In-flight Wi-Fi has steadily been gaining ground -- or sky -- these last few years, so here's a quick round-up of airlines that offer it (and at what prices).
Once your plane hits cruising altitudes of 10,000 feet or above, Wi-Fi can be activated safely. Whether you have a laptop, PDA or just a smartphone with internet access, you are set to go once you check which system your airline works with.
We all hate working on vacation, so finish up last minute tasks before you land!
It’s simple and fast to sign up for a Gogo wireless account, which most airlines are using to facilitate the service. Before that, check that your specific route offers an in-flight Wi-Fi program. Some shuttles or connecting flights may lack the service that makes your office mobile.
Southwest was the first to introduce the concept, and remains among the simplest systems in use. Like connecting to any other network, simply find the “Southwest Wi-Fi” router and hit connect.
American 3+ Hour Flights: $12.95 Less than 3 Hours: $9.95 Handheld devices (PDAs/smart phones): $7.95 (regardless of flight length) Note: Power sockets under your seat (possibly two)
AirTran Airways Laptops: Flights under 3 hours: $9.95 Flights over 3 hours: $12.95 Handheld Devices (iPhone, Wi-Fi Blackberry):
$7.95 (regardless of flight length) Note: Access on every flight through Gogo.com
Delta 3+ Hour Flights: $12.95 Less than 3 Hours: $9.95 Note: Service available on all domestic flights in US through Gogo.com. JetBlue Airlines BetaBlue program:
FREE Note: Only instant messaging and e-mail services are available for access. Southwest Airlines Special Feature: In testing phases, so prices range from $2 to $12.
Virgin America (updated: thanks jez, for the reminder!) Laptops: Under 1.5 Hour Flights and red-eyes: $5.95 1.5 to 3 Hour Flights: $9.95 3+ Hour Flight: $12.95 Handheld Devices (Blackberry, iPhone, PDA/smartphones: Under 1.5 Hour Flights: $5.95 1.5+ Hour Flights: $7.95
Regular Out Traveler columnistDennis Hensley just got back from EuroPride 2009 in Zurich and sent us two typically hilarious -- yet very informative! -- video postcards from his trip.
Some 50,000 reportedly attended this weekend's Europride festival in "the little big city" of Zurich,
Switzerland. OutTraveler's Dennis Hensley and his handy Flipvideo
camera were there among the throng. In part one of his two-part video
postcard, he meets Zurich's openly lesbian mayor, Corine Mauch, learns the difference between Mr. Switzerland and Mr. Gay Switzerland and chats up U.S. porn stud Johnny Hazzard on the "best night of his life."
Don't rain on our Europride parade!
In Part 2 of his video postcard from Zurich,
Dennis Hensley pokes around the float prepping area, discovers his
inner Showgirl, and floats a provocative theory about Euro-boys and
their "nifty black jacket" obsession.
Story by Nick Malgieri; Photos as credited in slideshow
On Saturday, June 6 at precisely
3p.m. Central European Summer Time, Zurich’s openly lesbian mayor,
Corine Mauch, cut the ribbon to begin the EuroPride '09 parade. Composed of many Swiss and other European gay organizations as well
as thousands of gay and gay friendly individuals, some in elaborate
costumes, the parade was the culmination of over a month dedicated to
gay related activities in Switzerland’s largest and most prosperous
city.
An AIDS walk, sporting events, a gay and lesbian film festival,
performance art pieces, lectures, and plenty of parties featuring the
best DJ’s of Switzerland, Germany, and Austria took place throughout
May, with most of the heavy partying scheduled for the parade weekend.
In an impressive gesture of generosity toward the worldwide gay community,
Zurich Tourism hosted a group of over 50 gay journalists from around
the world for June 5 to 8.
After a month of excellent
bright sunny weather, parade day dawned gray and drizzly, but the rain
abated for most of the parade, the skies opening for a few minutes while
the last of the marchers were nearing Muensterhof in Zurich’s old
town, where speeches by the mayor and Moldavian human rights activist
Mihaela Copot followed.
