Gay-Friendly Travels

Yasss! We as Gay Travel Blogger will attend the 13th edition of the Pink Lake Festival in Southern Austria this August in 2020. Just two weeks and less to go before we will depart to Klagenfurt in the South of the Austrian state Carinthia. We cannot wait to be in the mountains again, something we really miss in Amsterdam! The small town Pörtschach am Wörthersee will turn pink to offer an LGBTQ+ friendly Get-together to celebrate diversity, love, and equality right on the world-famous Lake Wört (Wörthersee) nestled in the Alps of Austria. Together with the European gay-community, we will put on our Lederhosen to enjoy the beauty of the Austrian mountains close to the border with Italy and Slovenia.

AUSTRIA: In the German-speaking South Austrian state of Carinthia alone, more than 80 different kinds of traditional garments are officially registered, each more beautiful than the other, for people of all genders, of course.

SPAIN: A vibrant city in Spain full of historical treasures like the Casa Milà (La Pedrera), a lively beach atmosphere, the red cable car cabins and a cultural life with museums, opera, and theater.

NETHERLANDS: Experience Pride Amsterdam 2018 again with our 30 best photos taken from the Amsterdam – NYC & Company Canal Parade Boat.

GEORGIA: Although homosexuality has been legal in Georgia since 2000, it is taboo in large parts of the country with far-reaching consequences for lesbians, gays, and queer people in the country.

The best of LA Pride in West Hollywood 2019. It was finally time for our first Gay Pride Festival in summer 2019. After our winter premiere in January at Whistler Pride in Canada, we’ve successfully attended Los Angeles Pride and its colorful queer parade through West Hollywood along Santa Monica Boulevard. And we have to admit, LA Pride in the South Western part of the USA was one of our best gay pride festivals ever! After attending Harvey Milk’s Castro Street Fair in San Francisco, we were overwhelmed by so much diversity, the amazing summer weather with blue sky and temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius as well as uncountable happy faces of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies marching peacefully side by side.

ANAHEIM: Our visit to Disney’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Anaheim, California became reality! The Star Wars Universe arrived on planet earth. We were able to be among the first people (also known as Star Wars Nerds) to visit Galaxy’s Edge.

AUSTRIA: Already for over 10 years, Carinthia, a state in the south of Austria, is celebrating with hundreds of gay guys, lesbian girls, trans- and bisexual people together with their friends and allies colorful Pink Lake Festival in and around the market town Velden am Wörthersee. The hot summer sun, temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, and great music by a well-known DJ lineup with James Munich and DJane Käry from Frankfurt am Main, transformed the popular holiday region around Lake Wörth for 4 days into a happy, open-minded, and peaceful LGBTQ+ festival.

Our Top 5 Gay Events this year – 2019 is going to be a great year for celebrating Pride worldwide! We chose five great LGBTQ+ events that caught our attention and which we think are worth traveling to this year. Are you ready for the biggest World Pride celebration ever in 2019 in New York City? Would you rather scream and sing along with 42 new songs that will compete for the European Song Contest crown in Tel Aviv? Or did you always dream about the magical moment holding hands in front of Mickey Mouse wearing some rainbow colored ears? Join us on our gay travels around the world supporting the lesbian, gay and queers and see the gay-friendly and colored side through a couple of men‘s eyes.

After the Spiegel had already noticed our blog ‘Couple of Men’ and published an interview about our work last year, the popular news magazine stern (around 500.000 monthly readers) with its online version stern.de followed this spring with an interview including a 4-minute video about gay-friendly travel tips and our work as German-Dutch Gay Travel Blogger. In her inquiry, the video editor of the weekly magazine classified as a German-language leading medium was particularly interested in our motivations for Couple of Men, tips for gay-friendly travel and the worst experiences so far as an openly-gay traveling gay couple. This makes Stern interview one of the highlights of our work as a gay travel blogger in Germany so far.   

NETHERLANDS: Gender, Gender Identities, Sexuality – The recently released Dutch documentary ‘Beste Reizigers’ by draftsman Nirit Pelet for VPRO Tegenlicht deals with the future of gender segregation.

he 10 Best Queer Movies 2019 at Roze Filmdagen, the 11-days Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Like the last two years, we teamed up with festival director and LGBTQ+ movie guru Werner Borkes with whom we chose 10 films and documentaries drag queens, intersex topics, about being trans in sports and more you should put on your movie list for this year’s event. The 22nd edition of the Dutch LGBTQ+ film festival features the world premiere ‘Galore’ about our beloved drag queen Lady Galore. In our list of the “best queer movies 2019” includes contributions from the UK, the USA, the Netherlands as well as Italy, Kenya, and Scotland.

