Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beyond Tours
(
&
800/397-2681;
www.
abovebeyondtours.com);
Now, V oyager
(
&
800/255-6951;
www .nowvoyager.
com); and
Olivia C ruises & R esorts
(
&
800/631-6277;
www.olivia.com).
Gay.com Travel
(
&
800/929-2268
or
415/644-8044; www .gay.com/travel or
www.outandabout.com) is an online suc-
cessor to the popular
Out & A bout
print
magazine. I t pr ovides r egularly updated
information about gay-o wned, gay-ori-
ented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining,
sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping estab-
lishments in ev ery impor tant destination
worldwide.
The following travel guides are available
at many bookstor es, or y ou can or der
them from any online bookseller:
Sparta-
cus I nternational G ay G uide
(B runo
Gmünder V erlag; www.spartacusworld.
com/gayguide) and
Odysseus: The I nter-
national Gay Travel Planner
(Odysseus
Enterprises Ltd.); and the
Damron
guides
(www.damron.com), with separate, annual
topics for gay men and lesbians.
41
Persons), 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC
20049 (
&
888/687-2277;
www .aarp.
org), get discounts on hotels, air fares, and
car rentals. AARP offers members a wide
range of benefits, including
AARP The
Magazine
and a monthly ne wsletter. Any-
one over 50 can join.
The
U.S. National Park Service
offers
a
Golden Age Passport
that gives seniors
62 y ears or older lifetime entrance to all
properties administer ed b y the N ational
Park Service—national parks, monuments,
historic sites, recreation areas, and national
wildlife r efuges—for a one-time pr ocess-
ing fee of $10, which must be pur chased
in person at any NPS facility that charges
an entrance fee. B esides fr ee entr y, a
Golden Age P assport also offers a 50%
discount on federal-use fees charged for
such facilities as camping, swimming,
parking, boat launching, and tours. F or
more information, go to www .nps.gov/
fees_passes.htm or call
&
888/467-2757.
FOR GAY & LESBIAN
PARENTS
San Francisco is well known as a bastion of
gay and lesbian households, many of
which include kids. If you hope to connect
with any, start by contacting
Our Family
Coalition
(
&
415/981-1960;
www .our
family.org), a grass-r oots organization for
families with gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-
gender members. Check their w ebsite for
a calendar of social and educational events.
You might also want to visit the
San
Francisco Lesbian, G ay, B isexual, and
Transgender Community Center
at 1800
Market S t., S an F rancisco, CA 94102
(
&
415/865-5555;
www.sfcenter.org). It's
easily r eached on the F-M arket and
J-Church str eetcars. O ther sites to check
out include www .familypride.org, www .
gayparentingpage.com, and www .rfamily
vacations.com.
Many agencies offer tours and trav
2
TRAVELERS WITH
DISABILITIES
Most disabilities shouldn 't stop any one
from traveling in the U.S. There are more
options and r esources out ther e than ev er
before.
Most of San Francisco's major museums
and tourist attractions hav e wheelchair
ramps. M any hotels offer special accom-
modations and ser vices for wheelchair
users and other visitors with disabilities.
Check with the San Francisco Convention
and Visitors Bureau (p. 16) for the most
up-to-date accessibility information.
Many trav el agencies offer customiz ed
tours and itineraries for trav elers with dis-
abilities. Among them ar e
Flying Wheels
Travel
(
&
877-451-5006
or
&
507/451-
5005; www .flyingwheelstravel.com) and
Accessible J ourneys
(
&
800/846-4537
or 610/521-0339; www .disabilitytravel.
com).
Avis Rent a Car
has an “Avis Access”
el
itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian
travelers. Among them ar
e
Above and
