Columnists

Who Really Goes on a Gay Cruise? – The Globetrotter Guys

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Who Really Goes on a Gay Cruise? - The Globetrotter Guys

Please throw all of your stereotypes and preconceptions straight out of the window – they aren’t welcome on this gay cruise.

We have been on our second gay cruise with Atlantis and are finding it incredibly difficult to put into words how the experience felt.

It’s the one place in the world where we felt no barriers whatsoever.

It allowed us to remove all of our inhibitions, be our true selves and celebrate every type of person with no judgement or attitude at all.

It was empowering, liberating, full of love, the friendliest environment we have experienced and gives us hope for humanity. An Atlantis gay cruise is something special that needs to be experienced to be appreciated and fully understood. 

We’ve asked you to throw away your stereotypes for good reason, these may include:

  • Gay cruises are just for hot young muscle-men 
  • Gay cruises are just for singles looking for sex 
  • In contrast to the one above, some people think cruises are actually just for couples
  • In contrast again, some people ask why on earth would you go on a gay cruise as a monogamous couple?
  • Gay cruises are cliquey, I could never go solo

Before we move on, from our experience and from all the people we have spoken to, all the above points are false.

Quite simply, a gay cruise is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are travelling solo, with friends, are in either an open or closed couple, a throuple or anything else in between – we have seen and met them all.

However, don’t take our word for it, we have sat down and interviewed a mix of these types of travellers from this years Atlantis gay cruise.

Read on to find out how this experience worked out for each of them.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globetrotter Guys

Pnyx Hill in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

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Pnyx Hill in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

Pnyx Hill in Athens is not your ordinary hill. It may just be another hill in the city but this was once where citizens congregate to talk about and vote on issues that mattered to them. 

Yes, democracy was born here! When power was transferred to the people, they held assemblies here to discuss reforms.

The hill is overlooking the ancient Agora, once a thriving center for business and commerce of ancient Athens. The Parthenon or the Acropolis is very visible at a far distance. It’s only less than a mile.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Lesbian Boston – Go Girlfriend

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Lesbian Boston - Deposit Photos

Business travel often takes us to new cities and states outside our regular travel zone. Too often it’s a swoop in, attend the conference and hop back on that plane to wing your way back home. How sinful that we don’t take an extra day before or after to at least see the local sights and taste the local flavors – or make a long weekend of it. Clearly the host community is well set to share their local restaurants, craft brews, it’s harbor front or mountainscape – they want you to explore! stroll the Boston HarborWalk Trail. I know the local economies appreciate our dollars being spent there.

Recently, we had the great opportunity to add a few days to our conference travel and spend it exploring Boston and Salem, Massachusetts. This was a conference on a scale we’ve never attended before with 26,000+ attendees arriving in Boston for 3 days at the Inbound Marketing conference. Think on that – 26,000+ attendees from around North America and the world; a powerful community learning experience Boston is well suited to host.

Take Time Out to See Lesbian Boston

We arrived in Boston the day of the conference. Grabbing a cab from the airport to our hotel – The Boston Westin Waterfront – gave us a teasing glimpse of the waterfront area, it’s walking trails and vibrant city buzz. We were hooked and knew we wanted to get out and explore more.

Gay Romania – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Romania - The Nomadic Boys

Romania, the homeland for the goths at heart.

After all, the central region of Transylvania is the inspiration for the legendary novel “Dracula”. Hands up, who didn’t have a vampire phase? What gay teenager didn’t pine after Robert Pattinson in “Twilight”? But despite its cryptic and haunting backdrop, Romania as a whole is delightfully pleasant. 

With cities that reflect the medieval villages we see in the history books, locals that are passionate about life, streets that are bursting with character and natural scenery, Romania took our breath away and completely surprised us! Not to mention all the many charming old churches, the range of delicious food and the friendly locals. For us, Romania embodies all that is magical about Eastern Europe. 

