cedar, hemlock and fir trees envelope your heart and soul as you walk along the trails and paths all the while getting lost in the nature of things and loving every spare moment. Driving, walking, skating, rollerblading and biking are all methods of transportation in Stanley Park and are encouraged.
Regardless of what you choose to accomplish while in Vancouver, there is something for every taste and lifestyle.
Read more about this great city at SHE WIRED , from writer Sarah Toce.
New Gay Travel Guide
Gay Travel…What Does It Mean To You?
GAY TRAVEL…..what does it mean?
Everyday I scan countless news headlines, blogs and story leads, looking to see who is saying what, and looking for things that are interesting. Today I discovered LANDLOPERS . It is a general travel site written by Matt Long, who happens to be gay. It’s not a “gay travel” site, like this one. He says, “My site brings a unique perspective that is hard to find online. I am not a backpacker, nor am I super wealthy. I am just an average person who has managed to travel the world efficiently and without spending a fortune.”
His post today No Respect for the Gay Traveler , really got me thinking about how my partner and I travel, compared to how other gay people travel.
When I travel, I look for “gay friendly” signs and symbols. Rainbow flags. That way I know, they are accepting and are not give me strange looks if I kiss my husband in public. I can safely assume the staff is going to be accepting of us and they welcome my gay dollars.
Matt says, “why do we need separate things? Expedia recently launched a GLBT Travel Lounge offering gay friendly travel options. That sounds fine on the face of it, but why does there need to be a GLBT search listing? Would you have a separate search criteria for African-Americans or Christians? That’s absurd. Furthermore, the gay city guides on Expedia seem to highlight a lot of clubs, bars and design stores. Not feeding into any stereotypes there, are we? If they advertised stereotypical listings to other minorities, there would be a national boycott.
I do not need to be segregated with other gay people. I am an independent traveler and am quite capable of handling myself in most situations around the world and can interact with people of all backgrounds. I’m not looking for everyone to get who I am and do not need to travel in a homogenized bubble.” – I disagree with Matt. I WANT separate listings. And to compare us with African-Americans or Christians does not make any sense. Of course, you would not have separate listings for those groups. But what about separate listings for families? or seniors? It comes down to a group having certain needs and wants.
And as gay travelers, I think many of us want different things. Some people want the gay, gay, gay experience. While others just want to blend in. Matt says, “Drop the rainbow flags and instead educate your staffs that 1) gay people do exist and 2) that you treat them like any other guest. This revolutionary concept would go well beyond any promise of techno parties or the excessive use of glitter. The same goes with gay-friendly itineraries. I don’t even know what this means: clubs and brunch only restaurants? We don’t need that, our travel interests are usually the same as anyone else when visiting a new place. When I go to Paris I want to visit Montmartre or the Louvre, not a drag club. What we need is respect and not segregation.”
The rainbow flag is like a big welcome sign. You can’t drop that. It demonstrates that a place is gay or at least gay-friendly. Matt says our travel interests are usually the same as anyone else when visiting a new place. I disagree. When I was in Paris last year I went to the Louvre sure, but I also hung out every night in the le Marais, the gay district and went to a drag bar, a sauna and gay restaurant! I think we all want different things when we travel. And while Matt isn’t necessarily looking for the “gay experience” when he travels, many of us are.
I was out with a gay friend last night who commented he loves to go on cruises, but has never taken a gay cruise. I asked what he liked about it, and he said he enjoys picking up the bi-married men! That’s not my thing. It’s too much work for one thing. I would rather be on a boat with all gay men!
This whole issue brings into question just how gay friendly are certain countries that tend to be popular with gay tourists? No doubt if we boycotted every country that didn’t have a Clone Zone or gay club we’d be limited to a very dull itinerary. But many gay people may not be aware that their well-earned holiday dosh is going into the coffers of governments who oppress homosexuals and refuse them to live their lives openly, and in some cases in fear of imprisonment.
Egypt
It’s got plenty to recommend it on the romantic front; cruises down the Nile, sun basked shores and experiencing the Pyramids at sunset etc. But Egypt also happens to be one of the most unsympathetic countries relating to human rights especially over homosexuality. Recently gay websites were closed down by the authorities and used as evidence to secure jail sentences for Egyptian gays.
Morocco
Like many Islamic / Muslim societies that view homosexual acts strictly as precursors to marriage, being openly gay and in love with someone of the same sex is a big no, no. Algiers may appear wild and louche but it’s unlikely you and your lover will be able to sign a ‘civil partnership’ there for many years to come.
