Category Archives: Travel

Sergio and I arrived in Portugal yesterday. If you have an Instagram account follow me as I post pictures of our trip to Porto and Lisbon.

Do you like to travel on Delta Airlines? It is about to get a bit easier for those of you who are fans of Delta. According to an article published in the Boston Business Journal earlier this month, the airline is going to boost the number of flights out of Logan Airport with the goal to be the only U.S. global carrier to offer first-class seating on every flight to and from Boston by the end of this year.

The airline company has indicated that by June 2017 Delta Airlines will have 85 domestic departures to 17 cities, and 5 international departures to 4 cities for a total of 90 peak day departures to 26 destinations.

Added routes from Boston will include:
Daily nonstop service to San Francisco
Daily nonstop service to Seattle
Daily nonstop service to Nashville
Daily nonstop service to Milwaukee
Saturday nonstop service to Montego Bay, Jamaica
Saturday nonstop service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Saturday nonstop service to St. Thomas, U.S. V.I.

Credit: Courtesy photo of Airberlin jet at Dusseldorf Airport

Traveling to Germany is about to get a bit easier for Bostonians. Earlier this month Airberlin announced plans to increase their nonstop flights between Boston and Dusseldorf from four times a week to daily service starting May 2017. According to data shared by the airline, these routes are running at nearly 80% capacity with much of the revenue coming from business travelers.

Airberlin only recently started flying out of Boston, initially offering service between the two cities three times a week. This past June the airline increased the service to four times a week and it would appear to bode well for both tourists and business that the airline now sees daily service as profitable.

In just a few weeks Sergio and I will pack up for a very quick trip to Portugal (our first time there). Provided that the weather is nice, I’d like to spend a day at a gay-friendly beach to soak up some Portuguese sun.  There seem to be two options recommended for gay travelers.

Have you been before? Which beach should we visit?

Costa da Caparica is described as a popular beach near Lisbon. From what I have read on the web if we go here we should head to the southern portion of the beach which is described as “trendier and less crowded” — which I take as  gay code for better looking people and no children.  It sounds like this is also more active in the afternoon and one website suggested we enjoy cocktails and the nightlife the village has to offer.

Beach 19 is the other option, located at the south end of Praia de Bela Vista. This is a clothing optional beach which isn’t exactly a draw for me but it isn’t something that would deter me from going either. However, the reviews for this beach which I believe is a bit further away from Libson appear mixed.

I’m curious if any of my readers have been to either beach and if you have a suggestion on which we should try? I wish we were in Portugal longer so we could actually visit both but on this trip that won’t be possibly.

One month from today Sergio and I will board a plane to visit Portugal. Despite all our travels and the fact that Sergio speaks Portuguese fluently, we’ve never visited the country. This will be a brief trip, spending just a few days in the north in Porto followed by four days in Lisbon where we plan to possibly do a day trip or two – time permitting.

Based on stories from friends and the photos I have seen I am assuming we will love Portugal and want to return, but for now I’m getting excited – counting down the days. If you’ve been to Porto or Lisbon and have some suggestions you think Sergio and I would enjoy, please feel free to contact me directly or leave the tips in my blog’s comment section.

Community Marketing Insights has another LGBT Travel survey that you may be interested in taking. It took me less than 10 minutes to fill out the online survey.

This survey is for LGBT travelers who have been to South America, Central America and The Caribbean in the past three years.  As an added incentive, CMI is offering cash prizes to twenty different people who complete the survey.

CMI LGBT Travel Survey

In 2013 we stayed at the W Retreat and Spa on Vieques Island using Starwood points

Are you shopping around for a new loyalty rewards program? I may be in short order since Starwood Hotels has agreed to be purchased by Marriott and the latter’s rewards program is nowhere near as good as Starwood IMHO.

I switched to the Starwood American Express card after returning from Australia in December 2009. I had depleted all my rewards points with my American Express card and was eager to identify a hotel chain credit card that I could rack up points on everyday purchases since I don’t travel frequently enough to accrue any status. I settled on the Starwood American Express and it has worked well for my needs ever since then. However, with the future of their loyalty program in question, I have started to look around.

Recently I stumbled upon thepointsguy.com blog post, ranking the top 10 travel rewards credit card offers for July 2016. If you read the post, keep in mind the blogger may be receiving financial compensation for this post so that could be a factor in their ranking.  You can read the full blog post here.

