The LGBTQ Travel Expert. Educator. Speaker. Author.
Proven expertise in the LGBTQ segment + LGBTQ Pavilion at the New York Travel & Adventure Show 2022
Tune into Sirius XM 108 tonight 8-9pm ET to hear Ed Salvato who takes your travel questions. You have to be a subcriber to listen but anyone can call at 866-305-6887.
The chatty, affable and sometimes ribald hosts are Derek & Romaine. The show is Sirius OutQ, one of the biggest LGBT media networks in the world though their listeners are gay, straight and everything in between.
For more information about Derek & Romaine click here: http://dnrshow.net/
First, find out where this dramatically beautiful Greek island is located by viewing the kooky but informative video here. Most gay travelers to Greece visit Mykonos and Santorini. This is an opportunity to discover a new (to you) part of Greece with a guaranteed gay presence. The event is scheduled to take place July 12-15, 2012.
According to the organizers:
Fly to Skiathos Island, meet gay singles, party all day, swim in the crystal waters of Skiathos beaches, wonder around the romantic streets of Skiathos Town, and experience Greece at its best. We have carefully selected a number of services that will meet your needs and make your stay exclusive. You can plan your package by choosing amongst a number of luxury hotels, studios, villas, rooms to let, sailing on a luxury yacht and island hopping, flying privately with your friends to Skiathos, as well as renting luxury vehicles or adventurous bikes. Spend an unforgettable holiday in Skiathos and live your myth in Greece!
More information: http://www.skiathosgay.com/en
***UPDATE: Expedited screening coming to more airports. See note below.***
The TSA is not really gay at all but I had to somehow include a queer angle to an essentially sexual-orientation-free story.
This brief update is to offer praise for two time-saving and stress-reducing new(ish) programs offered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is part of Homeland Security.
The first, which helps expedite domestic travel, is the TSA Pre-Check (Risk-Based Security Initiative). This program places more focus on pre-screening individuals prior to their flight. It’s being rolled out to airports around the country. Click here to learn more about it and to sign up.
I enrolled. Here’s how fabulous it was. At both JFK and LAX airports I skipped ahead of a very long line to the “TSA Pre” line and was waved to the empty X-ray machines. I was allowed to keep my belt and shoes on and my computer in its bag. I was asked to put my cell phone in my bag and if I had a jacket, I would have been asked to remove it.
The other program, available for travelers returning from visiting other countries, is the Global Online Enrollment Program (GOES). You provide TSA with some information about yourself, participate in an in-person interview at the airport, and provide electronic fingerprints in exchange for expedited processing when reentering the U.S. after visiting foreign countries. Click here for more information.
I’ve used it several times already and was able to skip ahead of long lines of sullen, shuffling masses directly to an ATM-size electronic kiosk. With this system you don’t even have to fill out a customs and immigration form upon arrival. That’s handled at the kiosk which prints out a receipt you drop with the customs official when you leave the baggage area. So much time and aggravation saved!
UPDATE, May 11, 2012
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TSA Expedited Screening Coming Soon to More Airports
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Dear Edward Salvato,
As a registered TSA PreCheckTM program participant, you may experience expedited screening by not having to remove shoes, belt, jacket, laptop or liquids in 3-1-1 compliant bags.*
The trial TSA screening program is currently offered throughout many major airports and is continually expanding to new locations:
Available Now
Coming Soon
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Show and Go
When at one of the designated TSA expedited screening checkpoints, simply present your boarding pass and it will identify you as a program participant. It is that simple.
Get the latest program information, including a complete list of expedited screening locations, by visitingAA.com/tsascreening.
For four days in early May, all eyes in the art world will be on Randall’s Island in New York with the arrival of the Frieze Art Fair, May 4-7, 2012. This is the first time Frieze has come to the U.S.
The most progressive art galleries in the world exhibit over 1,000 of the hottest artists on the globe. There are also specifically commissioned works, panel discussions, and lectures. Fear not having to leave Manhattan, there will be plenty of dedicated transportation to and from Randall’s Island.
There are other events associated with Frieze taking place in other boroughs, including “Chelsea Night” on Saturday, May 5 with galleries remaining open till late, a block party and food trucks. The HuffingtonPost has a nice round up.
Visitor information/tickets: http://friezenewyork.com/visitors/tickets/
Unlike most other countries, the U.S. has never had a national campaign inviting visitors to our shores. Until now. DiscoverAmerica.com, the official U.S.A. travel Site has kicked off with this short video. Let us know what you think. They get points for including a gay couple in one of the images.
Of course, to really stimulate travel to our shores, the U.S. should work on relaxing the onerous visa requirements that prevent people from visiting who’d otherwise come here, learn about us and spend boatloads of currency.
Talk about a niche of a niche of a niche!
If you’re a bear who makes films for, by or about bears, listen up. There’s a film festival just for you in Vermont. The VT Bear Film Festival unspools August 17-18. It’s held on private property at the home of, John Scagliotti, the program director, off an old country road just over the Massachusetts line in Guilford, Vermont, with acres of secluded fields and woods. To submit a film for consideration, click here.
According to Scagliotti, “The Vermont Bear Film Festival is an independent film festival, devoted to bears and bear admirers. Held in the green hills of southern Vermont, it is an occasion for guys to eat, drink, and be merry…and see some great films too.”
For the first time as far as we know, a gay ski trip is planned to Japan. In late February 2013, when conditions are considered to be optimal, the friendly, expert folks at SKI BUMS is leading a trip to Niseko, Japan, boasting “snowflakes large enough to cast shadows.
They’re planning a six nights in Niseko and a weekend in Japan which will include gay highlights. Discounted pricing is available for a limited time. Click here for more information about the trip and SKI BUMS.
The third annual Pride of the Ocean film festival, the only LGBT film festival held aboard a cruise ship unspools on the high seas on the Celebrity Summit June 10-17, 2012 (from New York City to Bermuda and back).
This is a gay/lesbian group aboard a mainstream cruise. Organizers expect over 50 guests. According to John Scagliotti, organizer of the event:
“One of the most important missions of Pride of the Ocean is to increase visibility of the LGBTQ and Alliance Community.”
He continues, “For this reason, we choose to host our film festival aboard ships with a diverse group of passengers, so that we are able to do our part in putting out a positive, constructive, example of our community to society at large.”
Check here for trip details and for a line up of the films.
Itching to get your Pride on?
A nice, early (warm) kick-off to our favorite gay holiday season is Miami Beach Gay Pride taking place Sunday, April 15, from noon to 9 p.m., along Ocean Drive.
Irreverent? Hysterical? A few drops of each perhaps: their drink packages are named for gay-popular icons. Try the Liza Minelli, Judy Garland or Elizabeth Taylor drink packages.
They promise this Pride is “diva-licious” beloved lady belters from Frenchie Davis and JoJo to Kristin W and more.
The LGBT-friendly folks at VisitPhilly, the City of Brotherly Love’s official tourism organization, announced three new ways for lesbian and gay visitors to plan their Philly trips.
Rolling out up-to-date content on Foursquare Foodspotting and Pinterest, VisitPhilly directs visitors to the best spots to find great food, drinks and gifts among other like-minded visitors and locals.
Lots more information below the fold.
Continue reading “Gay Philadelphia Just Got A Little More Social”
The LGBTQ Travel Expert. Educator. Speaker. Author.