Gay Travel

Gaixmple Gay Hostels in Barcelona – The Nomadic Boys

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Gaixmple Gay Hostels in Barcelona - The Nomadic Boys

For a lively city like Barcelona, it can be easy to get tangled up with all the different options for hostels to stay. Should you go cheap and single? Splurge and treat yourself? Go central? Find a remote hideout on the fringes? Do you want to be close to clubs? Or maybe by one of the fabulous gay beaches…

We’re no strangers to the city. After all, it is one of the friendliest gay cities in the world, so we feel we know it as well as we know our hometowns. Whenever we visit we like to base ourselves near the Gaixample area – a fabulous neighbourhood in the Eixample district. There are so many gay clubs, shops, LGBTQ-themed and owned businesses to explore that you feel super comfortable engaging in PDA. It even rivals the likes of Greenwich Village in New York City, Soho in London, and well, all of Amsterdam!

The busiest months tend to be the summer. Not only do you have the sun, beach parties and bars staying open later in the evenings, but you also have a little thing called… Pride! Plus, Barcelona doesn’t just have regular Pride, but a beach Pride party in Sitges as well. These factors mean that bookings can be filled months in advance. So we strongly recommend booking your hostels ahead of time to avoid any disappointment!

Gaixmple Gay Hostels

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best Gaixmple gay hostels in Barcelona for all travel group sizes. Each one has a unique style and offers a completely different experience. So if you’re travelling to Barcelona on a budget, or you simply enjoy the camaraderie a hostel provides, then keep on reading! And if you prefer the comforts of a hotel, make sure you also check out our guide to the best gay hotels in Barcelona.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

LOCATION Gay Travel Resources

Inn on Mill Creek – Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast in Old Fort, North Carolina

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Inn on Mill Creek - Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast in Old Fort, North Carolina

INN ON MILL CREEK: NATIONAL FOREST B&B NEAR BLACK MOUNTAIN

The Inn on Mill Creek, located on over seven private acres two miles within North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest, offers the perfect balance of secluded privacy and close proximity to sightseeing, shops and dining in Black Mountain and Asheville.

Many of the Inn’s seven spacious rooms are popular with couples looking to get away for a few days. The 600-square-foot Lake View room in the Main House boasts a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows for a spectacular view. The Lake View also features a private screened porch to take in the sights and sounds of the forest, a gas fireplace, king bed and a jetted tub with steam shower.

The North Terrace room in the Main House, with its private entrance through a set of French doors and private room with large jetted hot tub, is another popular choice for a couples’ getaway. A four poster queen bed, full bath, gas fireplace and views of the woods and orchard are just some of the features of this beautiful room located on the north side of the Inn.

Our three Lake House rooms have two-person Jacuzzi tubs and gas fireplaces, making them a frequent destination for romantic weekend trips. Additionally, the rooms in the Lake House have direct access to a full guest kitchen as well as sliding glass doors to a shared deck overlooking our little mountain lake.

See the Inn on Mill Creek Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

NC Eastern Mountains Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Guadalajara Frescoes – Keep Calm and Wander

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Guadalajara Frescoes - Keep Calm and Wander

These frescoes at the Government Palace in Guadalajara (Mexico) are some of the best I’ve seen. Well, I haven’t seen many, but I could name the Top 3 frescoes that blew my mind away. They’re the ones that made me dumbfounded while staring at their magnificent details. They are: Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgement”, Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry Murals” and José Clemente Orozco’s “The People and Its Leaders.”

Guadalajara Frescoes

One of the most noticeable details of José Clemente Orozco’s fresco is his dark interpretation of the revolution. While Diego Rivera saw the revolution as a good thing, Orozco saw it in a different way. This particular mural will leave you speechless. The more you stare at it, the more it gets creepy. At least, that’s what I felt.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Guadalajara Gay Travel Resources

Gay Nice – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Nice - The Nomadic Boys

With sunshine all year round, you can’t go wrong with choosing a trip to Nice. This is one of France’s top french cities. Its seaside location is a massive pull for tourists, and its sprawling, albeit surprisingly modern city, is truly breathtaking!

We always feel drawn towards Nice. Sure, Paris is nice, but there’s something particularly magical about Nice. Perhaps it’s the beach location? Or the clash of Mediterranean and Italian influences that intertwine with its culture? Or the winding streets that lead you by old buildings, bespoke restaurants and fascinating landmarks. Maybe also ’cause it’s so surprisingly gay? Whatever it is, we just can’t get enough! As far back as the 1700s, rich folk from all over Europe came here for their holiday. It was their relaxing getaway…and now, we’re also claiming it for us!!

