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2006 know where you're going? Let us help you have navigate the hot new dimensions, ideas, and choices peeking over the gay and lesbian travel horizon in the new year. The more you know, the sooner you can slip into your own postcard-perfect slice of paradise

Darren Frei

WHAT'S NEW IN SOME OF OUR OLD FAVORITES?

Amsterdam Exhibitions and events will mark Rembrandt's 400th birthday throughout the year.

Atlanta The rooftop lounge at the ubercool Glenn Hotel, opening downtown in january, is the new place to be.

Berlin Deutsche Telekom's iconic TV tower turns into a giant pink soccer ball when the World Cup kicks off here on June 9.

Boston An 11-week exhibition of new David Hockney portraits opens at the Museum of Fine Arts on February 26.

Chicago Gay Games VII, July 15-22, promises to bring in an influx of gay athletes and tourists.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Florida's gay hub goes upscale: Four new luxury properties are opening in 2006, including a 346-room W Hotel and a 166-room St. Regis.

Key West, Fla. A new taw allowing totally nude male dancers goes into effect. In that spirit, Naked Boys Singing! comes to town in March.

London With the United Kingdom's civil-partnership act now in force, couples on the same-sex wedding circuit are sure to visit.And EuroPride is here June 16-July 1. Montreal The first World Outgames, July 29-August 5, is the second major gay athletic event of the year (one week after Chicago's Gay Games).

New Orleans The city officially reopens for tourism on January I, 2006, but the symbolic rebirth will happen during Mardi Gras, culminating on February 28.

We just returned from New Zealand!" boasts your jet-setting friend. "It was amazing ... a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Beyond a tinge of jealousy, your overriding sentiment is likely to be, I desperately need a vacation! Versions of this bar conversation are happening all over the world right now, as gay and lesbian travelers are taking more trips per year than ever before. Whether you're a seasoned world traveler looking for the next great adventure, a budget-minded novice contemplating your first trip abroad, or an overworked homebody looking for a gay-friendly weekend getaway; here's a preview of where gay travel is going in 2006.

1 NEW DESTINATIONS "Deciding where to go is always more difficult than deciding when to go," says Stephen Harding, a New York investment banker. "I want to try something new this year ... maybe Portland, Ore." Regional weekend jaunts are becoming increasingly popular, not only to smaller U.S. cities such as Portland but across the borders to Mexico (poised to get a boost July 1, when a law goes into effect allowing tourists to make tax-free purchases) and Canada (perceived as an ever more welcoming neighbor thanks to its same-sex marriage law).

But we haven't forgotten Europe, especially the United Kingdom, where a civil-partnership law went into effect in December. Hotels throughout the country are enticing couples with wedding packages. Spain is also marriage material, with Barcelona now competing head-to-head with Amsterdam for the title of "Europe's gayest city."

Travelers who have "been there and done that" are going to Eastern Europe. Ljubljana, Slovenia, is getting notice as the "new Prague" thanks to its combination of affordability, stately architecture, and off-the-beaten-path charm; and the gay club scenes in Croatia, Poland, and Bulgaria are growing.

At the same time--bird flu threat aside--a grand tour of Asia may figure into the plans of ambitious travelers as an increasing number of discount airlines are shuttling between China, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia. There's even a new gay bar and restaurant in proximity to the Angkor Wat temple complex, Cambodia's number 1 draw.

2 THE LESBIAN TRAVELER GOES SWANK "My vacation time is very precious," says Ronda Buckle), a corporate lawyer from Los Angeles. "I want to see new things, experience rich culture, food, and wine--basically, live like a queen!" Buckley is not alone. This year women will be embarking on culinary trips to Southern Italy and Sicily, indulging in wine tasting tours from South Africa to Argentina, and teeing off at Scotland's St. Andrews Links--the birthplace of golf--with an LPGA touring pro. The latter trip is offered by 12 Muses, a new lesbian travel company. Meanwhile, Olivia Cruises and Resorts, the world's largest lesbian travel company, is expanding to include smaller luxury cruises for the first time.

Even tourism boards are catching on to the spending power of the lesbian traveler. Throughout the year Philadelphia will work to make the city a top destination for women, with a new advertising campaign, guerrilla marketing at lesbian events, and the formation of a local lesbian tourism advisory group.

3 THE WAY WE CRUISE "I wouldn't have been caught dead on a gay cruise 10 years ago," says Philip Galido, a restaurant owner in Houston, "but they're not just floating circuit parties anymore." Indeed, the popularity of gay cruises has grown m proportion to the variety of ports and types of cruises being offered.

Atlantis is offering the first gay large-ship cruise to South America in February, exploring relatively undiscovered gay hot spots like Florianopolis, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay; Olivia's most requested voyage is a new Hawaiian island hop via NCL'S Norwegian Wind, allowing port-to-port travel between Hawaii, Maul, Kauai, and Oahu.

In addition to seeking new ports, gay travelers are looking for intimate, more upscale experiences. Small-ship cruises will meet that demand in 2006: RSVP Vacations is offering a 160-passenger riverboat cruise through Eastern Europe, and Romance Voyages is setting sail for Greece on a 170-passenger clipper. Building on the success of its large-ship cruises, R Family Vacations is expanding into the small-ship market with a 47-passenger ship bound for the Galapagos Islands.