Jamaica, Dubai….do I really want to go there that bad? Not so much.
So I am curious, how do you travel. What do you want? What do you look for?
Leave us your comments!
Derrick Sorles
Michael Snell
New Gay Travel Guide and Best Gay Cities
Ottawa Canada – Special Deals for Lesbian Travel and Women Right Now!
So much of Gay Travel seems geared towards men. Well, this one’s for the girls!
Calling all girlfriends to retreat to Canada’s Capital – a city bursting with vibrant culture and surrounded by an oasis of natural beauty. This special package caters to all types and budgets by providing the ability to pick and choose.
Spend a couple days shopping, visiting museums and galleries, dining, indulge in a spa treatment or take in a show! Don’t forget to check out the funky ByWard Market district, where there’s always something happening. It’s the perfect scene for a night out on the town with your friends.
Ottawa is an open, friendly and welcoming destination for gay and lesbian travelers. Canada’s Capital has an LGBT pedigree that extends back to the first-ever gay and lesbian public demonstration in Canada (1971), and that in recent years included perhaps the most public gay marriage of all time between two gay stars of the TV program The Amazing Race.
The centre of gay and lesbian life is the area around Bank Street and Somerset in the downtown core. The growing gaybourhood has shops and bars and is the home base for local institutions serving the LGBT community.
Explore it by day—or by night. But don’t feel you have to limit yourself to one neighbourhood. There are things happening all over. On Sunday evenings, for example, there’s a lesbian coffee club in suburban Barrhaven. You’ll find gays and lesbians all over the city, doing the active things Ottawans do. Check publications such as Capital Xtra for listings and up-to-date information.
And best of all ladies – right now, with the GIRLFRIENDS GETAWAY, you get special pricing and discounts.
Check it out!
Top Lesbian Vacation Cities
What’s a girl to do once she’s crossed off San Francisco, New York, West Hollywood, and Portland, and done the Dinah to death?
It’s time to try these off-radar, lesbian hot spots!
Gay travel is often “different for girls.” Does a listing that states “gay-friendly” also mean “lesbian-friendly” or “lesbian-popular”? If accommodations are advertised as “gay/lesbian,” will visiting women find themselves lone ladies in a gay male–dominated, clothing-optional compound? Will female travelers make the unfortunate discovery that accommodations are “lesbian–overly friendly” and find themselves the objects of unwanted interest? Call ahead to potential accommodations and ask about their percentage of lesbian guests. But don’t allow such concerns to limit vacations to the same spots that have lured ladies for decades: a slew of off-radar sapphic spots await.
Asheville, N.C. – Fall colors are at their finest in Asheville, a remarkable artsy Appalachian town of 70,000 where women walk hand-in-hand and art deco, beaux-arts, and neoclassical architecture create an elegant backdrop. The best places to leaf peep in and around “Sheville” are along 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway between Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains or in downtown’s Asheville Botanical Gardens.
Key West, Fla. – If you’re in the mood for a wild week, schedule sojourns south for WomenFest (WomenFest.com, September 8-13, 2009), when 3,000 women stream over 126 miles and 42 bridges down the Florida Keys to the southernmost point in the continental United States. The raucous WomenFest schedule brims with hot events from clothing-optional pool parties to competitive bull riding.
Eugene, Ore. – Boasting a lesbian chorus, lesbian Realtors, a lesbian ballroom dance group, women’s coffee, writing, and hiking groups, and a famed liberal arts university, this college town of 150,000, 100 miles south of Portland, is your destination if you like your women capable of invigorating debate. 2009 saw the University of Oregon’s Women’s and Gender Studies department host the first Lecture in Lesbian Studies.
Madison, Wis. – Another academic hot spot, but also a city with serious political clout, Wisconsin’s capital is the seat of out lesbian representative Tammy Baldwin. The isthmus city (Madison is perched between lakes Mendota and Monona) is a dynamic, welcoming, and active college town of 230,000.
Northampton, Mass. – Home to the women’s liberal arts college Smith (founded 1871) — and to a population of academic dykes — Northampton is a charming college town of 30,000, perfect for those looking for a romantic getaway, wedding, or honeymoon destination. Downtown is a pleasant stroll from Smith’s elegant campus. Cute cafés and intimate restaurants abound. Lesbianville, USA, as the National Enquirer once proclaimed it, is one of the most lesbian-popular towns in the country and boasts a lesbian mayor (Clare Higgins), a lesbian-run LGBT paper, and an array of women-owned businesses.
READ MORE AT THE ADVOCATE!
