Peru: Rainbows, Rainbows Everywhere…

Story by Amita Parashar. Photo credits in photo notes.

The rainbow flags may be out in full force, but this land is far from Santa Monica Blvd. Gayness is mostly under the radar in Peru -- the bright flags are actually a nod to the Incan empire -- but the cute surfer girls and real rainbows couldn’t help but turn my vacation a little bit gay.

Lima: Spend your time in the Miraflores and Barranco districts, two relaxed, artsy beach towns. Admire hot surfer boys and girls along the water, then visit Dédalo (e-mail dedalo@speedy.com.pe), a shop/café that sells blown glass and silver jewelry handcrafted by local artists. For more traditional Peruvian kitsch, check out the Inca Market in Miraflores. At night, we hit local watering hole El Tayta, for cheap beer and freshly roasted cancha (Peruvian corn nuts). The bar boasts a good mix of Peruvians and foreigners, plus an incredibly cute girl-with-guitar singer who covered everyone from Colbie Caillat to Alanis.

Machu Picchu: Although it’ll take you a plane, train, bus and handful of altitude sickness pills to get there, you must visit Machu Picchu. You’ll forget the pain-in-the-ass journey when you reach breathtaking views of the Sacred Valley and walk among the ruins from the last seat of the Incan empire. You’ll be dreaming about this place for days. For a romantic date after the exhausting journey, eat at open-air Pacha Papa in Cusco for Peruvian and fusion fare. While in Cusco, stay at Niños Hotel, all the profits provide daily food and support to over 500 kids in the area. Plus, they have plenty of coca leaf tea to help with the altitude adjustment.

Paracas: A four hour luxury bus ride (yes, actually luxury) south from Lima will land you in Paracas. Take a 30 minute boat ride to the biodiverse Ballestas Islands, home to penguins and sea lions. While in Paracas, try the Chita Frita, fried whole fish. For the athletically-inclined (or just daring), head to nearby Huacachina to sandboard down 300 foot dunes. For more highly-spirited travelers, Paracas is also a great place to tour wine and pisco vineyards.

Value Watch: Legado Mitico, Buenos Aires

Photos courtesy of Legado Mitico (1,2) and Aldebran Hotel (3, 4)
Story by Olga Bas

The gay-friendly Legado Mitico in the Palermo Soho area of Buenos Aires, Argentina is ushering in the fall season with a cool deal for those wanting to soak up the sun. When you stay at this 11-room classically inspired hotel from April 1 to August 1, Classic Mythic Rooms go for $220, Superior Mythic Rooms for $250, and Deluxe Mythic Rooms for $280 (the rates include breakfast and WiFi). When you mention Out Traveler, the hotel will throw in a room upgrade (upon availability) and a bottle of a good  Argentinean wine.

The hotel is fully air-conditioned with a spacious living room, terrace solarium, six-person whirlpool, and a tree-shaded patio. Each room takes its name and style cues from a historically or culturally important Spanish personality -- i.e. The Writer, named for author Jorge Luis Borges; or The Idealist, named for revolutionary Che Guevara.

The OutTraveler.com deal also includes the 10-room Aldebaran Hotel, a romantic getaway which is located in Bariloche on the San Pedro Peninsula in the Patagonian Lake District and has a spa with sauna and indoor-outdoor heated  swimming pool.

Money-saving tip: Businesses that cater to tourists may offer different rates depending on whether you pay in local currency or foreign currency. If paying in cash, it's better to carry local currency to avoid getting a bad exchange rate from the vendor. If paying by credit card, make sure nothing gets increased in the translation -- you don't want to pay $100 when the original price was 100 pesos.

Affordable Puerto Rico

Photos courtesy of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company
Story by Olga Bas

If you've got your eye on the "Island of Enchantment," aka Puerto Rico, these packages will help you on your way:

• Amigos Tours gay package: Located in the Porta del Sol area on Puerto Rico's west coast, Amigos Tours and Travel offers five-day excursions each month that combine nature and beaches with culture and history. Activities include bird watching in the Cabo Rojo Natural Wildlife Refuge and snorkeling the warm waters of a bioluminescent bay as the sun sets. $1,250 per person

• Gran Melia gay package: The Gran Melia hotel on the east side of the island in Coco Beach offers boundless luxury "with an avant-garde flair." Nestled in the tropics of the El Yunque rainforest, it has 486 suites scattered among 20 two-story bungalows, the world-renowned YHI Spa, and two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by PGA pro Tom Kite. Book at least a three-night stay in the Royal Service Jr. Suite and use the promotional code GLBTPROMO to get the special rate of $399 per night until May 30 and $299 from May 31-Dec. 23.

• Miramar Hotel package: A bit more laid-back than the Gran Melia, the Miramar Hotel in San Juan offers intimate, European-style accommodations at a low price. The $75 nightly rate (fifth night is free) includes a studio room, free parking, complimentary breakfast, the use of a mini gym and solarium, and a Bacardi Rum Factory tour.

Tour Operator Spotlight: RSVP (UPDATED!)

Photos courtesy of RSVP Vacations
Story by: Olga Bas

RSVP Vacations
(1-800-328-RSVP, www.rsvpvacations.com, info@rsvpvacations.com)

About:  RSVP was the first company to offer “gay environment” travel and for the last 20 years RSVP has organized cruises for thousands of travelers. Every trip offers countless activities, both on board and on shore, a welcoming environment, and experienced staff. There is never dull moment, if you've got the energy for it, and nothing but relaxation, if you'd rather lounge in the sun all day. "RSVP is growing, and we're stronger than ever before," said Charlie Rounds, president of RSVP Vacations.  "In 2009, we're pleased to be offering five different all-gay and lesbian cruises on four different and exciting ships with an emphasis on variety, choice and value. Returning guests will find all the best elements of the RSVP vacations that they came to know and love, along with a few fun, new surprises," he said.