"You can visit smaller ports that don't exist on T-shirt and postcard sales because the footprint of a small cruise ship is not as big," says Steve Champion, president of TravelPride, a company specializing in gay small-ship cruises.

Still, the giant luxury liners haven't lost their appeal. More and more gay travelers want floating five-star hotels. Mainstream cruise lines such as Cunard, Seven Seas, Oceania, and Crystal offer top-notch accommodations and services for couples seeking privacy and romance in exotic locales like Alexandria, Egypt, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

4 GETTING THERE IS GETTING EASIER Until we can beam our atoms around the globe, today's air travel advancements will have to suffice. You'll still need to pack, but new services like BaggageDirect and Luggage Free will collect your bags at your home and deliver them directly to your travel destination. Then breeze through the security line with the Clear Card, part of a new Transportation Security Administration-sanctioned program in which--for an annual fee--you can be prescreened to use a separate no-hassle fast lane. The service is currently available only at the Orlando International Airport, but expansion plans are in the works.

In November 2006, 14 major airlines will start flying the double-decker Airbus A380, the biggest news in aviation since the Boeing 747 debuted in 1969. "Don't expect swim-up bars, bowling alleys, and shopping malls," says James Boyd of Singapore Airlines, but the new planes promise to set new standards in space, luxury, and connectivity.

While U.S. domestic carriers have backed off from installing expensive high-speed Internet equipment, Singapore Airlines is in the process of adding onboard e-mail service to their fleet, and nine other foreign carriers already offer the service. But it does raise the question, Do you really want to be reachable at 35,000 feet?

5 THE RISE AND RISE OF LUXE "I'm addicted to hotel amenities," admits business traveler Eric Libby, "but I'm starting to take flat-screen TVs and in-room iPods for granted." Beyond mere gadgetry, hotels are trotting out new services this year: W Hotels can deliver your local newspaper directly to your room, Hotel Vitale in San Francisco offers free daily yoga classes, and Hotel Gansevoort in Manhattan provides a free luxury sport-utility vehicle to shuttle its guests. It makes you wonder how hotels will outdo themselves in 2007. We can already purchase such goods as the sheets and the love seat in many upscale properties--maybe we'll get to take home the concierge!

BY THE NUMBERS

$65 billion Estimated amount spent by U.S. LGBT travelers in 2005, up from $54.1 billion in 2004

6.3 Average number of overnight trips taken by U.S. gays and lesbians in 2005, up from 4.75 in 2004

15 Median number of hotel nights booked in 2005 by gay travelers

41 Percentage of lesbians who say companies' gay rights policies strongly influence their travel decisions

555 Passenger capacity on the new Airbus A380, which hits the skies in November

New York City The 70th floor observation deck at Rockefeller Center has reopened after nearly 20 years.

Palm Springs, Calif. Hip, high-end additions like the brand-new Hotel Zoso (near tres gay Arenas Road) and new a new spa at the Parker Meridien are upping the ante. Up next? Starwood is scoping land for a new luxury property. Paris A giant floating public swimming pool will cruise the Seine come July. New boutiques are opening along Canal St. Martin, giving it cache as the "new Marais." Will gays follow? Philadelphia The merry month of May brings a new lesbian dance event called Elevate.

Provincetown, Mass. Expect more hot summer nights now that the infamous Tea Dance at the Boatslip hotel has been spared from greedy condo developers.

San Diego The historic US Grant Hotel reopens in February after a $26 million renovation. San Francisco Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire by shaking things up at the new St. Regis Hotel near Yerba Buena Gardens.

Seattle The producers of Hairspray will premiere The Wedding Singer at the 5th Avenue Theatre from January 31 to February 19.

South Beach, Fla. The aging Roney Palace hotel will reopen in the fall as the Hotel Gansevoort South, a sexy deco outpost for the N.Y. brand.

Toronto In December the Royal Ontario Museum opened the first galleries in a major new wing designed by architect Daniel Libeskind.

West Hollywood, Calif. A stylish new James Hotel will soon begin construction on Sunset Boulevard.

YOU ARE HERE

This year the world is truly your oyster! Here are some pearls In 2001. Slovenia's first gay pride festival was held in Ljubljana now turning heads as the "new Prague" due to a mix of affordability and incredible architecture, like this church in Preseren Square; the stunning Angkor War temple complex in Cambodia is more accessible thanks to new low-fare regional Asian airlines;the Welsh countryside is an idyllic place to throw a same-sex wedding now that the United Kingdom's civil-partnership law has gone into effect; the first resort property from the W Hotels brand, me W Maldives Fesdhu Resort in the Maldives, opened in late 2005.

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NEW THRILLS

Cruise companies, airlines, destinations, and hotels are keeping up with rising gay expectations in a variety of ways A pair of deck chairs is waiting--you just have to decide between a large-ship excursion to South America, a small-ship trip through the Greek isles, or a floating five-star hotel; the duty-free shop on board the soon-to-be-available Airbus 380 may cause some turbulence in your wallet; deep in the heart of Dallas, tourism officials are touting the city's gay-friendly cowboy charm, not to mention a blazing art scene; many of the top hotels in Manhattan are offering to shuttle guests around in luxury sport-utility vehicles.

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