Our bucket list adventure with Tinggly – Gift an experience and create memories for a lifetime, that is the idea behind the world’s first global experience gift company. We live in a world and time where a lot of us have enough stuff so instead of gifting another fancy bottle of wine or a set of decorative candles, why not gift a gay-friendly experience? A voucher for one of the Tinggly Experience Gift Boxes gives you the freedom to choose from hundreds of jaw-dropping, knee-weakening or mouth-watering experiences all around the world. Also, it might be one of the easiest gifts to give but you can be sure that your best LGBTQ+ friend, sister, husband or lover will choose their favorite experience which they will remember for the rest of their lives…

The Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2019: Every year, the German publisher of gay travel information and guide books releases the annual Gay Travel Index with a detailed ranking of 197 LGBTQ+ friendly countries worldwide. In the 7th edition, Berlin-based Spartacus gives lesbian, gay and queer travelers information about how gay-friendly a holiday destination is according to several ranking factors and criteria collecting enough information about LGBTQ+ friendliness and livability for locals. Gay travelers can use this information to prepare for their gaycation as well as taking it as a piece of advice for choosing the holiday destination.

AMSTERDAM: This is our list of the 15 Best Gay Movies 2019 selected for the Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival Roze Filmdagen bringing LGBTQ+ cinema to the Dutch capital city Amsterdam.

CANADA: The south-eastern side of the Niagara River lies on US American ground while the Horseshoe Falls, the bigger of the two waterfalls is part of the Canadian side of the valley.

The year of Canada’s 150th anniversary is the year of our first gay travels to the biggest North American country. Our first trip to Canada brought us to Alberta, the western Canadian province famous for the Canadian Rocky Mountains, incredibly beautiful nature, the world-famous scenic Icefields Parkway and its amazing food scene. But also for the well-known cities Edmonton, Calgary, Banff and, of course, Jasper. The goal of our 14-days Road Trip to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in March was Jasper, a small mountain town famous for its annually Jasper Pride Festival with a gay pride parade on the hills of the ski resort Marmot Basin.

Top 10 Gay Travel Christmas Presents 2018 – It is time for the second edition of our annual list of our top Gay Travel Christmas gifts. This year, we found some great gifts like wooden bow ties and clothing made of eco materials that support our intentions for 2019 to find and promote sustainability in gay travel. And, of course, some interesting ideas for your gay travel bucket list that are perfect Christmas presents as well. Did you ever think about celebrating a Gay Pride on a Celebrity Cruise ship? As Gay Travel Bloggers we love to find extraordinary things like souvenirs from around the world but also Gay Travel Christmas Presents from companies in and around our home city Amsterdam.

FRANCE: During our Gay Couple City Weekend Nice in December, we stayed at Art & Spa Windsor Hotel in the city center of the French pearl at the Côte d’Azur.

GERMANY: Famous for its arty, alternative and hipsters lifestyle as well as for its history as a divided city, Berlin is an all-year-round destination, worth a weekend or full week trip.

The Boutique Hotel Sleep-Inn Box 5 Nijmegen – is a charming Boutique Hotel right in the city centre of Nijmegen. The helpful and heartwarming gay couple Jos and Stephan are the owners of this almost 100 years old Dutch house. The accommodation is a well-made combination of elegant design furniture as a chic luxurious interior in modern style with comfortable beds. We felt home in this old mansion immediately.

Our best of the first gay cruise edition by Open Sea Cruises x Axel Hotels. Finally, it was time for our third European gay cruise gaycation around the Mediterranean Sea. The Spanish cruise operator Open Sea Cruises announced in March 2018 their long-term collaboration with the well-known Axel Hotels, a gay hotel chain featuring hetero-friendly accommodations, with the goal to organize a brand new European gay cruise experience for the entire LGBT community with concerts, parties, onboard activities, offshore tours, and more. Starting from Barcelona, the route brought us to France and Spain covering the Western part of the Mediterranean Sea. But what is special about the Pop Cruise by Open-Sea Cruises?

