Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

When the city of West Hollywood was incorporated in 1984, it elected a lesbian mayor and a predominantly gay city council. West Hollywood, also known as WeHo, has been waving the rainbow flag ever since. While L.A.'s large gay community is too vast to be contained in this 2-square-mile city, West Hollywood has the largest concentration of gay- and lesbian-oriented businesses and services. Santa Monica, Venice, Silver Lake, and Studio City are other lesbian and gay enclaves.

There are many gay-oriented publications with information and up-to-date listings, including Frontiers, a Southern California-based biweekly; Metro Source magazine, a New York and L.A.-based monthly. The periodicals above are available at most newsstands citywide.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; tel. 954/630-1637; 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 and tour operators.

Gay.com Travel (http://daily.gay.com/travel or www.outtraveler.com) is an excellent online successor to the popular Out and About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide.

The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 40th Edition (www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide); Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition; and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.