May 10, 2009 Fun & Travel Tips for HIV Poz Men on Tight Budgets
HIV poz gay men who are on disability and other HIV+ gay men who are on tight budgets don’t have to let money matters keep them from taking time to get away from home during the summer months, or any other time you travel to play and have fun. A weak dollar and struggling economy don't have to curb your R & R plans either. Whether it’s taking a few days for shorter trips or doing the standard 1 or 2 weeks of vacation travel, you can still get some rest and relaxation without emptying your wallet.
Consider some other alternatives as well, with other people if you’re interested in meeting new guys, such as a few full day trips to local state and national parks, museums, Six Flags, rodeos, fairs and carnivals, short camping trips - stretched out over the summer months. Look and post within regional Yahoo gay groups.
If you’re into camping, most gay campgrounds have their own websites and have current event listings on their sites as well as links to local groups in their area. For a listing of links to gay campgrounds check out the following url:
http://www.campgayusa.com/CAMPGROUNDS.html
One of the coolest sites for those who love outdoor activities, want to connect with others, share experiences and information is Gay Outdoors, started by Mike Boisvert in 1999. GayOutdoors is a member-operated organization, trips and activities are lead or sponsored by the members themselves.
For example, if you would like to hike on Saturday with other guys, you simply visit the website and post the date, time, place and details. Your activity is posted on the website and an e-mail is automatically sent out to all club members within a 150-mile radius informing them about the activity. Members receiving the email then click on a link to the GayOutdoors Club website to get additional information about the activity, see who else has signed up, or sign-up themselves. Any member can run an activity. Activities are led by members that know of a cool activity, have an area of expertise, or are really good about researching and planning. They also are organized, willing to help others, and have good communication skills. The website is a great resource for learning about new things to see and do. If you’re interested in checking out a new place or adventure it is likely others would like to come along.
GO has something for everyone at every level: hiking, backpacking, trekking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, fishing, surfing, beach trips, cross-country/downhill skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, cycling, adventure vacations, wilderness first aid, leadership training and more. Trips are free (they share travel expenses) and other members can lend you their extra gear. Most trips don't require experience except where noted. Check them out at:
http://www.gayoutdoors.org/page.cfm?sectionid=62&typeofsite=links&parent=183
PRIDE EVENT LISTINGS
About.com appears to have the most up to date listings for Pride Event WEBSITES. The links below are constantly being updated – visit them often if you are thinking about travelling to another city for Pride.
http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaypridefestivals/qt/GayPride_June.htm
http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaypridecalendars/qt/July_Pride.htm
http://gaytravel.about.com/od/gaypridecalendars/qt/August_Pride.htm
In 1964, a businessman published a book of all the gay bars he knew from his constant travels across the United States. This book fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Despite its petite size, this book was an impressive accomplishment. Each one of the listings he had visited himself. Every last copy of the book he sold himself. The name of this pioneering businessman: Bob Damron. Today, the Damron Men's Travel Guide (aka Damron Address Book) remains a bestseller. And it remains the model for the countless gay travel guides that have followed.
The Damron Company itself has also been through a lot of changes since 1964. The company has grown quite a bit, and since the early '90s has been headed up by President and Editor-in-Chief Gina Gatta. They publish four regular titles—the annual Men's Travel Guide and Women's Traveller, in addition to the sesquiannual Damron City Guide and Damron Accommodations. They also pioneered a city series with the publication of Damron Amsterdam in 1998.
It has been a struggle at times for them to maintain their position as "the first name in gay travel" over the past decade. Many straight-run competitors realized the value of the gay dollar and began courting gay consumers ferociously in the late '90s. Fortunately, the Damron name has remained a friendly face among a sea of newcomers. They have worked hard to keep up with the changing times: the Damron website and online searchable database are very popular; their editors are constantly researching and adding new info for more and more destinations around the globe; and they are always redefining and redesigning themselves to let the world know that Damron is still here, still queer, and still the experts!
(dingo note: I used their printed Men’s Travel Guides throughout the years in both my overseas travels and my motorcycle runs around the country up to 2005 and found them very handy and up to date. The listings are extensive and include everything you need to know from where to eat drink stay to where and when to cruise, local customs, dangerous spots and a lot more! The printed guide is well worth having if you travel frequently and or plan on travelling overseas! The printed guide gets updated with each new printing but you’ll really only need to buy the guide once. The last guide I bought was in 2000 and it got me through during my 5 years of travelling America’s roads!)
