Travel Destinations

The intriguing country of Ireland has been a popular gay vacations since the days when Oscar Wilde called this nation home. Of course, during his time Ireland was not as welcoming and accepting of LGBT folks and many, including Wilde, were jailed or sent off to hard labor camps for what was then termed “indecency.” Sadly, up until 1861, death was considered an acceptable punishment for acts of sodomy, but today Ireland has moved well beyond these dark days and has recently bested the U.S. when it comes to LGBT rights by legalizing same-sex civil unions in 2009, after decriminalizing same-sex behaviors in 1993.

While this does not mean that this largely Catholic country is ready to embrace same-sex relationships in every village – or even every city – Ireland is now far more welcoming and can safely be considered a great place for gay travel. Several larger cities, including Dublin, Galway, Cork and Waterford, have visible, active communities, community celebrations, numerous establishments catering or welcoming to the community and plenty of attractions to fill an entire vacation; however, whether travelers choose to participate in solo travel or gay tours, one should not miss the Irish countryside and quaint, traditional villages that dot the verdant landscape or sit atop breathtaking coastal cliffs during their vacation to Ireland as well.

While several larger cities now have annual community celebrations, pubs and clubs, community organizations and a visible LGBT scene, Dublin is unquestionably the center of LGBT life in Ireland and should be part of any gay travel plans to this country. Dublin nightlife offers both a casual pub scene and an upscale club scene complete with dress codes, which allows those on gay vacations to experience two very different aspects of local LGBT life. There are also a number of community festivals that take place throughout the year, including the Dublin International LGBTQ Pride Festival in June, the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in July and the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in May.

There is always something going on in Dublin, on either a small or large scale, so it is a good idea to pick up a copy of GNC, Ireland’s main community magazine, when you arrive in town. There are many must-see attractions when partaking in gay travel in Dublin, including the Guinness Storehouse, the Old Jameson Distillery, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Book of Kells, the Oscar Wilde House Museum and Dublin’s quintessential LGBT bar, The George.

Folks planning gay tours should consider partaking in group gay tours to ensure that they do not miss out on the plethora of historical, cultural and natural attractions that this intriguing, romantic nation has to offer.

Information by Howie Holben on Ireland gay vacations. Spirit Journeys focuses on your gay spirit.

categories: metaphysical,spirituality,travel,vacations,self improvement,gay,society,inspiration,motivation,health,fitness

Vacations are something that everyone takes in order to get themselves out of the hustle and bustle of the real world for a little bit of relaxation and rejuvenation. This time away is very important to both our physical and mental health. There are many different types of vacations that one can take in order to fill these needs.

You could take a vacation with just your immediate family or you could do typical group tours. But, you can also venture out into the world of vacationing with a group of people that have faced similar life challenges. For gay people, gay spirituality travel is a great option.

Being gay, we all have at least one thing in common. Vacationing with others that have had similar experiences in life can add to our time away. This commonality helps to form bonds within the group.

People that were at first strangers, become friends quickly and easily. This is one reason gay vacations are great way to travel. Knowing that we are understood by those around us adds an immediate sense of comfort to the group.

Being understood allows us to open up, relax more and let our guard down. This vulnerability lets more of the vacation into our hearts and minds. The more we feel the vacation, the more we recover from the strains of life at home.

If we take vacations with people that have similar goals for the vacation, we can deepen our experience even more. One such goal can be to connect with the spiritual aspects of the place being visited. Then we share our gay spiritual ideals and our quest for connectedness to our world.

Gay vacations that include an exploration of the world and also an exploration of ourselves, can be very powerful. With the support of the others in the group we are able to let our walls down even further and live a freer life. And that’s why we took a vacation in the first place, to be freer of life’s responsibilities.

Spread composed by Howie Holben. Spirit Journeys produces a gay retreats and will provide great gay travel ideas.

categories: metaphysical,spirituality,travel,vacations,self improvement,gay,society,inspiration,motivation,health,fitness

traveling is a great way to find something to take your mind off everyday routines though sometimes you may come away feeling dissatisfied when you return home from your travels which is the main reason to consider the benefits of spiritual travel. Cathedrals and Madonna portraits can only provide a certain level of satisfaction and often you won’t feel spiritually awake and so it pays to consider traveling to be spiritually awake.

