Orbitz Blog

Articles for ‘Gay Travel’ Category

Darlings of drag: Miss’d America Pageant in Atlantic City

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Here he comes, Miss'd America, that other marquee event in Atlantic City -- this one with drag queens.

By Erin Behan

There’s the Miss American Pageant and then there’s the Miss’d America Pageant. Amazing what a difference one letter makes — and in this context, one chromosome. The Miss’d Pageant, at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall Ballroom on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 at 8 p.m. (tickets), is a spoof on the original, with drag queens in all their glittery glory competing for the crown, cash and prizes. (more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in Gay Travel, Hotels, Travel Tips | No Comments »

Here, queer & all-inclusive: Gay-friendly beach vacations

Monday, November 7th, 2011

The all-inclusive Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort: grand, gorgeous, gay-friendly.

By Amy Drew Thompson

The glee-filled moments leading up to an all-inclusive vacation are universal. Who doesn’t get giddy at the thought of hopping multiple restaurants, indulging in spa treatments and lazing — in your bikini — at a sumptuous swim-up bar? Adonis Tulum Riviera Maya Gay Resort fulfills the fantasy on all counts — and even one more: It’s gay-friendly.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in All Inclusive Resorts, Beach Vacation, Gay Travel, Spa Vacation | Comments Off

It’s raining femme: North America’s top lesbian bars

Monday, October 31st, 2011

We rank top 10 lesbian bars in North America, including SF's Lexington Club. Credit: Hannah Cairns.

By Matthew Link

Any traveling woman knows that finding a decent lesbian bar — or any lesbian bar at all — can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Many major cities have merely a token once-weekly “girl’s night” at a gay men’s bar. So after combing the map of the U.S. and Canada, we came up with the indispensable list below — the best of the best, at least in our subjective opinion! (And don’t worry guys, these party-hearty venues are all boy-friendly.) (more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in Gay Travel, New York Vacation | No Comments »

Gay Orbitz: Our part in the Atlanta Pride Festival

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

LGBT love: The Orbitz gang at the Atlanta Pride Parade 2010.

By Antoinette Bierman

It’s truly a unique experience to work for a company that champions diversity and equality to the extent that they are active participants in the communities they support. As a first-time volunteer at the Atlanta Pride Festival –to be held this year from Oct. 8 to 9 — I was excited to see firsthand how one of the largest pride festivals in the country would stack up to other great events I had attended. It definitely exceeded my expectations. (more…)

Posted in Gay Travel, Travel Tips | No Comments »

Honeymoon spots where gay marriage is legal

Friday, August 5th, 2011

From New York to the Canary Islands, we showcase honeymoon spots where gay marriage is legal. Credit: Stagedoorjohnny.

By Matthew Link

In June 2011, gays and lesbians and straights jammed the streets of Manhattan for an impromptu street celebration as New York became the sixth U.S. state (in addition to Washington, D.C.) to fully legalize same-sex marriage. It now stands alongside Massachusetts (passed in 2004), Connecticut (in 2008), Iowa (in 2009), Vermont (in 2009), New Hampshire (in 2010), and Washington D.C. (in 2010) as the natural spots for gays and lesbians to plan their weddings and/or honeymoons.

With so much changing month to month in the gay marriage world, we spotlight which states and countries actually have full gay marriage (as opposed to the 50-plus places that just civil unions or domestic partnerships), and what the gay scene is like in each place for travelers. (more…)

Posted in Gay Travel, International Vacations, Orbitz Travel Insider, Romance, Travel Tips | No Comments »

5 New York hotels for same-sex honeymooners

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Toast your same-sex marriage on the rooftop bar of the posh Peninsula New York.

By Matthew Link

On June 25, 2011, New York became the largest state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage. It was a real nail-biter until the last minute, with the outcome of the marriage bill far from certain. Impromptu public celebrations erupted in the streets of Manhattan, and the mood was giddy and profound at the same time. (more…)

Tags:
Posted in Gay Travel, Hotels, Travel Tips | No Comments »

Mexico’s unknown gay metropolis: Guadalajara

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
Guadalajara's diversity parade. Credit Eliazar.

