Gay Soccer invades Latin America

by Martha Edwards on

This week, Buenos Aires is hosting a unique and no doubt fun event — the gay ‘World Cup’ of soccer. Nine teams from the US will compete against five teams from the UK, four from Argentina and one each from Chile, Uruguay and Mexico. There are also a number of city squads teams from around the world — The New York Ramblers, Vancouver’s Out for Kicks and the Sydney Rangers for instance.

Even though Buenos Aires is considered one of the most ‘Gay-Friendly’ cities in the world, it’s the first time a city in South American has hosted the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association World Soccer Championships — past host cities include London, Copenhagen, Chicago, San Francisco and Sydney. The event has been going strong since 1991.

The final game is happening this Saturday, September 29th, so if you’re lucky enough to be in Buenos Aires, be prepared for a party!

Top 10 Hostels Around the World

by Justin Glow on

Our friend Benji over at the Guardian has compiled a list of the top 10 hostels around the world. “When I say I’m staying in a hostel instead of a hotel, they think I’m subtlety telling them I have a drug problem,” he writes. “But things have changed, people. Not all hostels are grubby dives run by people called Starchild.” It’s true; some of the cheapest and most unique places to rest your weary travel legs are hostels, even if you do have a drug problem. Here’s Benji’s picks:

  1. Villa Saint Exupery, Nice, France
  2. Hostel Celica, Ljubljana, Slovenia (pictured)
  3. Casa Caracol, Cadiz, Spain
  4. Art Hostel, Sofia, Bulgaria
  5. Backpack Guesthouse, Budapest, Hungary
  6. Backpackers International, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
  7. Long Street Backpackers, Cape Town, South Africa
  8. Casa Esmeralda, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  9. Sleeping with the Enemy, Sydney, Australia
  10. The Gershwin, New York, US

I haven’t been to any of these, but I’ll be looking for hostels to stay in next month in Ljubljana, Budapest, and Sofia, and each of his recommendations in these cities looks promising. Make sure to head over to the Guardian to read details — including website links — of each one of the hostels listed. [via]

Gay.com’s Travel Gaydar: Top 10 Destinations

by Iva Skoch on

Apparently, San Francisco, Key West and New Orleans’ glory has long passed. Now, if you are a) gay and b) hip, you head over to Buenos Aires to party.

“Fed up with following the well-trod lavender road to the end of that boring old rainbow?” Gay.com asks. Here is a list of Top 10 destinations:

  1. Buenos Aires, Argentina
  2. Melbourne, Australia
  3. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
  4. Hong Kong, China
  5. Cape Town, South Africa
  6. New York, NY, USA
  7. Berlin, Germany
  8. San Diego, CA, USA
  9. Philadelphia, PA, USA
  10. Toronto, Canada

And a few extra on their “gaydar”: Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Lisbon.

If travel is anything like real estate, I say follow the gays!

One for the Road: Hedonist Guide to Buenos Aires

by Kelly Amabile on

This sexy guidebook is one you want to be seen holding if luxury travel is your style. It’s fresh, fashionable and smart in both design and content. The Hedonist Guides package the very best of “independent advice for intelligent travelers” in sleek black books accented in soothing colors — as cool as the travelers holding them. The latest in the Hg2 series is a guide to Buenos Aires that is available this month.

Maps in the front introduce the city and each neighborhood, followed by sections that cover where to sleep, eat, drink, snack, party, play and shop. The emphasis here is on pampering and indulgence — travelers who prefer gourmet dining, chic bars, stylish clubs and elegant hotels will find Hedonist guides to serve as indispensable traveling companions. They distinguish themselves further by offering post-production online access to listing updates, keeping sophisticated travelers in the know at all times.

In 2006 Hedonist Guides (published by Filmer Ltd.) released a bunch of titles in this series, including Istanbul, Berlin, Marrakesh and Moscow. Buenos Aires is their first new title in 2007, although they have done some creative online launches of mini-guides for London, Rome, Paris and most recently, Barcelona. Other new hard-copy titles to be released later this year include New York and Prague.

The Craziest Drivers in the World Are…

by Iva Skoch on

How does one define a “bad driver”? In a good portion of the civilized world, we tend to think of it as someone who drives fast, passes without seeing what’s ahead, doesn’t stop for pedestrians, honks impatiently … and frequently breaks the law.

This definition does not apply in other places. Take Eastern Europe: Bad driver is typically seen as someone without the skills to drive a bad car 100mph on icy roads, someone who frequently slows down traffic by driving the speed limit or someone who doesn’t take off within exactly one second of the light changing. This school of thought automatically makes every person above 55 and 95 percent of women bad drivers. Really, the only “good drivers” would be single, childless men between 18 and 30. And, according to some, good drivers would definitely not be Australians.

Some say that the people of Rome are the world’s worst; others think Buenos Aires is crazier. Several sites are dedicated to the awful drivers of the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf). A few Mexico Cities, LAs, Rios. And finally, one study shows that Russians are the worst in Europe, with 25 percent admitting to having sex while driving.

I cast my vote for the drivers in Egypt, the world’s most enthusiastic honkers.