Swiss TV personality Patrick
Rohr then presented the annual Stonewall Award to Ernst Ostertag and Roebi
Rapp in recognition of their tireless support of gay rights in Switzerland
and their recently web-published gay history of the country available
in German at www.schwulengeschichte.ch<. Partnered for over 50 years,
they were among the first couples to register under Switzerland’s
gay partnership laws. Live and recorded music continued at the
Muensterhof stage until midnight, when many headed to closing night
parties throughout the city.
More information and photos
are available at www.europride09.eu. A groundbreaking Europride
10 will take place in Warsaw (see www.euorpride.eu and click on Warsaw 2010 in the left
column).
Story and photos: Ed Salvato; above view from 19th floor of 1500 Broadway
Slowly but surely people are taking over the streets of New York. It's not in order to protest anything. It's just that the city's transportation department is reclaiming large swaths of the city and handing them over to bicyclists and pedestrians in an attempt to make the city more user friendly and inviting.
Some businesses, taxi drivers, delivery vehicles and other motorists are none too pleased but this has become a huge boon to residents and visitors alike. The latest street to lose cars and gain people is New York's most important and well known: Broadway. Sections of this great avenue from 47th to 42nd streets and 35th to 33rd
streets have been closed to cars. As you can see in the photos, it's pretty informal right now. There's just a bunch of plastic traffic barrels blocking vehicular access and, for the comfort of pedestrians, colorful beach chairs have been strewn about. Despite this week's rainy and windy conditions, there have been people sitting in those chairs enjoying the lack of motorists.
So next time you come to see a show, be sure to come a little early for some people watching, without fear of being flatted by an oncoming truck.
It's always hard to choose between a W Hotel or a Kimpton property: both have stellar service, offer personalized amenities, and are incredibly gay-friendly. Every chic W, like every cool Kimpton, is also unique, so there's a 'Try them all!' impulse that's hard to ignore.
Whichever way you swing on your next vacation, though, both W Hotels and Kimpton are showing their LGBT guests some substantial prizes, so you can't go wrong.
W Hotels has renewed their Pride 365 package for 2009, which means discounts and bonus amenities through February 2010 at any of their hotels (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle...).
Rates vary by property, so inquire ahead, but amenities to look forward to wherever you stay include: a pair of complimentary cocktails, a flight amenity kit (every traveler's essential carry-on), a Bliss travel skin care kit, and a copy of the latest Big Trips: More Good Gay Travel Writing anthology to give you some ideas for the next trip!
Kimpton's third annual Summer of Pride package -- through September 29, 2009 -- is nothing to sneeze at, though. Booking two nights gifts you with a third free weekend night to add onto your trip, plus a $50 dining credit at the hotel's restaurant which are often among the top restaurants in town. Having scored a perfect 100 on the HRC's Equality Index since 2004, Kimpton's also added a new LGBT honor to its list in 2008: all its hotels are now members of IGLTA.
Story by LoAnn Halden; Photos Courtesy Girls in Wonderland
Gay Days parties are changing fast and furiously, but Girls In Wonderland is dodging the controversy.
For once, there doesn't seem to be any dyke drama. Girls in Wonderland, a weekend of Sapphic-centric events held during Gay Days at Disney World, returns for another Orlando run, June 4-7. More than 7,000 women are expected to attend the pool parties, luau, club events, concert, and signature Saturday night dance party at House of Blues.
The Marriott Courtyard Host Hotel is sold out and Pandora Events, the South Florida producers behind the weekend, are already filling the co-host property, the neighboring Fairfield Inn. Even in this economic mess, it's still one of the largest women's events in the state -- and it benefits the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Meanwhile, over on the boys' side of the kingdom, a Gay Days dethroning of sorts appears to be in the works. Johnny Chisholm's One Mighty Weekend abandoned its big-name venues for Friday and Saturday night's parties (June 5-6) over financial issues at the 11th hour. The Beach Ball, formerly held at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, now unfolds at the OMW host hotel, the Buena Vista Palace, site of the daily Reunion pool parties. One Mighty Party, which so coolly incorporated Disney's Hollywood Studios and its best rides in previous years, will now be held at… the Gaylord Palms hotel. Um, okay. Tickets for these event are still $95 each, despite removing the theme park setting. (We'll let you do the math.)