VISIT THEM AT http://www.damron.com/
Check out the general travel tips below, you could slice your travel costs in half! The info was obtained from various internet searches and has been re-edited. I have checked the links, just copy and paste any of these links into your browser window.
Transportation
Drive rather than fly. Although gas is expensive, driving is just one-third the cost of flying. And although your SUV may get only 18 miles to the gallon on the highway, it's still cheaper to drive your own vehicle than to rent a car.
For instance, if you rented a Nissan Versa, which gets 33 miles to the gallon on the highway, it would cost $175 for the rental and $192 for gas — bringing the total to $367 — still about $40 higher than using your own car.
Before you fill up, surf gasbuddy.com and find the stations along your route with the cheapest prices. The site has 750,000 volunteer gas spotters informing the site of the best prices. You also can get updates to your cell phone.
Pack lightly, use cruise control and drive the speed limit. Traveling 70 mph rather than 55 mph will cost you a 17 percent loss in fuel economy. Get more fueling tips at fueleconomy.gov.
TRAIN TRAVEL
Train travel is great fun. You meet many people, see scenery that you don’t always see in a car, you can take your own food onto the train, there’s always a lot of fun on Amtrak’s Club car and you can break up your travel in segments. In many places, train travel is an afterthought. The financial ills of Amtrak caused many to write it off as dead – it’s not!. The California Zephyr from Chicago to Oakland is in my opinion the best route. The scenery and those hairpin turns in the Rockies & Sierras are awesome! This fact remains -- the rail networks of the world are often superb for budget travel, and ground connections are easily made. You must weigh whether passes or simple point-to-point tickets are cheaper for your itinerary. Cheap train travel has saved many a budget itinerary in Europe, North America, Asia.
Amtrak’s coach seats recline and if you don’t mind curling up in them to sleep, you’ll save money. Their sleepers, private seating compartments that convert to bunks are expensive but do include breakfast lunch supper and turndown service. The food served up in their diner car is excellent and unique to each line.
Regardless of your age, if you receive Social Security Disability, Amtrak offers a 15% rail fare discount for seats and sleepers to passengers with disabilities. To receive the discount you must book your reservation by telephone or at a ticket counter. Discounts are not available when you book online. You must provide written documentation of disability at the ticket counter and when boarding the train. Acceptable documentation can be a transit system ID card, membership card from a disabilities organization, a letter from a physician, a copy of your SS Disability Letter or a copy of your annual disability statement.
Visit the Amtrak Website for all information including specials, routes, other discounts, planning, schedule timetables, and more at
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage
Hotels & Flights
Don't overlook the Web's biggest and best travel agents when searching for bargains, either. These giants dedicate areas of their sites to travel specials from their partners. Many of the deals are exclusives. And even if you find a great deal elsewhere, it's a smart idea to price it on Expedia Orbitz or Travelocity as well. You never know until you check which site will save you the most on a particular trip. Sign up for the weekly e-mails from the carriers that fly to where you are going to find last-minute specials.
Eating Out
Stay out of the dining establishments that are frequented by the tourists. Usually all you need to do is walk a few steps “off the beaten path” to discover where the locals eat!
Take advantage of every coupon available. If you see it in your hotel/motel room, it may be a bargain and may not be. Look in the local newspaper for coupons and ask the front desk clerks for coupons too.
Find local coupons by doing an Internet search before you embark on your travel. Always check out your destination’s local Chamber of Commerce as well. Many of these have coupons for their area’s hotels, restaurants and attractions. They also contain a wealth of other information! Try to skip the sodas and cocktails when you eat out. They add significantly to the bill.
TRAVEL AGENTS
Travel agents work on commissions they receive from the airline, cruise ship lodging and destination ground tour operators. Some travel agencies do have their own organized specialty tour packages. These are great if you want to be with like minded people who share your interests but they are pricier. If you can afford it by all means check out escorted cruises, excursions, tours, retreats, and some of the more specialized tours such as white water rafting, mountain treks and exotic adventures. Just do a Google search and you’ll find lots of them geared towards gay and hiv poz men.
You don't really always need a travel agent because traveling is not difficult and you can pretty much research it all by yourself these days on the Internet. A travel agent is there to help out with business growth and to benefit the vacation business more than benefiting you. A travel agent is costly and they might pressure you into something that you don't want. Travel tour operators can make you into think that you really need a travel agent for a well plan trip and you just need to remember that it's just a sales gimmick.
