WTM – part two: the gay products about to send you on your way

The gay and lesbian before long will be spoilt for choice, slowly getting to a point of greater tolerance, acceptance, inclusion and respect within the travel industry. Further as more countries derail their homophobia and build real cornerstones of support and inclusivity we will have much further to travel.

India itself has decriminalised homosexuality (from an outdated British law), and countries towards the Middle East (including Israel and Turkey) are making major inroads – especially as Tel Aviv is one of the hottest gay spots of the Mediterranean.

But what else? Well it’s not all sunshine, beach bodies and bronzing  - gay ski weeks in North America have been growing for sometime, but now Europe has its fair share of ski weeks, including one at Les Deux Alps in April Switzerland’s Arosa Gay Ski Week [http://www.gayskiweek.ch/en/] is now fixed running between 8 – 15 January 2011. Set in the idyllic Swiss Alps surrounded by men on skis and boards – rampaging down the slops, yum! Who wants to warm them up after a cold day in the mountains?

Another development in Switzerland is that the Tourism board is actually putting all its hotels through a certification programme for their gay credentials. Switzerland Tourism has become the first national tourism organisation to join the GayComfort training and certification program. All GayComfort certified properties will be listed on www.MySwitzerland.com/gaylesbian and staff will have undertaken dedicated online training on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) travel issues via http://www.GayComfort.com. Making selection of hotels much much easier.

Fancy a trek to somewhere new and exciting? Well, India is preparing itself and with the website of hand-picked gay welcoming hotels – Further Afield [http://www.furtherafield.com] is soon to add properties in India. Alternatively, grab a tour with gay tour specialist Yellow Brick Road http://www.yellowbrickroadtours.com/ taking you to places not traditionally gay – but that certainly have a vibrant gay culture.

If you fancy something incredible prepare for San Paulo’s gay pride event where they are expecting over 4.5million visitors in 2012, it was recorded as the largest gay pride in the world – so Brazil is the place to be!

With one further exciting developments in the gay travel space – World Rainbow Hotels will open its doors in 2012 with more products, packages and offers for the gay and lesbian traveller. Here you will be able to learn about destinations, book online from selected gay-friendly and certified gay-welcoming properties of all star ratings and qualities. 

All round a great year and brilliant development for the gay travel market.

Day Eight: Argentina – A journey from Resistencia, the buses

Having stupidly chosen a window seat and my partner sound asleep to my right I evaluated my route to the toilet in the underside cabin. It seemed simple, just climb over him into the aisle. However remembering the width of the seats this would require me to perform the near splits while leaping from my side to the target zone…

The bus system in Argentina is extraordinary. A network of buses meander across the entire country taking travellers to their intended destination using the long straight highways connecting the towns and cities. Many companies operate routes day and night, giving you the advantage of saving on a hotel and sleeping on their bed-like seats called – semi-cases. The second trip we took, Resistencia – Cordoba was a 12-hour drive that we intended to do by night. http://www.omnilineas.com/

On leaving Resistencia it wasn’t long before we were served our first meal. An entrée in the form of a thick Argentine style ham sandwich (no crust of course) followed by a plate of dried biscuits, plus a hot dish consisting of potato puree (mashed potato) and garlic chicken (a huge breast) accompanied by red wine.

We polished off the meal rather quickly in earnest to delve into a deep sleep.

Stretched out across their semi-camas these seats are the desired form for a 12-hour flight. The ability to be stretched back 120 degrees with raised leg rests and enough width that will make a lard-arse American happy, complimented by a pillow and blanket it didn’t take long before a sweet sleep set-in.

The bus continued on its night-drive through the great plains of Argentina passing the odd truck like lonely wanderers adamant not to lose a single second. It’s air conditioning kept the interior a mild temperature protecting us from the 25 degree + outside in the dead of night! However it also meant an incredibly dry mouth – fortunately thoughtful planning and resourcefulness we had packed a large bottle of water – gulping this throughout the night for rehydration. But the result of a lot of water intake is of course a full bladder.

Having stupidly chosen a window seat and my partner sound asleep to my right I evaluated my route to the toilet in the underside cabin. It seemed simple, just climb over him into the aisle. However remembering the width of the seats this would require me to perform the near splits while leaping from my side to the target zone. Another hurdle, the person in front of him was lying at full tilt, if that went hazardously wrong and I lost my balance falling one way or another no doubt would have caused them a rude awakening and a 6’1” man landing on their lap. My plan therefore would be to spring from one foot over balancing myself by thrusting my head forward to ensure the correct direction of travel. While feeling confident with this new approach the bus jaunted a couple of times on rough road. To which I could see myself falling head first into the aisle and knocking myself - out only to wet myself in the process.

-       Therefore, I decided I had to hold it in until morning!

COSTS:

Bus to Cordoba: AR$285 http://www.omnilineas.com/

Day Two: Argentina – Train to the Delta, Tigre

The romantic idea of this being part of the world untouched, the meeting of river to sea by the South American rainforests is far from reality…

The Alps - A White Wonder

As though transported 3,000 miles from a Caribbean beach and lifted 2,500 metres onto the Alps, untouched snow glistened in the sun with greater ferocity than a cloud-bare sky at night. Surely the stars felt slightly threatened by this temporary frozen wonder.

The sun shone in full spirit as if challenging itself to remove the white carpet from its stage below – yet this complex structure defied its rays reflecting all energy back – defiant to win this fight til dusk when mist filled the valleys reminiscent of a Swedish steam room. By nightfall Les Deux Alpes is drowned by cloud – creating a haze that formed a ghostly awe to the mountain village.

What makes a holiday – or a vacation?

Brits will deny a vacation exists; while for an American a holiday is a vacation. However I disagree entirely – a holiday is a part of life; as an individual you’re existing day to day just without the dramas of work and expectations from an employer; while a vacation – to me – is turning your life upon its head, doing everything differently and forgetting or blocking out everything that happens day to day. Exploring who you are as a person: re-evaluating your priorities and making decisions for where your life goes next. Taking that lead in the direction of your steps.