Gay And Lesbian Travellers - Spain tours,travel vacations,trips,hotel reservations,tourist information

Gay and lesbian life in Spain has come a long way in the twenty years or so since Franco's death. There are strong lobbying movements for same-sex marriages and for same-sex couples to have equal rights; these movements are given greater strength by the suppport of some autonomous governments. The age of consent is 16 - the same as for heterosexual couples.

There are thriving gay communities in most of Spain's main cities, notably of course, Madrid and Barcelona. For gay resorts Sitges is unbeatable, and, as in Cádiz, carnaval is a wonderfully hedonistic time to visit. Ibiza and Torremolinos are two other popular holiday destinations.

Contacts for gay and lesbian travellers
IN THE UK

www.gaytravel.co.uk Online gay and lesbian travel agent, offering good deals on all types of holiday. Also lists gay- and lesbian-friendly hotels around the world.

Dream Waves , Redcot High St, Child Okeford, Blandford, DT22 8ET tel 01258/861149, Dreamwaves@aol.com . Specializes in exclusively gay holidays, including skiing trips and summer sun packages.

Madison Travel , 118 Western Rd, Hove, East Sussex NN3 1DB tel 01273/202532, www.madisontravel.co.uk . Established travel agents specializing in packages to gay- and lesbian-friendly mainstream destinations, and also to gay/lesbian destinations.

Respect Holidays , 74 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 2BE tel 020 7485 8855, www.respect-holidays.co.uk . Offers exclusively gay packages to all popular Europan resorts.

Also check out adverts in the weekly papers Boyz and Pink Paper, handed out free in gay venues.

IN USA AND CANADA

Damron Company , PO Box 422458, San Francisco CA 94142 tel 1-800/462-6654 or 415/255-0404, www.damron.com . Publisher of the Men's Travel Guide , a pocket-sized yearbook full of listings of hotels, bars, clubs and resources for gay men; the Women's Traveler , which provides similar listings for lesbians; and Damron Accommodations , which provides detailed listings of over 1000 accommodations for gays and lesbians worldwide. All of these titles are offered at a discount on the website. No specific city guides - everything is incorporated in the yearbooks.

Ferrari Publications , PO Box 37887, Phoenix, AZ 85069 tel 1-800/962-2912 or 602/863-2408, www.ferrariguides.com . Publishes Ferrari Gay Travel A to Z , a worldwide gay and lesbian guide; Inn Places , a worldwide accommodation guide; the guides Men's Travel in Your Pocket and Women's Travel in Your Pocket , and the quarterly Ferrari Travel Report .

International Gay/Lesbian Travel Association , 4331 N Federal Hwy, Suite 304, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33308 tel 1-800/448-8550, www.iglta.org . Trade group that can provide a list of gay- and lesbian-owned or friendly travel agents, accommodation and other travel businesses.

IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Gay and Lesbian Travel www.galta.com.au . Directory and links for gay and lesbian travel in Australia and worldwide.

Gay Travel www.gaytravel.com . The site for trip planning, bookings, and general information about international travel.

Parkside Travel , 70 Glen Osmond Rd, Parkside, SA 5063 tel 08/8274 1222 or 1800/888 501, hwtravel@senet.com.au . Gay travel agent associated with local branch of Hervey World Travel; all aspects of gay and lesbian travel worldwide.

Pinkstay www.pinkstay.com . Everything from visa information to finding accommodation and work around the world.

Silke's Travel , 263 Oxford St, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 tel 02/9380 6244 or 1800/807 860, silba@magna.com.au . Long-established gay and lesbian specialist, with the emphasis on women's travel.

Tearaway Travel , 52 Porter St, Prahan, VIC 3181 tel 03/9510 6344, tearaway@bigpond.com . Gay-specific business dealing with international and domestic travel.