Travel agents are sales people and they sell as much as they can to you. You should avoid them at all cost. The one thing that I have against travel agents are the cost and the packages that they try to persuade you to buy and you might end up buying if you're an inexperience consumer. Most of us know the world so well by the time we have the money to travel the world and thus we don't really need people to baby sit us. If you have any uncertainty, you can always research more online. The world is just a click away.
Whether or not you are travelling within or out of the country, when planning a vacation you just need to do some research about the place that you're going to and buy your tickets and book your hotel.
Make sure you allow plenty of time to get a passport and the required visas needed to enter some countries. There is no complexity to the process at all. However, when you travel to another country and you're going with a traveling company then they might assign you an agent to organize your trip, in this case, it might be appropriate for you to take on an agent. If you're flying on your own without a traveling company then you should take all the danger to yourself, after all you're an adult with great intelligence and you can handle a little vacation.
International travelers should be advised that some countries serologically screen incoming travelers (primarily those arriving for extended visits, such as for work or study) and deny entry to persons with AIDS and those whose test results indicate infection with HIV. Moreover, travelers carrying antiretroviral medication may be denied entry to some countries. Persons who intend to visit a country for a substantial period or to work or study abroad should be informed of the policies and requirements of the particular country. This information is usually available from the consular officials of the individual nations.
See the HIV & TRAVEL ABROAD article here: http://www.pozqueers.snappville.com/_forum/index.php?cat=15436&sub=69721&threadnumber=592490
How to Save Dollars and Have a Great Cruise
If you dream of taking a cruise but think it's beyond your budget, you may be wrong.
For one thing, when you take a cruise, you know up front the basic price for food, accommodations, on-board activities, and entertainment. In that way, it's like an all-inclusive. Still, it's going to cost you. But there are many ways to not only contain costs but also get the best price available.
CRUISE TIPS: BEFORE YOU GO
Visit Web sites that publicize last-minute savings on cruises. Generally these consist of unsold inventory. Consequently, you may not be able to book the best cabin on the highest deck at a cut rate, but you will be able to sail on some of the best-known ships at sea. You can also opt-in to receive news of special deals from individual cruise lines.
To get an idea of what a cruise will cost, visit Expedia or Travelocity. Both have a feature that allows you to compare several cruises side-by-side.
Take a short cruise. The very briefest are "cruises to nowhere," as short as an overnight stay. If you can afford a bit more, you can choose from many affordable four- and seven-day cruises.
Go in the off-season. Cruise prices can vary from week to week. Often there are bargains to be had in the weeks prior to major holidays.
If possible, choose a cruise that sails from a port near your home. That will save you the cost of airfare. While many ships depart from Florida in the United States, there are others that leave from ports in New York, Boston, New Orleans, California cities, and elsewhere.
If you can't get to the port without flying, compare prices for flights before buying from the cruise line. In many cases, cruise ships fly passengers on charter planes, which arecheaper. But if you simply need to get from, say, Chicago to Miami, you may find a less-expensive flight on Orbitz, Hotwire, Travelocity, or Expedia than the cruise line offers.
Stay in a cabin on a lower deck. (The higher you go, the higher the price). If you're really pinching pennies, choose an inside cabin rather than an outside one or one with a private veranda. That said, it's important to know the layout of your cabin before you buy. Honeymooners won't be happy with an inside cabin that has bunk beds or twin beds that can't be moved together comfortably.
If you find a cruise line you like, stay loyal to it. Companies give extra discounts and other perks to returning guests.
CRUISE TIPS: ON BOARD
1. Most ships open up a charge account for you once you board. That makes it easy to overspend on non-essential items.
2. Don't overdo the beverages. In general, alcoholic drinks and soda orders are added to the bill, while liquids like coffee, tea, and iced tea are free. I've been on some cruises where there's a cocktail of the day at a reduced price. If you're not picky about what you drink, take advantage of this.
3. Choose shore excursions carefully. These tend to be profit centers for ships, and you can often have the same experience or better if you arrange it yourself. For example, you don't need to go on the city tour organized by the ship if you're just as happy walking and discovering things for yourself on local transportation.
4. Set a limit for how much you can afford to spend in the casino, and don't go over it.
5. For formal cruises, don't rent a tuxedo sight unseen or from the ship's tailor. Prices will be more reasonable at home, even though you'll have to carry the gear around.
6. Avoid phone calls and Internet time on board. They cost a fortune. Wait until you get to port. Generally there are banks of phones, and almost every city has an Internet cafe.
If you follow these suggestions, it's more than likely you'll be able to take that cruise of a lifetime sooner than you think. Bon voyage!
