Blogs

Although the superstitions and believes surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season. With Halloween just around the corner, we thought you might be interested to find out where some of the spookiest, spine-chilling, weird, ghostly and mysterious places around the world are. In honor of this eerie Celtic-Catholic pagan holiday, we will ta

by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011

Founder of GirlPorts.com Tanya Churchmuch dines at her favorite Paris restaurant, Le Chartier.
Photo Credit: Carrie MacPherson

An avid worldwide traveler, Canadian Tanya Churchmuch wanted more from lesbian travel guides, but couldn't find what she wanted.

"I was somebody who always traveled a lot and always became frustrated by the lack of useful information for lesbian travelers that was available," says Churchmuch, a former broadcast anchor and inter

Rara Lake is the largest lake of Nepal, situated in Mugu district in the far western Karnali region of Nepal, near the district headquarter Gam Ghadi and Talcha airport. It takes around 3 to 4 days of trekking to reach Rara from Jumla. Rara Lake is the centerpiece of Rara National Park.

The Lake is stunningly beautiful, with unbelievably tranquility, a paradise untouched. The region around Jumla and Rara Lake is still relatively unexplored. The large lake, at an altitude of 2980 meters, is perche

by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011

Finding lesbians in New York City or London is somewhat easy, but it is a whole other story in distant lands, especially when women have very little if any rights at all - don't even mention the "L" word - but these are minor challenges to Gina Gatta and Tanya Churchmuch.

Damron owner Gina Gatta with business and life partner, Erika O'Conner, enjoying Iceland.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Damron

Gatta is president and editor-in-chief of Damron, the oldest

by Shirley Linde

A small ship is part cruise ship and part private yacht. You have many of the advantages of cruising, but you can go to remote locations and out-of-the-way ports where big ships can’t go.

Typically, there are no group games, few announcements, no assigned dining room seating. Instead of bingo, you have the opportunity to visit the bridge at any time and stand at the helmstation, or on a very small ship perhaps take the helm yourself. Instead of a cruise director, you have his

Responsible tourism is about tourists making environmentally friendly, sustainable, ethical and respectful choices when travelling and minimising the negative impact of tourism. Being responsible is something all tourists needs to take into consideration when making a decision on travelling to a destination.

Responsible travel can be considered as the most enjoyable way to travel because it brings you closer to local people and culture, it gives you the chance to experience the authenticity of t

Edited by Gina M. Gatta; Damron Company, 648 pages; paperback, $18.95

Reviewed by Heather Cassell
 

Don't leave home without it. Damron Women's Traveller, the most popular travel guide for queer women, is back with all new and updated listings for 2012. Want to know where to go in Nashville? Damron Women's Traveller will point you in the right direction. It is the must have guide for queer girls and their friends.

Damron's crew gathers the latest information about its queer women-only and lesbian, g

What to tell you. For starters, don't drive in. Don't do it.
Park at the Piazzo de Michelangelo. 
It's free. Then take a taxi in, or
you can walk it, but its a hike.

Brilliant reds and yellows pop from these images because of the use of a rare-earth filter.
Jim DeLillo has announced today that he has added new images using this technique to his 'Autumn' gallery at

http://jim-delillo.artistwebsites.com/

These images were recently taken in New Jersey and enhanced using the special on-camera filter to further saturate and beautify the colors of the fall foliage.

The filter is made from Didymium, a mixture of the rare-earth elements praseodymium and neodymium. F

PECKS POND MEETS AUTUMN LEAVES

Yes, Pecks Pond. What ever happened to apostrophes? But it's too fine a day to agonize about that; besides, I was looking for fall colors, not grammar. So I took a walk around this pond -- a lake, really -- on Rte. 402 in Pike County, part of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. That's Pike, as in the general, not the fish.  

Rule #1 about fall foliage: It's often most colorful around lakes. In part that's because of the nice contrast between the blue of the

by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 3, 2011

Women are grabbing the last few hours of Indian summer before the holidays hit with three fun in the sun weekend getaways.

Bliss guests enjoy the pool. .
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Movement Productions.

 Athens, Greece

Think Athens is an old, dusty, unmaintained,  just another dirty city. A  European capital with no reason to reason to spend an extensive stay,  unless you’re a history buff or  in transit to the Greek Islands, think again. Ask anyone in the world, who enjoys a vibrant nightlife, and I guarantee you that they will say, “Athens Rocks.”   Even in hard economic times, the Greeks know how to party.  Athens is on par with any other city on the planet and a  “party capital” full of en

Lustrous adventure

The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010: True Stories from Around the World
Edited by Stephanie Elizondo Grist; Travelers' Tales, 352 pages; paperback, $17.95

Reviewed by Heather Cassell

Published: Ocotber 5, 2011

Get ready. Pack your bags. You are about to embark on 27 adventures that will take you all over the world, inspire your wanderlust, and journey into your own heart in the Best Women's Travel Writing, edited by award-winning writer Stephanie Elizondo Griest.

Succulent and ri

The Worldwide Rafting Championship 2011 is just around the corner. International teams have been arriving since last week and are already training at the renowned Pacuare River.

For the third time, Costa Rica will be hosting this important event; the first was back in 1991 for the first World Rafting Championship, then again in 1998. The International Rafting Federation (IRF), main body of the sport chose Pacuare River commemorating the first championship that took place 20 years ago and also to