Do you have a loyalty reward card you really like? Do tell. My interest is in credit cards that make it easier / more affordable to travel. Getting money back at the end of the year or credit at retail stores are not of much interest to me.

International travel is getting both easier and more affordable if you live in Boston.  Logan will soon have the more low-cost trans-Atlantic flights than any other airport in the United States and industry analysts say they expect the growth of low-cost carriers in Boston to continue.

Analysts cite a confluence of global and regional forces that work in our favor, from low oil and fuel prices and Logan’s proximity to Europe to the strength of the economy of Greater Boston, which has ample supply of business travelers and younger flyers interested in seeing the world on the cheap.

For example, discount airline, Thomas Cook, is offering introductory non-stop fares from Boston to Manchester, England for $312 when they start flying to Logan Airport next week, and earlier this month AirBerlin started non-stop flights Boston to Dusseldorf, Germany for $650. Both fares are cheaper than my flight to San Francisco later this month.

Reykjavik, Iceland may not be on your bucket list but with two Icelandic airlines offering non-stop daily service from Boston the five hour flight, which can cost less than a Boston – San Francisco fare, may be a fun summer destination to consider. Both discount airlines offer travelers the opportunity to book flights with a stopover for several nights in Reykjavik to experience Iceland before continuing on to more than 30 destinations in Europe if you would rather couple your visit with a longer vacation to another European city.

Photo courtesy of Esja Travel which caters to LGBT travelers

When I first floated the idea of visiting Reykjavik to Sergio several years back he looked at me like I had three heads and said something to the effect of, “Why would I want to go to a country made of ice?“, but nothing could be further from the truth if you visit in the summer when the days are at their longest.  One of the things that I definitely would like to do when we visit (someday) is check out their famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa which remains warm year round.

Exchange rates for American travelers to Iceland remain favorable with one US dollar roughly equal to 125 Icelandic Króna, which is slightly down from the end of 2015 but still incredibly advantageous for American travelers.

Photo courtesy of Goecco Outdoor Tours

Have you visited Iceland before? Are you thinking of traveling to Reykjavik this summer? The city’s gay pride celebration is August 2- 7, 2016. You can find out more information about Reykjavik Gay Pride on their FB page, here.

Two airlines provide daily non-stop service from Boston to Reykjavik:
IcelandAir
WOW Airlines

Starting today, Azores Airlines is offering a special “Discover the Azores” airfare of just $501 round-trip, including tax, from Boston to the Azores non-stop, but to qualify, tickets must be purchased between May 3 and 16, 2016.  The special fare is for travel from Boston Logan to the island of São Miguel in the Azores and is valid for travel from September 16, 2016, to December 16, 2016.

The Azores form an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic and are characterized by dramatic landscapes, fishing villages, green pastures and hedgerows of blue hydrangeas. For more information and reservations, contact Azores Airlines at 800-762-9995, www.AzoresAirlines.pt.

Sergio and I booked our first trip to Portugal at the end of summer.  This visit to Portugal may be bittersweet for Sergio who’s father passed away about 16 months ago and who’s family emigrated from there to Brazil.  Ever since I first met Sergio I’ve wanted to visit Portugal and I’m looking forward to spending a few days exploring Lisbon.  We have the opportunity to spend 2-3 nights outside of Lisbon, but I’m torn on whether we should head north to Porto or south to some of the fantastic looking beaches.

Have you visited Portugal? Share your thoughts or tips in the comments section of my blog or by emailing me directly at bosguymail@gmail.com.

Boston Boys hanging out in Copenhagen

Last month SAS started the first nonstop flights between Boston and Copenhagen making it the first airline to offer such service to Scandinavia. However, starting in May there will be a bit more competition when Norwegian Air Shuttle, a low-cost European airline, starts non-stop service from Boston to both Copenhagen, Denmark and Oslo, Norway.

About Copenhagen: Slightly smaller in population than Boston, Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital and largest city with a metro population of 1.2m Danes. Copenhagen is an incredibly progressive city and if you were to travel there I would suggest you bookmark visitcopenhagen.com/gaycopenhagen.

Copenhagen Pride: Contemplating a visit to the gay-friendly capital of Denmark? Take note that their Pride festivities run from August 16 – 21, and fares are approximately $1,300 for nonstop round trip service. For more information about Copenhagen Pride like their Facebook page, here.

For nonstop service between Boston and Copenhagen contact SAS and Norwegian Air Shuttle (nonstop service starts in May 2016).