 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.
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