Our 6 Top Queer Films 2018 for Homochrom Filmfest in the German cities Cologne and Dortmund. The leaves are turning orange and red, and autumn always means it‘s cinema time again in Germany! To give you the best of 2018 queer cinema, we from Couple of Men had an interesting chat with festival director Martin Wolkner about the program of the 8th Filmfest homochrom in Cologne and Dortmund. The queer film festival scene in Germany is second only to the USA (40+ festivals), and homochrom has become the second-largest among the 25 German festivals. But homochrom is also one of the up-and-coming festivals to watch for when they announce their program loaded with insider tips. You will always discover and be surprised by some rare and perfect world cinema which could also have been at the Berlinale or even has been. Yet the biggest surprise of the 8th Filmfest homochrom might be that admission is free to all films in 2018. We would like to give you some suggestions to help you navigate your festival experience. There are many very different queer topics in the 2018 selection, and we give you the 6 best, sexiest, most important or most dramatic movies showcasing bisexual, transgender, intersex, gay, and slightly straight stories.

Our 5 Top Lesbian Films Filmfest Homochrom 2018 in the German cities Cologne and Dortmund. It’s autumn, that means it‘s cinema time again in Germany! “Couple of Men” had a nice talk with festival director Martin Wolkner about the programme of the 8th Filmfest homochrom in Cologne and Dortmund. It has quickly become the second-largest among a very active crowd of two dozens of queer film festivals in Germany. (Then again Cologne is still the homo capital of Germany, isn’t it?) But the Filmfest homochrom has also been one of the up-and-coming festivals to look for rare film discoveries and surprises. The biggest one yet might be that admission to all films is free this year. So grab your friends and head to the cinema. There’s no good reason to not see the whole festival, but if you have a good excuse and need to choose just a couple, you might like our suggestions. So we wanted to know which of the 2018 selection are the best, sexiest or most dramatic movies showcasing love between two women or girls. Which are the unmissable films of 2018?

Our 5 Top Gay Films Homochrom Filmfest 2018 in the German cities Cologne and Dortmund. It’s October, the Oktoberfest in Munich is over, and the trees are turning all orange and red, while it’s getting cooler. It’s cinema time again, not only in Germany! We from Couple of Men had an inspiring talk with festival director Martin Wolkner about the program of the 8th Filmfest homochrom in Cologne and Dortmund in the western part of Germany. The LGBT film festival has quickly become the second-largest among a very active crowd of two dozens of queer film festivals all around Germany. (Then again Cologne is still the gayest city in Germany, isn’t it?) But homochrom has also been one of the up-and-coming festivals to look for rare film discoveries and gay movie surprises. The biggest one yet might be that the admission to all films is free in 2018. We wanted to know from Martin Wolkner which of the 2018 film selection are the best, sexiest or most dramatic movies showcasing love between two (gay) men. Which are the unmissable films of 2018?

SPAIN: We didn’t know what to expect and what the advantages would be until checking in at the Meliá 5-Star Resort build as a traditional Spanish village in the mountains.

FINLANDS: Escape the Ordinary. Under this motto, hotel guests can discover the unique accommodation in a former Finnish prison on Helsinki’s island Katajanokka.

GERMANY: It was time for us to finally travel to Berlin again to spend some days in the biggest city of Germany where we explored the gay neighborhood Berlin Schöneberg, attend the CSD Berlin Gay Pride and tested the 4-star hotel Scandic Berlin Kurfürstendamm.

Our trip to Germany’s capital city for CSD Berlin Gay Pride. It was about time to attend Berlin pride for the first time together. The German capital is considered to be one of the most diverse, queer and alternative cities not only in Europe but worldwide. One reason for sure, why Germany is among the gay-friendliest countries worldwide. It is always a great experience to travel to Berlin in the north-eastern part of Germany, especially but not only for the huge gay pride celebration that is attracting over 500.000 LGBT (travelers) from all over the world!

Review of our gay-friendly stay at the Marriott Downtown Toronto Eaton Centre. Modern style, a gay-friendly staff, and a perfect location: During our gay couple city trip in the largest Canadian city Toronto, we stayed right in the heart between Downtown Toronto and Church-Wellesley Village, the popular so-called Gay Village. The Marriott hotel offers good service for gay and LGBT travelers including spacious and comfortable rooms, a rooftop pool as well as a whirlpool, a very nice 24-hour fitness studio with a Toronto city view, a rich breakfast buffet and free luggage service. We found all we needed for a gay-friendly stay in Toronto at Lake Ontario before we headed to our next Canada adventure, Niagara Falls. But now enjoy our hotel review of the modern 4-star hotel Marriott Downtown Toronto Eaton Centre and see this centrally located city trip hotel through a couple of men‘s eyes.

CANADA: All about our trip to Alberta’s capital city for the Gay Edmonton Pride Festival, the one-week LGBTQ+ event for queer rights, equality, and love #lovewins #loveislove #YEGpride.

