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TRAVEL EXPERIENCES... with Bryan Herb - ZOOM Vacations
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Top 10 reasons to Visit South America Now
by Bryan Herb
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| Yacht Romance. |
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It’s affordable. Been to Europe lately? Cities like London, Paris, and Berlin, have become insanely expensive, especially for American travelers, who aren’t enjoying the best exchange rate right now. Even in the smaller villages, you order a latte and you don’t know whether to drink it or put it in a safe. In South America, on the other hand the dollar is still strong, and you can enjoy a relaxed vacation without worrying about money... >MORE
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10 Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Vacation with Your Mate
by Bryan Herb
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| Yacht Romance. |
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Vacations provide the perfect opportunity for reconnecting with your mate, and to enjoy their company without the hassles and complications of the “real” world.
The following 10 tips will help you and your boyfriend or girlfriend get the most out of your time together, without getting under each other’s skin. These same tips a great to bear in mind when traveling with your buddies as well.. >MORE
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Everyone’s a Little Gay at Carnaval in Rio
by Bryan Herb
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| Hot Guys... |
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Every year thousands of people zoom to Rio to celebrate the world’s greatest celebration of dance, culture, good times, and good will. It’s the standard against which all other carnivals are compared. Never ones to miss a good party, it is no wonder that thousands of these tourists are gay.
However, this is definitely a time and place where the lines between straight and gay are blurred. It would not be uncommon to see a man and man and woman walking hand in hand through a street parade and then see them suddenly in a three-way lip-lock with someone from the crowd. In fact many of the locals say that during Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) everyone is “a little bit gay”.
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Gay Games in Chicago; A Gay Guide to What’s Hot in the Windy City
by Bryan Herb
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| Chicago skyline by Mike Gustafson |
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If Chicago has been on your mind lately, there are a number of reasons why. If you are a sports fan, you know that the Chicago White Sox just won the World Series. If you follow art and architecture trends, you know that Chicago’s award winning Millennium Park recently opened, receiving worldwide praise.
And if you’re gay, you know that this summer Chicago is hosting the Gay Games, July 15-22, 2006. The seventh quadrennial Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival will feature 12,000 participants from over 70 countries, competing in 30 sports. In addition, there will be a week-long arts festival, evening parties, entertainment, and more to make this an unforgettable celebration!
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Guatemala’s Gay Sensibility
by Bryan Herb
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| Guatemala Volcano |
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Few countries are as culturally intact as Guatemala, and it is imbued with a gay sensibility that is appreciated by even the most critical of travelers. While no city in Guatemala offers a huge gay community, evidence suggests that gay hands have been at work here over the centuries, shaping Guatemala into a traveler’s paradise.
Take, for instance, the grand city of Antigua, once the center of life in the Americas. Over the centuries, the city has been destroyed by several earthquakes, fires, and wars, leaving colossal ruins which tell its history and colonial heritage. Lucky for current travelers, these ruins were not bulldozed to pave way for modern pre-fabricated structures. Rather, someone early on studied the regal marble and stone edifices, the intricate carvings and painstaking masonry, now home to colorful birds and wisps of plant life, and saw it for what is was and still is: beautiful and romantic. Thus these buildings, along with Antigua’s history were preserved. Now, you just know gay people had their hand in that.
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Costa Rica: A Gay Tropical Paradise
by Bryan Herb
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| White-water Rafting |
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We’ve all heard the radical right expression, “God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Well, anyone who has been to Costa Rica lately can tell you that in this tropical paradise, “Adam and Steves” are everywhere, and welcomed with open arms!
In the past ten years Costa Rica has emerged as one of the world’s premier vacation hot spots. And in disproportionate numbers, gay travelers have descended upon this eco-friendly destination with full force.
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Cape Town: The Gay Man's New Years Playground
by Bryan Herb
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| South Africa Beach |
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It is no wonder why so many gay men come to Cape Town for New Years, and 2005 will be no different!
From Cape Town’s stunning beaches and active gay nightlife, to 5 star safari lodges just a short plane ride away, South Africa truly has it all.
And, like the pioneers they are, gay men have their fingers on the pulse of this exciting destination.
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Jet Lag: Reclaim Your Rhythm and Avoid the Blues
by Bryan Herb
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| View from Jet |
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Ideally, you should come back from a vacation feeling refreshed, even invigorated, but no matter how much you rest while away, one thing can get in the way of your good intentions: jet lag.
Jet lag is the feeling of fatigue, disorientation, and irritability you may experience after a long flight. Understanding its causes, preventions, and treatments will get you up and running much faster the next time you fly.
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Gay-Friendly Peru Beckons You
by Bryan Herb
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| Machu Picchu |
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For thousands of years, Peru's extraordinary beauty has been both the backdrop of incredible cultural and spiritual expression and a pallet for architectural artists. Today, it has become one of the world’s most welcoming and enticing destinations for gay travelers.
In fact, one can find more rainbow flags in Peru than perhaps anywhere on Earth. This same symbol of gay pride today has been a major symbol of the Inca people for centuries.
Rainbow flags adorn governmental buildings, hotels, and of course flag poles throughout the country. While it is not intended as an official welcome to gay travelers, one can always pretend.
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Physical Fitness: An Essential Part of Your Vacation
by Bryan Herb
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| Tical Pyramids |
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One of the greatest gifts of traveling is the ability to leave our every day stresses miles away and for a short time enter a land of make-believe. For many of us, our vacation truly ends and reality sets in the moment we jump on the scale back home. Suddenly, our happy vacation memories are replaced with guilt, and all that we can remember in the moment is how much we ate, and how little we exercised.
The fact is it can be very difficult to stick to our fitness regimen while we travel. We have an entirely new schedule, our sleeping patterns change, and we’re busy having fun and eating everything in sight.
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MORE TRAVEL RELATED EXPERIENCES...
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Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Post-Katrina
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
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| Costume Awards... |
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Late in the summer of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in succession slammed and devastated New Orleans. The Mardi Gras that many thought should not occur came around six months later and, though controversial in light of the many people displaced and still homeless, essential services still lacking or limited, Mardi Gras, usually canceled only at wartime, took place after all. It was smaller, scaled back, and drew somewhat smaller, but still considerable crowds, but was necessary, finally, not only for the morale of the wounded city and its people, but also for the urgent infusion of tourist dollars the festivities would provide. We made our plans to return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras 2006 nearly a year before and those plans remained unchanged.
Hostility toward federal, state and local government for inept response in the wake of the hurricanes was evident, and satire and ridicule, with FEMA ...
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Heterosexuals Off the Starboard Bow
by Mike McGinty
"The ice carving demonstration begins poolside at 1:00. Come enjoy this fascinating look at how our master sculptors create these beautiful works of art, right before your very eyes."
I wrapped my lips around the long, red straw sticking out of my tropical rum drink and sucked as hard as I could, hoping the cold, sweet concoction would soon transport me to a place where PA announcements weren't quite so annoying.
How was it that I found myself on another cruise, when I swore on a stack of travel brochures that my last cruise would be just that – my last cruise?
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Mardi Gras 2004 in New Orleans
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert, with Joe Saporito
In February, we left the chilly north to spend the last two weeks of Carnival season in New Orleans, as is our custom. This festive season, which begins on Epiphany (Jan. 6) and is celebrated with dozens of parades, elaborate costumes and a heady feeling of abandon, culminates in Mardi Gras, which fell on February 24....
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Mansions, Ghosts and Warm Weather Key West Is Still Oddly Quirky Yet A Very Happy Place For The Gay Traveler.
by Jim Jordan
Our long anticipated trip to Key West began. Planned nine months before, Stephen and I taxied to LaGuardia to meet Paul and Paul (frequent Grove visitors), and Joe and Brandon (Grove residents).
We made it through security in short order, had an early lunch, and before we knew it, were boarding the plane. I turned, and stared right into a very familiar face...
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White Winter in Paradise
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert
Many of us don't think about Fire Island during the winter months, but there are a few (I would say heroic) people for whom life at the beach is year-round.
I'm referring to the year-round residents of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Fire Island our summer getaway for Gay New...
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