Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

The capital of the only state in which same-sex marriage is legal, Boston is overall a gay- and lesbian-friendly destination, with a live-and-let-live attitude that long ago replaced the city's legendary Puritanism.

Bay Windows (tel. 617/266-6670; www.baywindows.com) is a weekly newspaper that covers New England and publishes cultural listings. The weekly Boston Phoenix publishes cultural and nightlife listings and has a gay-interest area on its website (www.bostonphoenix.com).

An excellent guide to local gay- and lesbian-owned and -friendly businesses is the Pink Pages (www.pinkweb.com/boston.index.html). Other useful resources include the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Helpline (tel. 888/340-4528 or 617/267-9001) and the Peer Listening Line, for people under 26 (tel. 800/399-PEER or 617/267-2535), both operated by Fenway Community Health (www.fenwayhealth.org); the Boston Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (tel. 617/227-4313; www.bagly.org); and the Bisexual Resource Center (tel. 617/424-9595; www.biresource.org).

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses.

Agencies that offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian travelers include Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com).

Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com), is an excellent online successor to the popular Out & About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, -oriented, and -friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide. British travelers should click on the "Travel" link at www.uk.gay.com for advice and gay-friendly trip ideas.

The Canadian website GayTraveler (gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.

The following travel guides are available at many bookstores and through any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 35th Edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide), Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition (Odysseus Enterprises Ltd.; www.odyusa.com), and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate annual books for gay men and lesbians.