From the outset, we knew Romania wasn’t the most gay-friendly country that we’ve been to. Yet despite this, we found several queer hangouts in the main big cities, especially in Bucharest. Plus, when we did find these spaces, we found them to be just as erratic, wild and party-centric as they would be in London, Barcelona or New York. If not more so!

We’ve put together this LGBTQ country guide for Romania based on our personal experience to help inspire gay travellers wanting to see just what Romania has to offer.

How welcoming is Gay Romania?

Romania generally is not the most gay friendly country in Europe. Homophobia is rife and we certainly felt it as a gay couple travelling around the country. The most obvious example was when we contacted several hotels prior to visiting, asking them whether they’re ok to host a gay couple.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Stay in a Scottish Castle – Go Girlfriend

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Dalmunzie Castle

For me, the essence of Scotland is in it’s beautiful landscapes and it’s castle-icious history. From the Orkney Islands in the north through the Highlands to Hadrian’s wall in the south, historic castles sit lochside and hillside in some truly spectacular locations.

Historic clans like the MacDonalds, the Stewarts, the MacKenzie’s or the Robertson’s, just to name a few, cover the countryside with their clan lands. The clan chieftains castle is Clan Regions of Scotland (click any to enlarge)always the grandest estate on these family lands perched majestically on a beautiful loch or amongst amazing mountainous views. 

Most stone castles have their roots in the 1300-1600’s as fortified clan strongholds. As technologies and workmanship improve, renovations, refurbishments or expansions happening til the mid-1700’s. At this point in history clans and castles sympathetic to the Jacobites were seized and destroyed by the opposing British so it couldn’t be used as a stronghold against them into the future. Many still sit in ruins today – some have been purchased and painstakingly restored. Some have even been slept in by Bonnie Prince Charlie or Mary Queen of Scots!

For those that were not destroyed, the 1800’s brought a change in castle perspective and architecture. As the Industrial era was changing the global landscape, these centuries-old stone castles (draughty, small winding staircases, not warm and inviting – more strongholds) were now considered ‘brutish” and more elaborate Georgian, English-style “modern” castle homes were built.

Full Story at Go Girlfriend

Scotland Gay Travel Resources

Walking Gay Vienna – Keep Calm and Wander

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Walking Gay Vienna - Keep Calm and Wander

Here’s my own walking tour of gay Vienna – using the map I picked up at the tourism office at the train station. If you are arriving by train, don’t forget to drop by the tourism office and ask what you could do for a day or three in the city. The nice lady recommended and handed me a map of a two-hour walking tour. She patiently answered my questions and even gave a few coupons I could use. But, of course, I didn’t depend on the map alone. I had help from Google maps, too. 😉

I recommend that before you embark on your own walking tour, make sure to find these places in order. It will save you time, especially if you are not good at reading maps – like me. 😀

Vienna State Opera House

There is no better place to start my walking tour but here on a Saturday morning. This is not just a historical Rennaissance building, but this is the center of Austrian arts. Waltz originated in Vienna and world-renowned composers, like Mozart and Beethoven, found their homes here.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Vienna Gay Travel Resources

The St. Augustine Lighthouse – 2TravelDads

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The St. Augustine Lighthouse - 2TravelDads

If there’s one thing that’s iconic of a coastal vacation or anything maritime, it’s lighthouses. They’re tall, striking, weird buildings that really bring the feel of the ocean directly onshore. In the Pacific Northwest we have them every 100 meters (total exaggeration) because it is so stormy and foggy all of the time, and a lot of our lighthouses are pretty short. The St Augustine Lighthouse is huge and really beautiful.

Whoever painted the St Augustine Lighthouse was bored so really spiced it up. And it’s a fun place for all kinds of visitors of any age making it perfect for family travel. So here’s why you should drive ten minutes out of your way to climb the St Augustine Lighthouse. We swear, it’s not just a pretty lamp.

