Gay Travel

Cliff Cottage Inn – Gay Friendly Lodging in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Cliff Cottage Inn - Gay Friendly Lodging in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

CLIFF COTTAGE INN: ONLY B&B IN HEART OF HISTORIC EUREKA SPRINGS!

Location! Location! Location! Award-winning Cliff Cottage Inn is the only B&B right in the very heart of Eureka Springs’ Historic Downtown, just 17 steps to Main Street and all the best restaurants, clubs, galleries and shops.

Plus, you have your own pre-assigned reserved parking space at the inn – no need to walk a mile or more to get downtown or to drive around and around hunting for non-existing parking.

Most guests arrive at the inn, park and never have to drive again until ready to leave our magical village.A National Historic Registered and Arkansas Historic Preservation landmark, the luxury inn features three elegant beautifully restored historic homes all right next to each other with two suites per cottage.

Suites all have two-person Jacuzzis and showers, and their own living rooms or sitting areas – no dinky little bedrooms here! Lots of original art and antiques with a blend of the contemporary grace all the inn’s rooms… no tired frou-frou here!

You’ll enjoy lots of space and privacy for sharing some quality time together.

See the Cliff Cottage Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Cliff Cottage Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

The Best Barcelona Gay Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

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The Best Barcelona Gay Hotels - The Nomadic Boys

Sassy, cosmopolitan, super cool and sooo gay!

That sums up just why we love Barcelona so much and why we keep returning every year for more! Regardless of how long you plan to visit, how much ground you hope to cover, and the kind of vibe you want to be around, Barcelona is filled with multiple options for gay travellers. We’ve always found the perfect place to suit our needs – whether we were just craving a short city break or a full-on romantic reenactment of our honeymoon.

There are plenty of choices for those willing to paint the town green (with those dollah dollah bills y’all), or who need to keep a tight grip on those purse strings. Either way, Barcelona is a calling you…so it is your duty to answer!

We’ve rounded up our picks of the coolest Barcelona gay hotels in this guide, so you will have all the info you need to book your own perfect fabulous stay.

Barcelona Gay Hotels – Where to Base Yourself

Situated in the Eixample district, the main gay area is nicknamed, Gaixample (pronounced: gay-sham-pleh). Here you can find tons of LGBTQ bars, clubs, cafés, restaurants and shops to explore. It’s an entire gay village that we get all to ourselves! Who will be the Queen of the village? That’s a hard question as there are tons of candidates vying for the spot…but obviously, it’s us! If you want to be walking distance to the most hip-and-happening gay hangouts, as well as the main tourist sights of Barcelona, then this is where we recommend you base yourself. Read more in our gay travel guide to Barcelona as well as our guide to the city’s best gay bars.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Barcelona Gay Travel Resources

Washington DC for Gay Families – 2TravelDads

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Washington DC for Gay Families - 2TravelDads

One day in Washington DC is actually enough time to see and do a lot. Don’t believe me? This one day itinerary for visiting Washington DC includes the best sightseeing around the US capitol, best things to do in DC, and an overall plan for an easy day trip to Washington DC.

Washington DC for Gay Families

We partnered with Best Western to visit Virginia and Washington DC, so for our recommendations for where to stay, check out our “hotels” section at the end!

VISITING THE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS 

If you’re planning a day trip to Washington DC, you have to make time for at least one or two of the many Smithsonian Museums. Whether you’re looking for art or history, science or culture, there is a museum for every interest.

Most of the Smithsonian Museums are located along the National Mall, which is the long lawn between the Capitol Building and the Lincoln Memorial. Several have cafes, so if you want to stay in the relative area, it makes for an easy day full of museum-going.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Washington DC for Gay Families – Gay Travel Resources

Dubai Gay Life – The Nomadic Boys

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Dubai Gay Life - The Nomadic Boys

“How dare you promote travel to countries where being gay is illegal Nomadic Boys, you should be ASHAMED!”

…is the typical comment we receive on social media each time one of our posts about gay Dubai, gay Abu Dhabi or gay Iran gets shared. But before you judge, remember that whilst a country has anti-gay laws, that same country still has an LGBTQ community who you risk turning your back on, right when they need you the most.

We have always been adamant that just because a country has spurious LGBTQ laws, this should not prevent us from visiting. We instead believe that it is far more productive to get out there and be a visible and positive representation of our community to show to that society that we are not some freak perversion that needs to be persecuted. Doing this is going to do so much more for the local LGBTQ community’s struggle for visibility against an oppressive government, than boycotting them is going to achieve.

Dubai Gay Life

But look, we get it! We also used to feel this way. After all, the United Arab Emirates is no different than its Middle Eastern neighbours when it comes to LGBTQ rights. In short, there are none. Being gay here is a crime, full stop! Officially it’s punishable by imprisonment, deportation, a fine, and worse, death. Whether or not these are strictly enforced, the very existence of these laws is so insulting that it simply serves to conjure up natural feelings of intense hatred within us – “how can such a government be so loathsome of us that it wants to eradicate and kill us? How dare they?!”

Yet we disagree that boycotting them is the solution. That is what these oppressive governments want us to do: ignore and turn our backs on them so they can continue crushing any LGBTQ visibility and pretend we don’t exist! Instead, from our travels in countries with anti-gay laws, we’ve learnt that the more productive way forward is to get out there and support gay friendly businesses in that country as much as we can and use our platform to give a voice to the local LGBTQ community.

Therefore, for this article, we are super proud that our buddy, Zayed, was happy for us to interview him about what gay life is like in Dubai and what it’s like growing up gay in the UAE. Zayed has however asked that he is anonymous in this interview using ‘Zayed’ as his alias.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Elysian Fields Inn – Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast in New Orleans, Louisiana

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Elysian Fields Inn - Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast in New Orleans, Louisiana

ELYSIAN FIELDS INN: NEW ORLEANS’ ONLY AAA 4 DIAMOND B&B!

Welcome to Elysian Fields Inn, a fully licensed New Orleans Bed and Breakfast located in the Historic Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans.

Our neighborhood was just listed as one of the four hot neighborhoods in America by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Everything mentioned in the article is within a few blocks of our Inn.

The Frenchmen Street shops and restaurants, French Quarter and French Market are all just steps from our door. Stroll to the Riverwalk Marketplace where you can browse the numerous upscale shops before boarding the Streetcar for your tour of the Universities and grand homes of the Garden District along the famous St. Charles Streetcar Line.Elysian Fields Inn is located in the historic Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans. Our guests enjoy the close proximity to the French Quarter (only 5 blocks) and the Frenchmen Street shops and restaurants.

See the Elysian Fields Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

New Orleans Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Virginia’s Historic Triangle – 2TravelDads

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Virginia's Historic Triangle - 2TravelDads

Most of us who grew up in the USA had lots of history classes that referred to all kinds of sites and events on the East Coast, and specifically Virginia. The Historic Triangle is the name of one of the coolest places to visit in Virginia:  Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.

Between visiting the Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown and Colonial National Park, and then Colonial Williamsburg itself, you’ll learn a ton and have a blast doing it!

Virginia’s Historic Triangle – Jamestown

Jamestown is much more than just an archaeological site. It’s a complete historic experience, both inside and out. There are a few different areas to visit for a complete experience.

Settled by the British in 1607, Jamestown was the site of the Virginia Company’s first village site. When they arrived they needed food and to figure out their place in the land. Over time, they killed or displaced countless indigenous people and claimed the land for their own.

The story of Pocahontas is centered around Jamestown and the relationship between the existing residents, the Powhatan Indians and the British settlers. The stories you see in Disney movies or learned in school aren’t entirely accurate as to the glossy side of things, but give enough of the story that you can figure out what actually happened if you think about it.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Virginia Gay Travel Resources

Winter in Paris – Washington Blade

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Winter in Paris - Bill Malcolm

Winter in Paris is the perfect time to visit.. The crowds are gone. The weather is not as cold as many U.S. cities. Since you’ll be spending a lot of time in museums, it doesn’t matter anyway. Plus, Paris has a great gay scene and a gayborhood — The Marais.

Getting There

I snagged a great low fare on Delta Airlines. The service was exceptional and everything was free. Free hot dinner and breakfast, free headsets, free blankets and pillows, free eyeshades and more. Once in Paris, hop on the commuter rail to town, the RER-B then take the Metro to get to your hotel from the Gare du Nord Station.

Where to Stay

I stayed at The Moxy, a new Marriott brand geared for millennials. The rate was very reasonable (it varied by day with one day at just 93 Euros or around $110). It’s located near the Marais in the Bastille District and near no less than three Metro stations. You can walk to many of the major attractions or hop on the subway. Two nearby stores (Franprix) have everything you need including salad bars, hot sandwiches and great selections of wine.

Full Story at the Washington Blade

Paris Gay Travel Resources

The Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm – Gay Owned Cabin in Dyke, Virginia

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The Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm - Gay Owned Cabin in Dyke, Virginia

COTTAGES AT CHESLEY CREEK FARM: SECLUDED BLUE MOUNTAIN CABINS

The Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm are romantic vacation rental cabins for two in the Blue Ridge Mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle; a place to commune with nature and unwind from the stress of city living, kids, and commitments.

Located in Greene County, about 18 miles NW of Charlottesville, our four cottages — Creek House,LaurelWood, Ridge, and Pines, and the Log House — are situated on 300 acres in the mountains of the Blue Ridge, surrounded on one side by a 1,000 acre parcel and on the other side by a 1,500 acre parcel. They are the last houses on a dirt road leading up Brokenback Mountain.

See the Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Virginia Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

Gay Cologne – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Cologne - The Nomadic Boys

Under the constant shadow of the Kölner Dom, Cologne (Köln in German) is a city shrouded in mystique and wonder.

Simply walking through the Old Town is enough to convince you of the wonders Cologne has to offer. With its unique architecture, quaint shops and ancient buildings, it feels like a place from a bygone era. Yet, it is pulsing with so much life and so much modernity that it doesn’t for a second feel like you are stuck in the past.

An artistic city, Cologne is in many ways a cultural hub. With art, literature and music bursting from every street corner, anyone with any creative inclinations would find it hard not to be inspired. It’s also a university town, so expect to see lots of young crowds in their early 20s, wandering around with big eyes filled with dreams and aspirations. This could mainly be due to the amount of caffeine millennials are drinking these days though…

Cologne is vying with the gay scene of Berlin to become the undisputed gay capital of Germany, and for good reason! With gay clubs and bars dotted across the city, LGBTQ folk have such a vivacious and vibrant selection to choose from when going on a night out. Cologne is well known for having the most pubs per person in all of Germany, so one thing is for sure, the locals love a drink! We sure did, as you can see in our Vlog of Cologne:

On top of this, there are so many gay friendly spaces, from restaurants to hotels, plus many queer-centric events held throughout the year. Cologne is also one of the few cities in the world to have a memorial sculpture for LGBTQ victims of the Holocaust. This is our comprehensive travel guide to Cologne, including the best gay bars, clubs, events, hotels to stay in and so much more.

How friendly is gay Cologne?

The people of Cologne are well known for their liberal attitudes, open minds and something called joie de vivre, which basically means ‘joy of life’. To put it simply, the locals are welcoming to all people, as long as they themselves are friendly and laidback. 

There are plenty of LGBTQ events throughout the year, so like it or not, locals are all too aware of the big gay presence that Cologne holds. There is Cologne Pride in June, Carnival in February and to top it all off, the Heavenue Gay Christmas market in December. Plus, with two gay scenes, on either side of the Rhine river, and a young population, there is nothing but acceptance for our homosexual family here! 

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Germany Gay Travel Resources

Seven Great Places in New Orleans (Outside the French Quarter) – Keep Calm and Wander

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Image credit: Anne Ganucheau

It’s hard to think about New Orleans without immediately conjuring images of the French Quarter in your mind. The Big Easy’s historic hub is picture-perfect: Creole-style buildings railed with ornate iron balconies line the streets while roving jazz bands and happy party-goers join in a colorful parade of humanity.

It sounds like a great place to visit, and it is. But Louisiana’s largest city shouldn’t be defined by the 422 acres comprising the French Quarter. 

To show love for the Big Easy’s underhyped hot spots, here’s a look at 7 Great Places in New Orleans – outside the French Quarter – that you should check out the next time you visit. 

Great Places in New Orleans – Audubon Park

You’re committing a grave injustice if you don’t visit lush Audubon Park while in New Orleans. One of the most unique green spaces in the country, the park is filled with hundred-year-old oak trees, expansive lagoons, and beautifully dripping strands of Spanish moss.   

While the scenery is breathtaking—you could easily spend an entire day just relaxing in nature here—John James Audubon’s namesake park offers awesome activities for recreation-seekers.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

New Orleans Gay Travel Resources