This past December, to counteract a hectic Thanksgiving weekend full of large family gatherings, my partner and I planned a just-the-two-of us getaway to Maui. It rained. So we poured.

Once upon a time, Out There went on lots of world trips. Nowadays, not so much. That's all the more reason we make sure to make plenty of whoopee at home.

It's that time of year again when the entire city comes alive with everything leather and kink! Whether you're a Bay Area resident, a pilgrim to Folsom, or watching from afar, you'll want to know all about this year's fair.

New Orleans is without compare as a travel destination for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and even straight people, combining world class bawdiness, drinking, exquisite fine and casual dining, art, and a matchless music scene.

Here is a plan for a fabulous summer escape east, where we share the joys of Brooklyn's cultural and natural splendor, with a hot weekend dose of Manhattan and Brooklyn clubs, and Broadway hits with a queer edge.

Perhaps the best thing about living in the Bay Area is that we are graced with abundant natural beauty right at our fingertips. Even in the hearts of our cities, there exist parks that can transport you to a world apart.

The biggest lesbian party on the planet, The Dinah, just keeps getting bigger and better year after year. At 25, there is no stopping it, with hit-makers Meghan Trainor and Christina Perri headlining the party.

It's a big gay affair in wine country when the Big Gay Wine Train rolls out of downtown Napa up the valley to St. Helena. Guests will enjoy wines from LGBT vintners paired with a special menu. And this year marks the event's five year anniversary.

In less than a week, over 70,000 people will converge on a dry lake bed in Northwestern Nevada to create Black Rock City, which hosts the festival known as Burning Man.

With the quickly approaching Up Your Alley street fair and the vast array of related events that take place around the same time, San Francisco is poised to yet again celebrate the leather and kinky among us in a truly special way.

A travel agency founded by gay men that’s been in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood for almost 30 years is being evicted.

Lake Tahoe’s slopes are in need of fresh powder, but that isn’t stopping diehard skiers or LGBT partiers from heading up to the Sierra and to nearby Reno for a winter getaway.

The lack of LGBT historic sites with federal recognition is garnering the attention of National Park Service officials, who are now seeking nominations of sites to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Ultimately, the year-round warm weather is what lures most people to Miami, but there are plenty of things to see and do there even if you are not much of a beach person.