Clientele: 100% gay; 75-90% men; 50% couples; avg. age range: 35-45

Price range: $ 799-2,600

Upcoming trips: Departing from Los Angeles April 18th 2009, the upcoming Mexican Riviera cruise, seven days of relaxation, will be one of the company's signature "Freestyle Cruising." The Norwegian Star cruise liner (capacity: 2,240 passengers) will take you to the most popular beach cities of Mexico's Pacific Coast. With a late stay in the gay-friendly Puerto Vallarta, you can relax and enjoy the city's nightlife, while onboard, you can choose from ten diverse restaurants, swim in the pool, or sun on the large outdoor deck.

Deals and steals: The Mexican Riviera cruise has staterooms available for just $799 per person based on double occupancy, RSVP's lowest prices in years on this cruise. And the LA departure makes it a very cost effective trip.

UPDATE: There's been some confusion over the difference between Atlantis and RSVP. They're both cruise operators, they're owned by the same company, so what's the difference (besides the name)? Well, we're glad you asked, here's the run-down:

"Atlantis and RSVP both provide high quality all-gay and lesbian vacation experiences with an emphasis on friendship, camaraderie, relaxation, entertainment, adventure and fun," said Oscar Yuan, Atlantis' Vice President of Sales & Marketing.

Read on...

Ed Salvato talks hot destinations on XM Radio

Photo: Jason Frank Rothenberg

Our Editor in Chief, Ed Salvato, appeared on XM Radio on HRC's the Agenda with Joe Solmonese and Mary Breslauer. He discussed warm-weather getaways, new travel resources, steals and deals and much more!

Download the podcast here. Read all about it on The Agenda's blog here.

Queer Tango in Argentina

Photo by Ali Burafi, courtesy of Getty Images

Buenos Aires, Latin paradise and cultural center of Argentina, is hosting their second International Queer Tango Festival. From December 1 through December 8, students and teachers from all around the world gather together and learn the sultry Argentine dance moves with no attention paid to the genders of the people who pair up (nor to which one wears heels).

Queer Tango is more than just a sexy dance, but also a cultural movement. Although its origins are within this fair South American capital, its followers can be found all around the world.

Download Our LGBT World Maps!

Every issue, our LGBT world maps concisely break down a different world region by current LGBT rights progress and social reception. For Out Travelers, they not only provide a great way to get in touch with countries on our itineraries, but also inspire us to visit and learn more about new places and cultures.

A new regular feature here on GPS and on our Facebook home, we'll be posting these maps for Out Travelers to download, share and use for free!

Click on these links to download the readable PDFs of the Islamic World (Fall 2007 issue), the  Pacific (Winter 2008 issue), Latin America (Spring 2008 issue), the Orthodox World (Summer 2008 issue), Asia (Fall 2008), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Winter 2008).

Your Future on the High Seas

Photos in order: Courtesy Getty Images (2)

The Out Traveler’s own Aefa Mulholland can’t get enough cruises. That’s why she has compiled for our faithful readers a list of every gay cruise chartered from right now up until September 2010.

Organized alphabetically by tour company, Aefa’s inventory gives all the necessary info: dates and destinations of voyage, descriptions of the boats (including basic passenger details), the shore-side activities, and any other tidbits you might need to know. Click here to see the list!

LGBT World Maps Online!

Illustrations: Courtesy Out Traveler

From my first copy of the Out Traveler, the Maps pages have been a favorite. Colorfully illustrated, they take on a new geographic and cultural region every issue and clearly code the current legal and social standing of non-heterosexuals there, further specifying by country.

Download PDFs of the Islamic World (Fall 2007 issue), the  Pacific (Winter 2008 issue), Latin America (Spring 2008 issue), the Orthodox World (Summer 2008 issue), and Asia (Fall 2008) by clicking the links here!

These maps are also great for planning trips! For all the details a great article on Cambodia can provide, a map can put things in a usefully larger context. Seeing the whole area at once, for example, you may well decide that Vietnam, rather than Cambodia, is where you want to go.

Stay posted here and on Facebook for regular digital updates of our maps as they are created!

Discriminatory U.S. Ban Ended on HIV+ Travelers

Photos: Getty Images
Story by Joseph Alexiou

On Wednesday July 30th, HIV positive travelers worldwide celebrated President Bush’s signing of an important piece of legislation, PEPFAR, or the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. PEPFAR will authorize $50 billion dollars over the next five years to various domestic and international HIV and AIDS causes.

• This plan is especially relevant to travelers as it immediately repeals the United State’s discriminatory laws that barred HIV-positive visitors and immigrants from entering the country.

Previously, a known HIV-positive traveler could only enter the country through a short-term travel waiver that was no easy feat to obtain, to put it lightly. In 2007, working in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign, who led the fight against the laws, Senators John Kerry and Gordon Smith as well as Representative Barbara Lee introduced the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act in their respective houses of Congress. Their introductions of this act paved the way for the repeal on July 30th. 

On the day of the victory, HRC President Joe Solmonese praised the legislators who aided in the cause of removing the ban which “perform[ed] no public service, [was] unnecessary and ineffective.”

He then made the formal request that US Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt to remove any “remaining regulatory barriers to HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.”

Click here for the HRC's coverage of this story.