Exclusive | Women's Travel: Introduction

Our travel guides are frequently updated. This travel guide was last updated 7/07. Still, there are places that are bound to have closed or changed since our last update. Use the listed phone numbers to call ahead, and please let us know of any corrections or new places of interest you discover.

WOMEN'S TRAVEL

In the 1600s, intrepid traveler Lady Ann Fanshawe was so desperate to see the world that she disguised herself as a cabin boy to do so. Other women followed more openly in her footsteps. Adventurers such as the outspoken and flamboyant "Queen of the Desert," Lady Ester Stanhope; celebrated pilot Amelia Earhart; famed traveler-writer Freya Stark; and renowned traveler archaeologist and government officer Gertrude Bell have set a fine example, firmly staking out women's place in the sun, sea and sky.

In travel, as in life, it is frequently "different for girls." Our goals, needs, motivations, desires and strategies as women travelers often differ from those of our male friends. There are even more differences between us as lesbian travelers and our gay male counterparts. We have to ask questions that the boys don't. If accommodations are advertised as "gay/lesbian," will we find ourselves the lone ladies in a cruisey, boy-saturated clothing-optional compound? If a guidebook listing merely states "gay-friendly," does that also translate as lesbian-friendly or lesbian-popular? Will we be the only lesbian couple in a restaurant or resort? Will that be uncomfortable? Gay women must keep in mind the importance of researching in advance the "lesbian factor" of venues we plan to visit in an unknown city. Our safety, comfort and holiday happiness can depend on it.

Fear not! Our female staff has come to the rescue. They have scoured the earth to find the most popular and most comfortable lesbian-popular accommodations, restaurants, caf?s, bars, clubs and bookstores -- hell, we even found a cruisey, lesbo-fabulous grocery store and a few hot sex venues! Here you'll find the most up-to-date, comprehensive travel guide available anywhere online that is dedicated to the specific needs of lesbian travelers. As complete and up to date as this is, though, it's just the nature of these venues to change from one moment to the next. Please call ahead to the venue listed to verify hours and to be sure it's still open. Lesbian venues are a famously fickle flock. And let us know if you find anything that needs to be updated, modified or deleted, or if you find something new to add to this guide. Send corrections or comments to: editor@outtraveler.com. (Note: Where possible, we've included details about wheelchair accessibility and rules about smoking.)

NORTH AMERICA

Increasingly popular destinations are those where women's residential communities have sprouted up. Asheville (North Carolina), Brooklyn's Park Slope, Atlanta's Decatur ("Dyke-atur"), Boston's Jamaica Plain and, increasingly, Somerville, Mass., make great places to go for laid-back holiday time. If you're skeptical about heading to the suburbs, keep in mind that while they may not be resort locations, they do offer some excellent women-owned and/or women-popular caf?s and restaurants, exciting club nights or fabulous favorites and enticing opportunities for watching luscious local lesbians saunter about their daily lives.

There's something delicious about arriving in such a low-key easy environment and feeling enjoyably at home. Similarly, destinations that are home to clusters of academic dykes (Cambridge and Northampton in Massachusetts and Berkeley in California) have their own distinctive appeal, especially for those who like their restroom graffiti highbrow or in Latin! For the resort vacation, however, there's nowhere like Provincetown. For those of us living in places where our lives cannot be so refreshingly open, a visit to the lesbian-overrun streets of P'town can be a thrilling, life-affirming experience. Here are our favorite women's spots in some of the most dyke-popular destinations on Earth.

GENERAL RESOURCES

The online fairy godmother of traveling women worldwide www.journeywoman.com eloquently presents culturally correct advice, proper protocol for etiquette-eager travelers, hints for solo diners, go-alone trip tips, travel love stories (for people, places and perfect moments) and articles aimed for the older adventuress. Tales and tips are generally women-specific, rather than lesbian-specific.

Smart international directory www.hermail.net connects traveling women worldwide. Get insider information on weather, clothing, women-friendly accommodation or the chances of finding a good vegetarian meal in your destination of choice from more than 10,000 women in 35 countries. Feel like celebrating the wonderful world of women? Never mind kids -- do you want to know whether you can bring the cats? A pet-friendly Web site, www.bringmypet.com lists accommodations for bringing along your feline or canine family members.

Related Articles:

Women's Travel: U.S. South

Women's Travel: U.S. East

Women's Travel: U.S. West

Women's Travel: Canada/Mexico

Women's Travel: Europe

Women's Travel: Tours & Events

Women's Travel: Travel Safety