LesBian Life: Going on Vacation

By Anna McFaith on Thursday, April 1, 2010 - 20:47

I have a couple of new confessions to make to you. One, I’m not a big fan of traveling. I love seeing new places and meeting new people, but I hate leaving the comfort of my home.

I’m at that stage of my life where the only possible way of going on vacation is on a friend’s couch or in a tent. And I loathe, really, really loathe camping. I hate being cold and clammy, I hate cooking on one of those camping burners and I hate sharing my toilet with 60 other people.

Having said that, I’ve had some great camping vacations and I’m bound to have a lot more. There is only one thing that I could potentially find more creepy and terrifying, and that is spending two months on a cruise ship with a gazillion lesBians. Please, forgive me, I do not mean to sound derogatory or ashamed to be gay, but I’m the kind of lesbian that has never attended a pride event. I’m more of the "I’m gay, so what?" kind of gal. To spend two months on a ship with nothing to focus on besides my sexuality might be bad for my mental health. And that would be confession number two.

I used to think that when it came to lesbian vacations, an Olivia cruise was my only option. A recently published German article made me change my mind. Zeit Online published an article with vacation spots and ideas for lesBians, and I have to admit, I’m a little tempted. With the vacation season coming, I thought this was the best time to bring to you: LesBian Life: Vacation edition!

Zeit Online talks about some golden oldies like a visit to Lesbos, Greece, or Iceland. Wait… Iceland? Really? Apparently, the whole of Iceland is so gay-friendly, it’s the perfect spot to vacation. Well, I’ve seen how pretty Iceland can be — yes, Iceland is where they shot the first Tomb Raider movie, so vacationing there is somewhat tempting. The fact that Angie walked on Iceland soil might just be enough to make this beautiful country lesbian vacation spot number one!

I’m not sure I, with my dislike for cold nights, would appreciate camping there (after all, Lara Croft wore about thrice as much clothes in those scenes than she did the entire movie combined). Maybe I’ll go there when I have the money to pay for a cosy cottage somewhere, with a fireplace and an exquisite mountain view.

I admit, I’m spoiled when it comes to vacations. My parents took me on vacation once every two or three years, but we always flew and stayed in a nice condo or cabin once we got there. We stayed two weeks, spared no expenses, and lived off of Mac and Cheese for the remainder of the year. It was well worth it. Both my parents hate camping, maybe even more than I do.

My girl’s parents, however, always took her on low-budget vacations. They went every year and sailed for three to four weeks or traveled through France with a tent for the same amount of time. My girl is used to camping and she has so many pleasant memories of it that just the thought of camping in France fills her with glee—the actual singing kind.

All I can think of is that one weekend when I was 12, when my parents took me camping and it rained so much that the whole soil below the tent had turned to jelly. I’ve never been so miserable in my life. Every time I hear the word ‘camping’, I picture myself literally knee deep in mud.

Tags: camping, column, dynamic, Gay Games, holiday, human interest, lesbian life, vacation

Vacation

Submitted by Daniela Zysk on April 1, 2010 - 21:31.

yes i will be at the gaygames and it will be a pleasure for me to meet all the ladies there !!!

I travelled around the world from New York to Mailand from Ireland to Honkong,..... but the best and most romantic lesbian place i went was Lesbos. Beautiful isle and not so touristic overfilled like all the other greek isles !

YAY!

Submitted by Sigrid on April 2, 2010 - 00:13.

I am so happy you said! I dread camping, I really do! I have the same memories of rain and bathroom sharing.

Has anyone travelled in an Olivia Cruise? I feel a little bit overwhelmed by the idea, but I am also curious.

no camping please

Submitted by maxime68 on April 2, 2010 - 07:53.

my head is still aching from heavily nodding in agreement with your first paragraphs :)

And as far as I can remember, we only went on two family vacations when I was still a kid. One being camouflaged as an introduction to the place we were going to move next and the second when I was about 15 to the Baltic Sea.

School travels took me twice to France and that's where I ended up going/being most of the time.

Nowadays our choice of where to go is mainly influenced by two decisions - where do we want to go and what do we want to do there. If it's meant to be a relaxing vacation in a cottage or guest house - then we'll look for gay-friendly/gay-owned explicitly.

If it's for a specific reason (e.g. Gay Games) then the location of the hotel is more important, cause chances we'll spent there much time will be pretty low.

Oh and yes - Iceland is definitely worth a visit, I had to luck to go there on a business trip ages ago and was mightily impressed :)

Ps: the cats are always happy to vacate the guest-bed for an extra couple of caressing hands ;)

I don't think I'd ever go on

Submitted by Saskia Joreen on April 2, 2010 - 10:14.

I don't think I'd ever go on a lesbian cruise - the thought of being stuck on a boat with that many women just creeps me out! Depending on who I'm going on vacation with, I look for women-friendly places mostly, and sometimes also gay-friendly places. The climate is also very important ^^

I experienced Canoa Quebrada in Brazil as a wonderful place for women and lesbians, and I also really enjoyed Vancouver, Berlin, and San Francisco. I've also been to southern Europe many times, with Cyprus being one of my favorites. I would still like to go to Lesbos one day, since I've heard many nice stories about it :) And after seeing Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I want to go to Barcelona too :P

And what I'm really looking forward to this summer are of course the Gay Games! It would be lovely to meet as many of you there as possible :)

I have to admit that as much

Submitted by Ley on April 2, 2010 - 12:54.

I have to admit that as much as I want to go and experience the Dinah at some point, the thought of the cruise kinda creeps me out a bit. At least the Dinah is a weekend to a week in length and you're free to go and visit other places if you need to escape the madness fora while, but being on a boat for weeks on end...no thanks.

I never went camping as a kid, but I remember loads of holidays in caravans all over the UK. But I was nodding like a crazy possessed person in agreement with your hate for it.

I've been holidays to London with friends and girlfriends and where we stayed was gay-friendly, so I wouldn't hesitate to go back there.

Gay Games this summer for me too, so excited, hope to see many of you there :)

I've been to Lesbos for one

Submitted by luna81de on April 6, 2010 - 07:27.

I've been to Lesbos for one week during an island-hopping-trip and decided that I have to return one day. It's definitely been the most beautiful island I've seen in Greece and it's big so there is a lot to discover.

Barcelona is just awesome, I wouldn't hesitate to move there if I got an offer. I've been there three times and never get enough.

I'm still dreaming of doing a bike tour through Denmark (with the ultimate destination Viborg to hopefully run into one or two handball players - Rikke Skov would be my highlight). Hopefully next year.

Iceland is very appealing as well, once I can afford it. Same goes for Vancouver/British Columbia. BC is where they shot Men In Trees (Squamish) and the landscape was just stunning.