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Travel

Gayity

Cyber Shark

by Miki Thomas

For some reason, around this time of year I get a case of wanderlust and begin planning a fantasy vacation. This year it’s a visit to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia (hey, it sounds like fun to me!).

The Internet, as always, provides wonderful fodder for engaging my imagination, from figuring out the cheapest airfares to where the best accommodations are to be found. If you are in need of a vacation, if only for a few days out of town for a breather, go no further than your PC or Mac to get the latest information on travel.

There’s plenty to be found for the GLBT traveler on the Web, and I have found the most helpful sites to be the online versions of print magazines and guides. Among such magazines and guides with an online presence include Out and About, Our World and Q-NET Ferrari Guides. Planet Out also has a travel page.

The latest GLBT travel web zine is QT Magazine. It comes out monthly with articles spotlighting different destinations. The March 2000 issue includes a look at gay Honolulu, shopping in Madrid, and Atlanta, referred to as ãthe San Francisco of the South.ä You can register for free with QT Magazine to get regular email updates on travel deals. Plus, if you travel quite a bit, QT Magazine is looking for writers to relate experiences. For more information, contact the publisher.

If you do have a destination in mind, the Web is chock full of GLBT city and state destination guides, often put together by the local GLBT community center or business organization. Almost all such guides list travel accommodations, community groups, AIDS organizations, GLBT owned or friendly businesses, bars, and churches. It’s easy to find resources on the more popular gay destinations around the country ö check the Hot Links section for several of the best.

However, if you find yourself visiting Aunt Myrtle in some out-of-the-way area of the country and you have a hankering for some GLBT-related fun, there are even GLBT destination guides for areas one wouldn’t equate with fabulousness. My favorite is The Guide to Queer Ohio , a colorful compendium of all things GLBT to be found in Ohio. For other guides, check out a search engine such as Yahoo.

Do your travel plans include going to the Millennium March on Washington this month? Then check out its official site. It has information regarding MMOW events, travel accommodations, and volunteering.

FYI

Pissed off that Paramount Television is giving radio loud mouth and homophobe Dr. Laura her own talk show? Vent your anger – and order a t-shirt while you’re at it – at the Stop Dr. Laura site. The site has already triggered emails of protest to Paramount and numerous TV stations planning on running her show when it debuts in September. In addition to action alerts, Stop Dr. Laura features background information on Dr. Laura herself and reactions to Dr. Laura’s ignorant comments, both pro and con.

The best part of the site is the rather frightening picture of Dr. Laura in the upper left hand corner of the page that makes her look like a satanic harpie.