The food, in particular, is noteworthy. We know the French love their food, but Nice is on a whole other level. They have the whole southern hospitality thing down. Seb and I could literally sense that the chefs in each restaurant pored over every aching detail of the dishes they prepared for us. The hard work really shows!

This is our gay travel guide to Nice including the best gay bars, clubs, events, hotels and more.

Pro tip: news for 2020 travel to Nice…

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Nice Gay Travel Resources

Gay Singapore – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Singapore - The Nomadic Boys

We found Singapore to be an oddity when it comes to LGBTQ rights. On the one hand, there is a large thriving LGBTQ community here, with lots of gay bars, clubs and events taking place throughout the year. On the other hand, homosexuality is illegal (for men only!), punishable with up to 2 years imprisonment!

In reality, the anti-gay law of Singapore is rarely enforced and strong efforts have been (and continue to be) made to get rid of it. We found Singapore to be super gay. Put it this way, when we were hanging out in Kuala Lumpur’s gay scene, the drag queens we met told us that Singapore is one of the places in Asia they aspire to perform in, citing it as one of the continent’s gay meccas…kinda like Dubai is for the Arab world.

We put this down to the country being so affluent, with many big companies having their Asian headquarters here, like Google, Bloomberg, Barclays, and many more. In addition, the Singaporeans are very well educated and affluent (have you SEEN some of the prices in this country?). They’re also a very internationally minded bunch, with English as the official language: it’s estimated that every 2 out of 5 people in Singapore are foreigners.

In this guide to gay Singapore, we explore the LBGTQ rights in more detail, write about our experience travelling here as a gay couple and also set out some of the best gay hotels, bars, clubs, events, and more.

Gay rights in Singapore

Homosexuality is legal for women, illegal for men in Singapore. This is because section 377A of the Penal Code punishes male homosexuality with up to 2 years imprisonment but is silent about female homosexuality.

Attempts have been made to repeal Section 377A, but the government has insisted on keeping it. In June 2019, at the Smart Nation Summit, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reiterated that Singapore would keep Section 377A “for some time”, arguing that:

“Whatever your sexual orientation is, you’re welcome to come and work in Singapore…You know our rules in Singapore. It is the way this society is: we are not like San Francisco, neither are we like some countries in the Middle East. We are something in between, it is the way the society is”!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

The Santa Monica Pier on a Perfect Afternoon – 2TravelDads

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The Santa Monica Pier on a Perfect Afternoon - 2TravelDads

Can you think of anything that is more Southern California than visiting the Santa Monica Pier? I don’t think we could name a single thing. Well, maybe a day in San Diego on the Beach surfing… But no, the Pier. Even though a day at the Santa Monica Pier seems like the most touristy and convoluted Los Angeles travel plan you can ever think of it’s actually well worth your time and a visit to LA isn’t complete without some beach time.

Yes, there are so many wonderful free things to do in the Los Angeles area and if you’re going to venture to the beach for the purpose of swimming and pretending to be from SoCal you might pick a different beach, like Manhattan Beach, but the Santa Monica Pier end beach are an ideal, easy to access destination and are just downright iconic.

Finding the Santa Monica Pier

When you ponder life in the West and the history of North America there are few things that pop out: the California Gold Rush, old west towns and cowboys, and then Route 66 and all of the struggles and stories in vintage history that are a part of it. The Santa Monica Pier is the very end of Route 66 (check out the Planet D for their Route 66 trip). As you walk out onto the pier you see the sign that calls it out.

The Santa Monica Pier is also directly next to the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as the PCH. The Pacific Coast Highway is a fantastic California road trip route.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Greater L.A. Gay Travel Resources

Favorite Gay Travel Apps – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Travel Apps - The Nomadic Boys

Which are your favourite apps for travelling boys?

We get asked this a lot.

Since we began travelling in our more (ahem!) junior years, smartphones didn’t even exist…Cue our elder Millenniallecture about the good old days…

Back then, the Internet was limited to email, ICQ and Windows Live Messenger. When it came to travelling, we simply had a Lonely Planet guide, a compass (for the geeks amongst us), an alarm clock on our wristwatch, a walkman with a few spare cassette tapes, those old-style cameras and a few spare negatives… (and naturally, plenty of spare condoms/lube, let’s not leave out the essentials!)

In this day and age, our iPhones have pretty much become our main go-to-item for almost everything, with apps to cover all the things above, and more. Whilst we appreciate this has made us lazier (that conversion of Indian rupees to dollars, forget doing it in your head, just whip out the smartphone and voila!), it’s also made us more efficient with both time and how we spend our money.