FINLAND: A visit to Helsinki and Finland wouldn’t be perfect without sweating in a Finnish Sauna, at least once. What about the “design-sauna-experience” LÖYLY at the Baltic Seashore?

SPAIN: It is time for Málaga, the Spanish city in the south of Spain. Known as a holiday destination for sun lovers, we took the chance to make our opinion about Málaga, the second-biggest city of Andalusia.

SOUTH EUROPE: It was time to go onboard the Monarch for our second gay cruise with La Demence, the well-known party organizer from Belgium. This year it should be a different route…

AUSTRIA: The recently named “Destination of the Year 2018” by the Australian LGBTI Awards was already for a while now very high on our gay travel bucket list, especially after traveling to other parts of the Alpine state before. And what could be a better reason, besides pride, to travel to Vienna than the annual AIDS Charity event Life Ball? Exactly! Lucky us, we were invited to attend the 25th edition of Life Ball 2018 and to stay at the 5-star hotel Le Méridien Vienna located in the first district right on the so-called Ringstrasse. We as a gay couple travelers couple of men couldn’t have asked for a better gay-friendly place to stay as the Design Hotel was hosting hotel of the Life Ball event just a stone-throw away from all major sights of Vienna and, of course, close by the Vienna City Hall. Join us on our city trip to Vienna in early summer right before Gay Pride and find out why you should book your stay for EuroPride 2019 in Vienna at the gay-friendly luxury hotel Le Méridien Vienna.

NETHERLANDS: A Gay City Weekend Amsterdam without a boat tour around the canals and Grachten of Amsterdam? No way!

NETHERLANDS: The Mainport Hotel by Inntel Hotels welcomes its guests with a stylish lobby, modern interior and a special creative touch.

The colorful story of our Highlights Jasper Pride Festival Rainbow Parade Marmot Basin 2017 in Alberta, Canada – One of our biggest destination dreams came true: Canada! we traveled to the province of Alberta to attend the 8th edition of the unique Jasper Pride Festival 2017 with a very special highlight: the gay pride parade on the ski hill of the Canadian Ski Resort Marmot Basin. It was amazing to be part of four fantastic, rainbow colored days in the middle of Jasper National Park with an unbelievable supportive (not only) LGBTQ community. We fell in love with the family-like atmosphere of Jasper during the great events all over town center and at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge with the magnificent Rocky Mountains as the perfect backdrop.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Alberta Canada gay-friendly – Over 100 years of accommodation history located right at Lake Beauvert at Jasper National Park seems to be perfect as our “home” during Jasper Pride Festival. The Jasper Park Lodge, an over 2,3 square kilometer huge mountain resort in the middle of Jasper National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), is an all-year-round 4-star lodge with restaurants, pool, and SPA area all with incredible mountain views. The gay-friendly stuff, a remarkable rustical but comfortable atmosphere and the proximity to nature and wildlife of Jasper National Park in Canada made the Fairmont Jasper Park lodge a perfect basis for a gay travel to the Rocky Mountains and Jasper town.

CZECHIA: Full of history, unique architecture and natural beauty is really hard to find anywhere in the world, but easily in Prague.

Our gay couple travel diary of Whistler Pride 2018 Gay Ski Week in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Our second Gay Ski Week brought us again to the Western part of Canada, to British Columbia’s Whistler, to be precise. Together with hundreds of gay men, lesbian women, and all members of the LGBTQ+ community, we spent a week on the slopes of the Canadian Ski Resort Whistler Blackcomb enjoying incredibly much Canadian powder snow. Besides the usual winter sports like skiing and snowboarding through the British Columbian dense forest, Gay Whistler offers several different winter sports like zip-lining and snowmobiling organized by The Adventure Group Whistler.

Next to all the sporting there were of course a lot of LGBTQ+ events like the night of comedy with Margaret Cho, the LGBTQ+ Social Media Workshop, a special dinner evening at Bearfoot restaurant and the famous Furocious, Splash Pool Party, the Sip N’ Dip at the Scandinave Spa and the great closing event Snowball.

Top gay-friendly destinations around the world at the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2018. Spartacus, the German publisher of gay travel guidebooks based in Berlin just released their annual Gay Travel Index giving a detailed ranking of LGBT-friendly countries worldwide. Since 2013, gay and lesbian travelers can find information about how gay-friendly their holiday destination really is. The guys behind the Spartacus Gay Travel Index thereby include the facts of how legal homosexuality actually is and if there are any anti-discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation or HIV travel restrictions.