Gay spirituality travel is of course not a buzzword that travel agents use to entice customers. In fact, people have traveled on pilgrimages from the very earliest times of our history and so it is something that has always held attraction to a certain type of person. From the 16th century onward it was common for Spanish Jesuits to travel to places such as Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay where they established missions to educate natives of those countries.

In these modern times, traveling for spiritual reasons has become more popular and there are numerous options to choose from that include going to places other than Yucatan, the Vatican and also Egypt. The best way to lift up your spirits is to travel to places where the surroundings are idyllic and a good example is a Buddhist monastery which is mainly found in Asia though some are also located in Europe and in the United States.

To get the true Buddhist spiritual experience you will want to choose Bodhgaya as your destination. This is a place that is part of the Indian state of Bihar and it is here that Lord Buddha sat under a Bodhi tree and finally became enlightened about the meaning of life. This part of the world where Lord Buddha became enlightened has become the home of a giant complex called the Mahabodhi Temple.

This is truly an exceptional place where the surroundings are perfectly serene and where everything is truly peaceful. Here, monks from different parts of the world sit under a huge carved Lord Buddha statue. They spend their time here reading from the Holy Scriptures and spend their time in deep and thoughtful contemplation.

Bodhgaya is home of many a Buddhist monastery each of which is maintained by Buddhists from different countries. If you are planning on flying here, there is an airport at Gaya that is about seven miles away from Bodhgaya and which sees a few flights arriving here from the not too distant metropolis of Kolkata.

To get the best out of your visit to Bodhgaya you need to plan your travel during the months November until February. You should also avoid coming here during June up till September which is when the rains lash Bodhgaya and make it hard to do any contemplation.

For those of you who wish to enjoy special gay retreats then a trip to Bodhgaya is certainly a good option and the best time to visit here is after September and before the summer months begin. The best time to come here is however between November and the month of February while months between June and September are the worst times which is when the monsoons hit this part of the world.

Discussion by Howie Holben with info on gay retreats and gay weekend breaks.

categories: metaphysical,spirituality,travel,vacations,self improvement,gay,society,inspiration,motivation,health,fitness

Why do we think that a gay spirituality vacations are not fun? We want to have fun on a vacation; we want to leave the daily grind behind us and play for at least a little while. Unfortunately, we frequently we think of spiritual travel as something we need to do; we view it as a form of work. Of course, if we think like this, spiritual travel won’t be any fun at all. How would this change if we thought differently?

My experience is that spiritual gay travel is a joy. You meet people with the same mindset and really can connect with them. This level of connection really adds to the enjoyment of being on vacation. The chance to have an honest, heart to heart conversation with someone brings adds tremendously to my vacation experience and I come to value these conversations very much.

We have also learned that being “spiritual” means we must act solemn. We seem to think that play is anti-spiritual. The truth is just the opposite. Laughter brings a real connection to spirit and connection that is more profound than you can imagine

In actuality, I have found just the opposite to be true. When we are awake and aware of our surroundings, in other words “spiritually” connected, our gay vacations are amplified and intensified. We are able to experience more of the world around us and experience it at a deeper level. We have found that this amplified experience actually makes our adventures more “fun” because all aspects of our travel are intensified; we can play more, we can laugh more, we can relax more fully and we can even shop more!

Little children are a wonderful example of this. They are enthralled with the world around them; everything is new, everything is a wonder. Discovering and learning new things is not “work” to a child. They find joy in all that they encounter; everything is a new toy to play with.

Finally, there is the experience of being awestruck. While spiritual traveling, we may be deeply touched by something; a sunrise or perhaps a smile. Although an intense experience, being awestruck is not a solemn experience. It just holds a deep meaning for the individual.

Info by Howie Holben post formulated by Howie Holben. Spirit Journeys proposes gay retreats and gay vacation destinations.

categories: metaphysical,spirituality,travel,vacations,self improvement,gay,society,inspiration,motivation,health,fitness