Gay Travel Apps

After many years of travelling all around the world, we’ve put together our top favourite gay travel apps we love using and have become so dependant on. A few points to bear in mind:

  • we’ve included the non-gay-specific apps that have become such an important part of our travels that without them, this list feels incomplete!
  • we’ve left out obvious ones like the Calculator, Camera, Contacts, Torch, Alarm clock apps.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Sand Castle On The Beach – Gay Owned Resort in Frederiksted, US Virgin Islands

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Sand Castle on the Beach

SAND CASTLE ON THE BEACH: GAY, CARIBBEAN HOTEL RESORT

Relax and unwind from your everyday pressures in the comfortable, laid-back surroundings at Sand Castle on the Beach Hotel in Frederiksted, on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.

Sand Castle, an adult only hotel, welcomes you and your loved ones to vacation in a beautiful, inclusive, tropical environment. Beachfront on the Caribbean Sea, enjoy the many amenities of this special location, including two pools on site – one beach front, the other clothing optional.

Year-round you’ll find sunshine and trade winds to warm your heart and chase your worries away in the amazing environment of America’s Paradise. A magnificent white sand beach awaits you where you can choose from a variety of water sports including snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, scuba diving from the shore or by boat or simply float in the gorgeous turquoise waters. You can also visit Buck Island National Underwater Park for world-class snorkeling. For land-based adventures, there are many historic sites and eco-hiking tours to let you explore the natural beauty of the island with an experienced guide.

See the Sand Castle on the Beach Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

US Virgin Islands Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Gran Canaria Gay Bars -The Globetrotter Guys

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Gran Canaria Gay bars -The Globetrotter Guys

If you are looking for Gran Canaria gay bars, then look no further!

We have been to Gran Canaria over 8 times now and for good reason. It is one of the most welcoming and gay friendly destinations we have ever travelled to and has some incredible gay nightlife.

The majority of the gay bars in Gran Canaria can be found in the Yumbo Centre in Maspalomas. The Yumbo centre is a large multi level outdoor shopping centre by day and gay nightlife hub by night.

On our last visit we counted that there were over 30 gay bars in the Yumbo Centre alone ranging from drag bars, to casual bars, clubs and cruising bars.

We are always completely spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a gay bar in Gran Canaria which is why we have put together a shortlist of our personal favorites.

The idea (or challenge) is to follow this list in order for the perfect big gay night out in the Yumbo Centre!

Lets get started!

Our Top 6 Gran Canaria Gay Bars

1. Sparkles

Sparkles is one of the best show bars in the Yumbo centre and the perfect start to our gay bars in Gran Canaria guide.

We went for the first time in 2019 and wished we had gone sooner. We haven’t laughed so much in years.

The show lasts up to 5 hours and we were thoroughly entertained and kept in hysterics for the entire time.

These queens can dance, sing live, lip sync for their lives and seriously get the crowd going and up on their feet. In my case quite literally as towards the end of the evening I ended up in a lip sync competition myself as Nicki Minaj – it was scary but so much fun!

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Canary Islands Gay Travel Resources

Gay Montreal – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Montreal - The Nomadic Boys

Montreal has one of the biggest gay villages in the world. It’s literally an entire neighbourhood, officially recognised in city maps and social media tags.

And it’s got balls. Lots and lots of balls!

Seriously – each year, between May-September, Le Village Gai has a large display of around 200,000 pink balls hanging down across the main street, the mile-long Rue Sainte-Catherine. And we are LIVING for it! The atmosphere here is one of the best we’ve experienced from all the different gay scenes we’ve been to around the world. There’s always something going on, with plenty of bars, clubs, after-hours clubs, saunas, strip bars, cafes, and more, to suit everyone.

We visited gay Montreal in the height of summer during the Fierte Pride in August. My god, these guys sure know how to have a good time! We’d happily return in a heartbeat.

Montreal is sexy. Montreal is proud. Montreal is energetic. Montreal is bold. Above all else, Montreal is open, ready and WAITING to embrace you in!

This is our gay guide to Montreal featuring all the best gay hotels, bars, clubs, things to do, and more, to help inspire your trip. Be sure to also watch our vlog about the first-ever Fierte Canada Pride in Montreal.

Is Gay Montreal a friendly city?

Short answer: hell yeah! 

This is definitely one place we felt absolutely comfortable walking the streets holding hands. Put it this way, even at government level there is immense pride in the city’s LGBTQ community – for Montreal Pride, not only the mayor and the Premier of Quebec led the parade, but alongside them was the country’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Lovely Justin also happens to be one of Montreal’s famous residents, who made this beautiful speech about diversity:

“Diversity is the engine of invention. It generates creativity that enriches the world”

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Montreal Gay Travel Resources