Where to Find the St. Augustine Lighthouse

Just a ten minute drive across the Bridge of Lions out of downtown lies the lighthouse, one of the best things to do in St Augustine. It’s visible from almost everywhere and it’s really beautiful. As far as other activities close by, you’ll probably be visiting the St Augustine Alligator Farm or Fort Matanzas, so you’ll already be close to the lighthouse. The Alligator Farm is just across the boulevard so is super close.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

St. Augustine Gay Travel Resources

Lesbian Ljubljana – Our Taste for Life

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Lesbian Ljubljana - Our Taste for Life

Slovenia is a magical country in Eastern Europe. And while it may be smaller than most cities, it certainly doesn’t lack in adventure or beauty. We knew very little about the country before our recent visit. In particular, Gay Slovenia and what it would be like to travel there as a lesbian couple. We imagined this part of Europe to be quite conservative. But as it turns out, Slovenia has an accepting and progressive culture. Gay Ljubljana especially has an almost thriving LGBT+ scene, and the country as a whole has a lot to offer gay travellers.

We travelled via coach from Budapest to Ljubljana, so were fortunate enough to take the scenic route into the capital. Towering snow-capped mountains hugging rolling green hills dominated the landscapes. Only to be occasionally interrupted by quaint villages resembling something out of a fairy tale. Slovenia was flaunting herself at us, and it worked. We were head over heels in love before we’d even left the coach.

Lesbian Llubljana

Our love affair with Slovenia continued into Ljubljana and beyond. The capital is enchanting, bursting with beautiful architecture, art, culture, and charm. While the rest of the country boasts some of the most captivating nature we’ve ever laid our eyes on. When we also consider Slovenia’s gay-friendly attitude, it’s a place we will return to time and time again.

In this travel guide, we cover what Gay Slovenia and Gay Ljubljana have to offer LGBT+ travellers. We will list the best Ljubljana gay bars, cafes and nightclubs; gay-friendly hotels and hostels; LGBT+ events; as well as all the top things to do. We will also touch on LGBT+ rights in Slovenia, so you are fully prepared.

The road to equal LGBT+ rights in Slovenia has been, and still is to an extent, a turbulent one. While same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1976, same-sex couples were neglected the same marital rights as straight couples until 2017. Before that, the government recognised ‘registered partnerships’; however, this included little inheritance, social security or next-of-kin rights.

By Charlotte & Natalie – Full Story at Our Taste for Life

Llubljana Lesbian Travel Resources

Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens – Keep Calm and Wander

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Sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Athens - Keep Calm and Wander

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion is where you should spend your sunset viewing outside Athens. It takes an hour to get there by bus from the Greek capital, but it’s all worth the hassle. 

Homer, the well-known Greek writer, was the first one to record Sounion in “The Odyssey” as the “sacred cape of the Athenians.” 

Herodotus, Aristophanes, Sophocles, and Thucydides all mentioned the Temple of Poseidon in their stories and poetries. 

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Athens Gay Travel Resources

Fort Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine – 2TravelDads

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Fort Matanzas National Monument - 2TravelDads

The city of Saint Augustine, Florida is remarkable and full of history. There are so many things to do in St Augustine that you’ll never be at a loss, but for a special experience you MUST visit Fort Matanzas National Monument. Because it’s not directly in downtown St Augustine, it’s often overlooked but offers a variety of things to do and learn. We really love Fort Matanzas and sharing it with others visiting Florida’s Historic Coast.

Where Is Fort Matanzas National Monument

Only about 20 minutes south of St Augustine, Fort Matanzas sits directly on the Mantanzas River. The river is actually an inlet, a part of the inner coastal waterway. Either way, Fort Matanzas sits on the water with Anastasia Island, a barrier island, separating it from the Atlantic Ocean. The land is pretty marshy, but beautiful. If you’re visiting Daytona Beach with kids and want to plan a day trip to the Saint Augustine area, it’s an hour’s drive north and it’s totally worth it.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

St. Augustine Gay Travel Resources