Europe Gay friendly Vacation Packages

1. Head to the Hancock.

The lines are longer at the Willis Tower, and even though the John Hancock Building is not as tall, its Signature Room on the 95th floor is a great place to hang out in a lounge and sip a drink while gazing over the city and lake.

2. Visit in summer and fall.

The city is notoriously frigid in winter and springtime is usually disappointingly cold. Meanwhile, Chicagoans tend to enjoy each summer day like it’s their last on earth and September and early October are gorgeous times to visit.

3. Fly into Midway. 

O’Hare is one of the busiest and most hectic airports in the world, while the smaller and less busy Midway Airport is closer to the Loop and serves more discount airlines.

Just about every American city has a Pride weekend worth checking out, but none is quite so exhilarating as NYC Pride (nycpride.org) . Pride Week boasts a ton of community and nightlife events happening all over town, but it’s the thrilling Pride Parade, which winds down Fifth Avenue and through the Village, that reminds us all of why New York is the world’s great gay mecca.

Village Halloween Parade (halloween-nyc.com). New Yorkers love their uninhibited side and they’re going to show it off in front of thousands cold weather be damned. This long-running parade marches through the village every Halloween and brings in the costumed by the tens of thousands. The parade itself is a sight to behold, but so is just about everybody else.

If you’re lamenting the mainstreaming of queer cinema, look no further than Mix NYC (mixnyc.org), an experimental LGBT film festival which has been going strong since the 80s and has served as a launching pad for emerging talent such as Todd Haynes, Miranda July and Christine Vachon.

Long-running BFI Flare (bfiflare.org.uk) is London’s LGBT film festival. It turned 30 in 2016 and continues to be a must-do cultural event for queer cinephiles. Spread out over 10 days each spring, the festival attracts more than 25,000 gay and lesbian culture vultures.

Still the biggest rainbow-drenched affair in the entire U.K., London Pride (prideinlondon.org) attracts hundreds of thousands of revelers to the capital city for a full two weeks of parties, social events, family-friendly gatherings, activist meet ups and more. Oh, and there might be a giant parade at the end of all of it!

Not content on just one annual Pride celebration, the queer community heats up January with Winter Pride U.K. (winterprideuk.com), a night of culture and clubbing that extends into the wee hours. Think summer Pride but with less Speedos and more winter coats.

The gay summer season officially kicks off with outrageous Matinee, a weekend of day and nighttime parties that center around the pool and promise to get you soaking wet.

It may not be as legendary as Sydney’s nocturnal Pride Parade, but make no mistake that Sin City’s downtown Pride (lasvegaspride.org) is an after dark, rainbow swirl of sequins, glitter and over-the-top pageantry. Orbiting the parade is a full weekend of events including circuit parties, family-friendly events and a pet-friendly festival.

1. Take a boat. 

You don’t need a friend with a luxury yacht to enjoy Fort Lauderdale’s waterways—water taxis are plentiful. Just avoid the more crowded 70-passenger “water buses.”

2. Choose your favorite gay beach. 

Fort Lauderdale has not one but three popular gay spots: Sebastian Street is where you’ll see the highest concentration of gay men walking around in tiny bikinis; Terramar is close to many of the gay guesthouses and more mellow; and visitors with cars often make the 30ish-minute trek to North Miami to visit clothing optional Haulover Beach.

3. Find the right accommodation for you.

Fort Lauderdale has a dizzying array of lodging options. The city home to more than a dozen gay guesthouses clustered along the beach and scattered elsewhere around town. Most cater specifically to gay men and most are clothing optional (meaning nude sunbathing is allowed). But also near the beach are gorgeous high-rise hotels and resorts like the Atlantic Hotel and Spa and the W Fort Lauderdale. There really is something for every taste and budget.

1. Choose the right beach for you.

If the scene at Blue Chairs is simply too much, don’t worry: more than 26 miles of beaches line the Bay of Banderas. If you’re looking for a gay nude beach, board the raunchy Wet and Wild Gay Cruise which includes a detour at a private beach where you can strip down.

2. Avoid September. 

Although P.V. is always warm, the humidity, rain and temperatures are worst during September.

3. Join gay excursions. 

No need to bump Speedos with straight tourists when going on excursions: Both Diana’s Tours & Wet Wild Gay Cruise offer LGBT boat trips.

As one could predict, San Francisco LGBT Pride (sfpride.org) is, in a word, fabulous. Happening at the end of June to commemorate the Stonewall Rebellion in NYC, the parade meanders down Market Street and ends in the Civic Center with a massive festival, but the entire month includes a smorgasbord of citywide events including Frameline—the city’s amazing LGBT film festival.

The largest leather fetish event of its kind in the world, Folsom Street Fair (folsomstreetevents.org) brings tens of thousands of fetish enthusiasts (and plenty of gawkers) to SOMA for a weekend of booze, music and more than 200 exhibitors. You’ll see tons of flesh on display, but the community is very welcoming and men, women and trans people are all supported in large numbers.

The City of Angels eschews the traditional last weekend in June (perhaps so as to not compete with San Francisco) and instead celebrates its LA Pride (lapride.org) with an outrageous mid-month parade right through the heart of WeHo coupled with a full weekend of parties and events like a music festival featuring legit headliners.

While paling in comparison to its Orlando counterpart, Gay Days at Disneyland (gaydaysanaheim.com) finds the queer community barnstorming Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure theme parks in Anaheim in a show of LGBT solidarity (wear red to make your presence known!). While not officially connected with the parks, Disney is more than welcoming and be sure and check out the full weekend itinerary including pool parties, brunches and cocktail hours happening near the parks.

1. Watch out for "June Gloom" and "the Santa Anas." 

Two L.A.-specific weather phenomena are the fog banks and overcast skies that can hang around for days in June (actually, it can happen anytime from March to August), and the Santa Ana winds that can make you feel like Dorothy in Kansas. Summer in general can also be very hot—especially in the Valley—and it’s peak tourist season.

2. Join a live studio audience.

A guaranteed way to actually see a celebrity in L.A. is by seeing a TV show being taped. Tickets are free, and are sometimes handed out on Hollywood Boulevard or Universal City. You can also get them at www.tvtickets.com.

3. If you don’t drive, stay in West Hollywood. 

If you don’t drive or are scared of the city’s monumental traffic, and simply want to focus on gay life, stay in one of WeHo’s upscale hotels. You’ll be within walking distance of gay nightlife, shops and restaurants.

International Mr. Leather (imrl.com). This full weekend of leather fetish parties and pageantry is one of the largest on earth and it’s the one time you’ll see folks on the street walking around in jock straps and harnesses. The contest itself is only for the diehard, but everyone loves the sprawling leather market and boozing and schmoozing in the lobby of the host hotel.

The city’s Pride Parade runs right through the heart of Boystown and is big—almost too big—for the ‘hood to handle. Nevertheless, the city has aimed to Chicago Pride (chicagopride.gopride.com) by spreading the festivities out over two weekends and redrawing the parade route to ease congestion. Expect nearly one million revelers each June.