Guadalajara is also home to one of the biggest diversity parades in Latin America, Marcha de la diversidad translated as "Parade of the diversity." Credit: Eliazar.

By Matthew Link

Guadalajara is barely a blip on the American travelers’ radar, which is strange. Mexico’s second-largest city is cleaner, safer, friendlier, prettier and easier to navigate than the country’s behemoth, Mexico City. Guadalajara also enjoys a temperate Los Angeles-style climate, and fascinating spots like the nearby town of Tequila, where the famous liquor comes from and elegant tastings are a must.

(more…)

Tags:
Posted in Gay Travel, Mexico Vacation | No Comments »

Gay pride at Montréal’s Divers/Cité

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

By Yves Pelletier

The Rainbow Flag, LGBT pride. Credit: dbking.

The Rainbow Flag, LGBT pride. Credit:dbking.

We were not able to make Gay pride last year on the traditional late June dates due to business travels, so a friend instead suggested  Quebec for Montréal Divers/Cite pride event in early August. We decided to pull out our gay passports and headed to the French capital of North America for some of their well known hospitality. This year, Divers/Cite will celebrate it’s “All Together Different” themed-festival from July 27-August 1.

Last year, we stayed in a lovely hotel called Chateau Versailles. It’s not right in the Gay Village – Montreal’s gay-friendly neighborhood of bars, restaurants and services – but only a few subway stops away in an area called the Golden Square Mile, near The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It is a smaller hotel, which we really like, in an historic building on Sherbrooke Street, and it’s worth it just for the amazing breakfast that is included. (more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in Gay Travel, Holidays & Events, International Vacations | No Comments »

San Francisco hotels for Gay Pride, June 26-27

Friday, June 4th, 2010

By Vince Font

Pride parade, San Francisco. Credit: ingridtaylor.

Pride parade, San Francisco. Credit: ingridtaylor.

If you’re planning a California vacation to San Francisco for this summer’s Gay Pride festivities, you’d do well to pack for cool weather and heed Mark Twain’s famous words: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” But don’t go overboard — celebration events running from noon to the wee hours, including performances, dance parties, and after-hours clubbing will have you working a sweat in no time.

Now, where to unpack that rainbow hoodie and start the celebration? Finding LGBT friendly San Francisco hotels is as easy as finding popcorn in a box of Cracker Jack. You’re guaranteed at least one surprise, too. Depending on where within the city you want to stay, I’ve picked out a few of the swankiest yet affordable digs on offer.

Union Square/Nob Hill
Hotel Nikko‘s four-star accommodations situate you mere steps away from the classy Rrazz Room night club, and a stone’s throw from Union Square in the heart of downtown. Enjoy pampering in the form of Subarashee Yume pillow-top beds, large flat panel televisions (plus TVs positioned within bathroom mirrors), and a 15-meter heated indoor pool. Show your love to one another openly with pride — Hotel Nikko is recommended by Travel Alternatives Group for its LGBT friendliness.

(more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in California Vacation, Gay Travel, Hotels | No Comments »

Gay travel: same-sex marriage, out scene in D.C.

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Gay travel

(Photo: Jake McGuire)

By Matthew Link

Washington, D.C. gets a lot of flack when it comes to gay travel. East Coast gays look down their noses at Washington’s small queer scene, saying it’s full of transient part-time residents and in-the-know cliques. Some even site the closure of several long-standing gay bars and clubs in the mid-2000s to make way for the city’s baseball stadium. But what they fail to see is that for its size, Washington has a large and active LGBT population that is politically sophisticated and boldly out.

If Washington’s grand boulevards and magnificent monuments don’t make you feel patriotic, perhaps the fact that it is the latest spot in the U.S. to pass same-sex marriage will. After a hard-fought battle, March 2010 saw our nation’s capital join Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire in issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. (Before that, nearly 900 LGBT couples had applied for domestic partnerships with the city, and now they are automatically considered married.) (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Gay Travel | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries