Guess Who Included In New York Times Gay Travel Feature

I was quoted in the recent New York Times piece, “For Gay Destinations, Thinking Outside the Obvious.” ManAboutWorld was also included as a resource in the Times piece, “Finding Comfort and Safety as a Gay Traveler.”

Here’s a section quoting me naming the Big Island as one of his favorite off-the-beaten track destinations:

Popular with tourists, Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, and the busy Waikiki area in particular, may be the most obvious choice for L.G.B.T. travelers heading to Hawaii, and it is well worth a trip if you’ve never been. There are plenty of gay bars and gay-friendly businesses, and the 24th annual Honolulu Pride Parade and Celebration is coming up on June 7.

But the quieter Big Island, the one actually called Hawaii, is what Ed Salvato, the editor in chief of Man About World, a gay travel magazine for the iPad, called “surprisingly gay” in a telephone interview. “Hawaii is a really special place,” Mr. Salvato said. “It’s kind of the anti-Caribbean in the sense that it’s so warm and welcoming.” The aloha spirit, he said, is one of acceptance, and it permeates the island. “They embrace, they pull in, they don’t judge, they don’t condemn,” he said of the Hawaiian people. “So it’s very welcoming to gay and lesbian travelers.” Though the island of Hawaii lacks a vibrant bar and club scene, it offers other pluses. “The Big Island in particular is off the beaten track,” Mr. Salvato said. “It’s really someplace to go if you want to get in touch with nature and have some adventure.”