Seems that this venue jump didn't go unnoticed. Typhoon Lagoon was snapped up in the aftermath and will still host a June 5 boy bash with DJ Lydia Prim; the party is dubbed Let's Go Play and benefits the AIDS agencies Hope and Help and Broward House. Tickets are $69.
Where will the guys go on Friday night? Remains to be seen. But over in Wonderland, the lesbians will be swinging from the rafters all weekend.
Images Courtesy New Hope Celebrates Story by Joseph Alexiou
New Hope, the liberal enclave north of Philadelphia on the beautiful Delaware River, will be host to New Hope Celebrate's 6th annual Pride Parade and celebration. Includes appearances by Top Gun actress Kelly McGillis and parade performances by the DC Cowboys (from NBC's America's Got Talent) as well as "RuPaul's Drag Race" DJ Mark Pichhioitti. the parade begins at noon on Saturday, May 16 right in downtown, Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corp Marching Band, the New Jersey Eagles Motorcycle Club, and the aforementioned DC Cowboys.
On Saturday families can also attend free outdoor fitness and craft activities at the New Hope-Solebury Upper Elementary School (180 W. Bridge St), and on Sunday can go to the Proud to Families and Friends Afternoon Tea Dance at 2:30, at Kehilat HaNahar (85 W. Mechanic St.). For the grown ups, on Saturday the comic, foul-mouthed puppet diva Madame will perform at 8:30 p.m. at The Nevermore Hotel, followed by the annual After Glow Party at 11. The ever-popular T-Dance on Sunday, May 17 at 4:00 p.m. spotlights DJ Mark Picchiotti (location TBA). To wrap up the weekend, VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" star ANT (who also appears on Logo's U.S. of ANT) will exhibit his irreverant comedy at Sing Out Loud and Proud, hosted by Kelly McGillis on Sunday, May 17 at the New Hope-Solebury High School. The event will raise money for Planned Parenthood's Rainbow Room, an LGBT youth resource center.
The famed Sunset Strip Hyatt Riot Hotel has just emerged from a stunning face-lift as the new HyattAndaz Hotel. Check out this neat video covering the transformation that our colleagues over at the Advocate recently put together.
Images in order (1-4, 7) Courtesy of DR!P at the Grace Hotel; (5-6) courtesy Wilson Models Story by Joseph Alexiou
A few weeks ago we reported the Roomate Grace Hotel in our Value Watch series, a great boutique location with an indoor pool and bar. We briefly mentioned the gay pool party called Drip, but didn't give it too much attention. A shame, because it has been taking NYC Monday nights by storm.
Conceived by nightlife legend Lee Chappell, Drip is almost a gay fantasy dream come true, especially on the cold winter nights. After some wonderful cabaret performances across the street at the Foreign Affairs party at the Night Hotel (gay-themed entertainment worthy of its own blog post), party folks hop over to the Grace and de-suit to their bikini briefs, and brief-er swim trunks.
While the crowd is leans towards the young side, it's really quite mixed (gay, straight, young, and old), and there's lots of seating around the classy two-level bar, which even the swimmers can paddle right up to and order cocktails. With lovely banquets, plenty of seating and lots of room to check out slender swimmers jumping in an out of the pool, this bar is a delight and reminds us of the nightlife that New York was once famous for.
Music is provided by top gay NYC DJs (Jonjon Battles and Corey Tut), while drag and burlesque performances break up the night into entertainment in a way that only the Big Apple can provide. While the security will make sure that people stay in their trunks and out of their birthday suits, there's no street clothing requirement anywhere. So if you're comfy lounging in your swimsuit, the bar (and water) is warm enough to stroll around with your towel and little more.
Out Traveler G.P.S offers dispatches from the ever-expanding field of gay and lesbian travel -- as soon as we know, you know. Check back frequently for updates, insider information, advice, and offers brought to you by our ever-roving band of gay travel experts and by readers just like you.
OutTraveler.com Editor in Chief Ed Salvato and his team travel the world for you. Occasionally we miss something. If you don’t see your favorite destination, tip or deal featured here, tell us about it!
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