You can visit walkable cities, stroll sandy beaches, and enjoy magnificent meals in southern France, in summer, without the crowds, as my husband and I discovered on a recent trip to Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille.

Glamping - you've probably heard the term, but may not know what it is. The name is a mash-up of camping and glamorous, adding a pleasant gay note to the idea of sleeping in a tent.

There's something special about Sydney when it's winter here, and fall down under. I traveled there earlier this year to cover the 40th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, but also had time to take in other activities.

You may have no interest in tennis, tanning, or cocktails by a pale blue pool, but sometimes, San Francisco is just too cool and gray. What about a place where locals boast, "Winter's over in less than a month?"

Phoenix just wrapped up a successful LGBT Pride event that saw a record crowd of more than 37,000. Tourism officials hope those Pride visitors checking out the city for the first time will make it a habit to return.

Los Angeles has long been a popular getaway for northern Californians. And by San Francisco standards, Los Angeles has year-round beach weather.

It had been a dream of mine to go to Paris, and that desire to go to the City of Lights was real as I leaned over my girlfriend, pointing out the airplane window, saying, "Regardez! C'est la Tour Eiffel."

When some people think of Carmel-by-the-Sea, they think of cute houses, former mayor Clint Eastwood, and maybe Doris Day.

In the summer of 1869 famed naturalist John Muir landed a job as a sheepherder in the Sierra Nevada in order to finance a return to the forests and alpine landscapes he so dearly loved.

The thousands who packed downtown Taipei last weekend for Taiwan's 15th annual Pride march had an extra reason to celebrate. The country is on the verge of being the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

A history cruise that San Francisco's GLBT Historical Society is participating in will make a stop in Jamaica, one of the most anti-gay countries in the world.

Michael Volpatt fought back tears last week as he told the Bay Area Reporter about two school kids, brothers Sage and Wilder Bell-Bross, who came into his shop, the Big Bottom Market in Guerneville, to donate $150 that they had been saving for a vacation.

A walk along the historic Unter den Linden under the fragrantly blossoming linden trees will grant views of classical sculptures next to new construction cranes, and take you to major sites like Berlin Cathedral and Museum Island.

It goes without saying - you can get that lovin' feeling in San Diego. It's fun, sun, and playing in the sand in America's Finest City.