Top 10 Things You May Hate About Cruises
Yet a cruise isn't the best kind of vacation for everyone. You’re on a ship sailing the waters for an extended period of time. On a romantic getaway, it may not afford you the privacy that you want. Or its hidden fees may bust your budget. Find out here what's not to love about cruises.
1. Cabins are small.
Standard cabins on cruise ships are smaller than the smallest hotel room (with the exception of those pod hotels in Japan). You are likely to bump into each other in your own stateroom several times during the cruise, but since you're in love you probably won't mind. I have seen inside, no-window cabins that look like units in minimum security prisons with cheerful bedspreads.
Advice: Pay attention to a cabin's square footage before booking, get the biggest you can afford, and pack light.
2. Cruises aren't really all-inclusive.
Thirsty for a beer or soda? It costs extra. Feel like a spa treatment? That's extra. Want to eat in the fancier onboard restaurant? Cough it up. Like a bottle of wine with dinner? Extra. Think that tips are included in the cruise price? Think again. While every cruise line is different, the majority charge extra for all these things, which definitely add up.
Advice: Ask your travel agent if any cruise lines offer a shipboard account credit to induce you to book. And buy a drink card onboard.
3. The food is institutional.
Large cruise ships hold up to 3,000 passengers or more. Feeding them 3x a day, plus snacks and midnight buffets, is no easy job. On many ships there is one main restaurant and a self-serve cafeteria. Food is plentiful, but does not compare to the best restaurants on land. Some ships have additional restaurants that charge a small extra fee. Their fare is consistently superior to what passengers in "free" restaurants eat.
Advice: Avoid scurvy: Spring for a meal in a better onboard restaurant.
4. Your fellow passengers will be old.
Every cruise line attracts a different demographic, but the average age of cruisers is in the 50-60 range. That means you may spend a week with many folks who are your parents' age or older and you may not have much in common with them. Still, on any given cruise, there will be people of every age group represented.
Advice: Everyone gets old. Consider your cruise a preview.
5. Your dining time and table are pre-assigned.
If the idea of sitting at a table with six strangers at the same time every night and making conversation doesn't appeal, choose a cruise line such as NCL or Princess where you have dining flexibility. Otherwise your new best friends will save a place for you at the same table every night.
Advice: If you prefer to dine by yourselves, tell your travel agent to get you assigned to a table for two. There are a few in every dining room, but they fill up.
6. The entertainment is awful.
Most nightly cruise ship entertainment is stuck in the 1950s. Young, energetic, not-ready-for-primetime performers sing and dance their hearts out in themed variety revues designed to appeal to everyone. They don't. Outside the ship's main theater there are sometimes jazz, piano, or comedy performances. These tend to be better although they still aim to appeal to the widest audience and not offend.
Advice: Skip the big productions. Avoid harpists at all costs. And make your own entertainment.
7. Staff photographers are everywhere.
It's nice to have a professional portrait taken when you're dressed in your best. On a cruise that will be one of many, many opportunities to have your picture taken. Expect flashbulbs when you board the cruise, when you get disembark in each port, when you eat, when you participate in various activities. These shipboard paparazzi represent one more way for cruise lines to squeeze extra cash out of you.
Advice: Don't stop for photos; walk right past the photogs. Take your own pictures.
8. The safety drill.
We've all seen Titanic and know what it looks like when a ship breaks apart in the North Sea. Fact is, even if Leo DiCaprio was wearing his lifejacket, it's doubtful he'd survive long in those frigid waters. Every cruise today starts with a safety drill that requires all passengers to stand around on deck, crammed in wearing bulky lifejackets and listening to unintelligible commands over the loudspeaker. It's a required safety measure, but it's still annoying.
Advice: Grin and bear it.
9. The staff can be obsequious and obtrusive.
Every cruise ship aims to get high grades for service, and much is invested in training the crew. Sometimes foreign staffers tend to go -- you should excuse the expression -- overboard in their efforts to please. In a restaurant on one ship, we were asked the same question five times by mechanistic people-pleasers: "Did you enjoy your soup?"
Advice: Enjoy your soup. Once you get home, no one will care whether you like it or not.
10. Excursions are expensive. And sometimes lame.
Another revenue-grabber for cruise lines, excursions range from the sublime (helicoptering to the top of a glacier) to the ridiculous (touring a completely uninteresting port for hours in a school bus). A convenience for passengers who aren't familiar with a destination, excursions are useful in that they provide ready transportation to a land adventure.
Advice: Get off the ship and explore on your own. Hire a taxi. Or find a cheaper tour; they're usually available close to the dock.
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