“Vienna’s Got Balls” — And That’s Official

You have to love it when a destination promotes itself as having balls!

Who would have expected it from “stodgy” old Vienna? Well, actually we would have. Vienna’s is not just the capital of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It’s also a center for innovation, exciting modern art and lots of cool and cutting-edge events. Including these balls, or dances.

Below and on the next page are some of the events we think will most appeal to LGBT travelers sent by our friends in the tourism office who were the ones who gleefully tee’d them up as a city with balls. If you decide to head to Vienna, be sure to download our free app and subscribe or purchase our January/February 2013 issue.

The Life Ball (May 25, 2013) is Europe’s wildest – and highest grossing – AIDS/HIV charity event. Everyone from the Federal Chancellor to Hollywood A-listers makes their way to Rathausplatz for the fashion show, before letting their hair down for a night of hard partying. Life Ball tickets are a seriously hot commodity, but everyone can enjoy the spectacular opening ceremony and fashion show free of charge.

Dispatches: Sunset at Bungas Beach, West Sumatra

As implied in their title, our Global Correspondents are a worldly lot. They send us tips, updates, photos and videos from their travels. Here’s the latest from one of our WomenAboutWorld, Louise Rafkin.

Sunset at Bungus Beach, West Sumatra.  The views are rivaled by the food: spicy, small plates of fish and meat cooked in coconut and spiced to perfection. And not another tourist in sight.

See ManAboutWorld At NY Times Travel Show

Have budget and PTO but don’t know where to spend them? Looking for the right gay-friendly getaway? Your wife wants a spa weekend but you want a camping trip?

Help is on the way!

Please come by the New York Times Travel Show’s annual LGBT travel panel on Saturday, January 19 3pm-3:50pm and hear from a knowledgeable group of avid, savvy travelers: Merryn Johns, Michael Luongo, Jerry Portwood, Joseph Pedro and myself. Free tickets to the consumer days are available, first-come, first-serve, with the code IGLTA13! http://ow.ly/gGcZT.

Before or after the show be sure to visit the IGLTA booth 342 to pick up the latest magazines by these and other media partners as well as information about gay-friendly hotels, destinations, attractions and events around the world.

Also be sure to come with your gay/lesbian travel questions. The panel can help you spend those dollars, discover the gay (and lesbian-)-friendlest destinations around the globe, and hopefully maintain vacation and same-sex marriage bliss with a perfect luxury/wilderness combo at what promises to be a lively session.

Weekly Travel Roundup By TravelingIQ

Global Correspondent Ivan Quintanilla is an actor, traveler and blogger extraordinaire. Once a week he provides a re-cap of noteworthy travel stories. We pilfer his round-up (with his permission) so you don’t have to. Follow his travels at TravelingIQ.

*Royal babe, indeed!   Refusing to be overshadowed by his future niece or nephew, a mural of a shirtless Prince Harry now permanently hangs in the London gay club, Manbar  (via Evening Standard).

*Not without controversy, “Europe’s first gay-friendly mosque” opened in Paris this week–welcoming gay Muslims and allowing men and women to pray together (via France 24).

Park City, UT For The Non-Skier (Hint: Lots To Do)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwinnie/2921018728

But what if you don’t like to ski, snowboard or slalom? Is Park City for someone who hopes the urge to exercise passes? Yes.

Even if you never venture outdoors, Park City offers a slate of attractions to pack a no carb burn itinerary. Spend time on Day 1 at the Park City Museum, a must visit for all visitors. Here splendidly detailed exhibits trace the city’s history to its origins as a tough mining town whose jail had the occupancy rate of a  swank Park City Hotel during Sundance.

Travel Weekly Roundup by TravelingIQ

 

More reasons to travel!

Global Correspondent Ivan Quintanillais an actor, traveler and blogger extraordinaire. Once a week he provides a re-cap of noteworthy travel stories. We pilfer his round-up (with his permission) so you don’t have to. Follow his travels at TravelingIQ.

*It was a good political week for gay destination weddings.  In the United States, voters made history by endorsing gay marriage–for the first time by popular vote–in Maine, Maryland and Washington state, and rejecting a ballot measure that would have enshrined anti-gay marriage law in the Minnesota constitution (via Huffington Post).  In Europe, Spain’s highest court upheld their law legalizing same-sex marriage, and the French Cabinet pushed ahead a bill that could see gay marriage legalized by next year.  (via Bloomberg)

*Will Puerto Rico become the 51st U.S. State?  Well, it’s complicated.  (via Miami Herald)

*Sri Lanka tops travel list for 2013.  (via Lonely Planet)

*Snacking on a cannoli on the Spanish Steps… Fuhgeddaboudit!  Rome is cracking down on public eating and drinking at historic sites.  (via New York Times)

*157 million (North, Central and South) Americans traveled to Europe last year, with London being the most popular destination.  See how your favorite city stacks up.  (via European Parliament News)

*Want to go fruit picking in Sweden?  Take the elevator.  A vertical farming building, currently in construction, will move plants on tracks from top to bottom floors to take advantage of sunlight and make harvesting easier.  (via Wall Street Journal)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

Hot Guys In New Ft. Lauderdale Commercial

Suddenly feel the urge to go surfing?

This is groundbreaking but it’s also just plain hot. Check it out here.

With this TV ad, Ft. Lauderdale becomes among the first mainstream tourism board to integrate gay messaging in an otherwise mainstream promotion.

DiscoverAmerica released this ad earlier this year that featured two gay men on a cable car.

But this is a great trend that we strongly encourage. It’s more and more about “traveling while gay” versus “gay travel.”

San Francisco LGBT Travel Show PDF

I’ll be speaking today at 2pm PT and tomorrow at 1:30pm PT at the San Francisco Travel Show.

Click here to download a PDF version of my presentation, which includes recommendations for great LGBT-friendly destinations, events, tours and cruises.

 

Vermont, Gay Pride, Foliage and A Whole Lot of Food September 21-22

What’s that you say? Yes, same-sex marriage is legal in Vermont!

As their one-time kitschy but cool slogan once declared, I LOVERMONT!

From our friends in the Green Mountain State:

Mark your calendars and book a room for Vermont’s annual Pride celebration September 21-22, 2012. The festivities, which will be held in September for the first time in order to better include Vermont’s large student population and foliage tourists, will include a cruise on Lake Champlain on Friday, September 21, a parade through downtown Burlington, and a pride festival, NOH8 Campaign photoshoot, and the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo in Burlington’s Battery Park on September 22.

The annual Pride Cruise has been a highlight of Vermont’s Pride season since 1993. It is sponsored by Vermont Gay Social Alternatives (VGSA), Vermont’s premier LGBT social organization, and will be an evening filled with dancing and merrymaking featuring hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and entertainment by the House of LeMay and DJ Veena. It will be held on the Lake Champlain Ferry, which departs at 8:00 on Friday, September 21 from the King Street Docks in Burlington. Tickets can be purchased online at www.vgsa.com.

Montreal Launches 3rd Annual Queer of the Year Contest

Competitors from last year’s Queer of the Year competition

Montreal Tourism and business partners announce the kick-off of their third annual Queer of the Year competition including online voting and in-person competitions among five lucky finalists flown into Montreal during their Pride celebration (August 13-19) to compete for the title of Queer of the Year.

For more information, prize info, rule:

• Visit Tourism Montreal “Queer of the Year” Facebook page
• Visit Tourism Montreal’s Gay Life blog
• Follow Tourism Montreal “Queer of the Year” on Twitter