Kelsy Chauvin

EDGE Media Network

Wine Not? Uncorking Beautiful Bordeaux

(by Kelsy Chauvin)
France is hot right now. Its soccer team just won the World Cup, its president is a proudly progressive world leader, and travelers can enjoy the world's finest food, wine, and culture. But many visitors focus their vacation time on Paris -- missing out on other cities with incredible restaurants, architecture, museums, and, of course, wine. Bordeaux is one of France's most alluring cities for all of those reasons and more. Top among them is the high-speed train, new in 2017...

iglta.org

From the CEO: Creating Greater Understanding of LGBTQ Tourism in Europe

(Ghostwritten for IGLTA CEO John Tanzanella)
When it comes to LGBTQ rights, most of us consider European countries to be among the world’s most progressive. European Union legislation protects against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, same-sex sexual activity is legal in all 28 EU member states, and 22 of those countries support same-sex civil unions or full marriage equality. Naturally these factors appeal to queer travelers...

EDGE Media Network

5 Pride Festivals Worth Traveling For This Spring

Pride season is officially kicking into high gear, and 2018 is a great year to explore queer celebrations further afield. Here's a rundown of the top U.S. and international Pride festivals happening this spring.

Condé Nast Traveler

What NOLA's 'Gay Mardi Gras' Taught Me About My Parents—and Myself

(by Kelsy Chauvin)
We pulled into the hotel driveway just off Bourbon Street and all I saw were rainbows. Rainbows hanging in windows; flapping from the French Quarter’s wrought-iron balconies; billowing on the sidewalk racks of kitschy souvenir shops. As a blanket of queer colors flew by, my gaydar buzzed from the backseat of my parents’ car.
It was the early 2000s and I was in my mid-20s, living in Brooklyn and getting the hang of adult life. And while I’d come out as a lesbian my sophomore year of college...

Fodor's

12 of the World’s Most Enlightening LGBTQ Museums

Check out these illuminating museums, galleries, and archives share the story of LGBTQ struggles and splendor around the world.
Many Americans are familiar with the mid-century backlashes that sparked the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil-rights movement. From those events came Pride marches that now happen all over the world. Those early battles also inspired many LGBTQ advocates to commemorate and honor their communities through enduring institutions.
In America, plans to open t...

CNN

The Hotel That's Shaking up the Riviera Maya

(CNN) — The dappled Caribbean sunshine and white sand seem even more relaxing from the balcony of a duchess.
Well, the former balcony. Today, her peaceful vacation villa is the main house of Hotel Esencia, a refined, tropical hideaway 30 minutes down the coast from Cancun, Mexico.
Occupying 50 acres of pristine beachfront and a swath of coastal forest, Hotel Esencia's secluded paradise befits its royal provenance. The resort honors nature through savvy design and undeniable luxury, evoking the grandeur of its original owner, Italian duchess Rosa de Ferrari.

Fodor's

12 Great American LGBTQ Bars to Visit at Pride—and All Year

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Bars are good for drinks and laughs, and sometimes they even make history.

Let’s face it, communities come together in bars. A great happy hour or well-made cocktail is enticing, but bartenders and fellow patrons are just as important for having a sense of place where, some say, everybody knows your name.

For the LGBTQ community, bars have played vital roles in history. They’ve served as safe places where like-minded people could connect, commiserate, and celebrate. Some bars even pl...

Fodor's

11 Spectacular Pride Celebrations in Unexpected Cities

Cue the rainbow flags—2018 Pride season is underway!
Big cities are where gay Pride first blasted off, most famously in New York City in June 1969. There were similar LGBTQ civil-rights protests too in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco as far back as 1957. But over the past half-century, gay-liberation marches evolved, repurposing the original 1966 P.R.I.D.E. acronym (Personal Rights in Defense and Education) into an out-and-proud assertion of justice, dignity, and celebration. Tod...

Fodor's

LGBTQ Festivities and Events That Go Beyond Gay Pride Parades

For the past half-century, annual Gay Pride events have gathered local communities to march and rally for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights. But now more than ever, LGBTQ travelers are drawn to destinations based on personal interests. From cinema and performing arts to sporting events and wine tours, there are an incredible array of experiences and outings worth the trip.

EDGE Media Network

Border Crossing: 3 Far-Flung International Prides

Whether you're returning to a beloved destination or ready for a new fave, Pride festivals are an inspiring way to have fun while supporting local LGBTQ communities.
Many of them take place in spring and early summer, but several fetes wave their rainbows right through the fall...

Fodor's

20 Great Reasons to Visit San Juan, Puerto Rico Now

(by Kelsy Chauvin)
...American’s Caribbean-island territory is still rebuilding after devastation caused by last fall’s hurricanes Maria and Irma, which wrecked the local infrastructure along with so much of the island’s other functionality and beauty. But just as Houston, New Orleans, and other destinations have overcome the havoc of extreme natural disasters, the people and businesses of Puerto Rico are restoring their home state with newfound courage. That’s where we, the travelers, come in...

EDGE Media Network

Beyond the Parade: An Insider's Guide to NYC Pride

(by Kelsy Chauvin)
It's time to start fluffing your wigs and polishing your marching (or runway) boots -- 2018 New York City Pride is almost here!

This year's NYC Pride promises to be a memorable 10-day event and perhaps a foreshadowing of even greater things to come as the city anticipates Pride 2019, which marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and hosts WorldPride.
For 2018, there's a new march route, cultural and culinary events galore, the inaugural Human Rights Conference, and more ways than ever to celebrate.

Passport Online

Why You Should Visit Puerto Rico Now

(by Kelsy Chauvin) I admit I’m biased: I love Puerto Rico. So when two hurricanes, dastardly Maria and Irma, slammed the island last fall, I was worried. I followed the news, I donated to local causes (like the Hispanic Federation’s Unidos Disaster Relief & Recovery, a favorite of Lin-Manuel Miranda), and I planned a trip there in early 2018.
There’s plenty of good news and a bit of bad news. The bad news is that some of the more rural parts of the island are still without power. The good news, however, is that much of Puerto Rico is back on line...

EDGE Media Network

Historic Hamburg May Be Europe's Most Modern City

(by Kelsy Chauvin)
Germany's second-largest city is rapidly overtaking Berlin as the nation's can't-miss destination. Hamburg is home to rich history, diverse musical and theatrical heritage, an active LGBTQ community, and, especially lately, some of Europe's most intriguing urban renewal.

It seems like much of the attraction centers on the striking Elbphiharmonie. Opened in early 2017, the "Elphie" is an instant landmark whose lower third is a husky red-brick, eight-story former warehouse that...