Author: Lisa Malachowsky
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Baja California Sur for LGBTQ Scuba Divers
Mexico, including all of Baja, is generally considered a relatively tolerant and accepting place for LGBTQ+ individuals, with legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes in place. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Mexico since 1871, and same-sex marriage is legal throughout the country. Currently, Equaldex gives this area an 84 on its Equality Index. This is actually two points higher than the USA!
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Why Use a Travel Advisor?
Wondering whether or not to use the services of a travel advisor, or a travel agent? Confused by the two terms? Wondering about the differences between them? Or even if there really are any differences? We’re here to help. The term “travel agent” dates back to the 19th Century, when Thomas Cook organized his first rail trip for paying clients, in 1845. By 1865 he had opened his first store front—the world’s first travel agency—on Fleet Street in London. It wasn’t long before travelers around the world were taking the firm’s advice: “Don’t just book it…. Thomas Cook it.” And for about 150 years or so, that’s mostly what travel agents did. They helped their clients book railway, steamship, and airline travel and hotel stays. And the best agents did a bit more than just selling tickets.
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Portugal and Spain for LGBTQ Travelers
Travelers who are members of the LGBTQ community need to pay attention to which countries are safe and which countries have discriminatory policies for people outside the dominant paradigm of heterosexuality. If you want to travel and truly be yourself, safely keeping your finger on the pulse of which countries are welcoming is important. This varies around the globe.
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Rescue the Seas
Scuba divers are invasive visitors to the seas; there is no doubt about it. But, just as responsible people try to minimize our impacts on land, so should divers look at their time visiting the water as an opportunity to observe and protect. In my time diving, since the mid-1980s, I have seen the changes in the oceans due to pollution and humankind’s wasteful attitude toward the oceans. I have witnessed barren areas which were once thriving ecosystems of coral reefs, teeming with life. I quickly came to believe that divers were a small part of this destruction, and we have to be a part of the change we want to see.
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Yes, You Do Need Motorcycle Training
Maybe you’ve had some professional training. Perhaps you took a basic learn-to-ride course quite a few years back and got that motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license. Or maybe a friend or family member helped you get started and then you practiced until you were good enough to pass the riding test at the DMV. How long ago was that? Five years? Ten? Twenty? If you’ve been riding for a few years you have almost certainly picked up some bad habits along the way. And, without realizing it, you’ve been practicing those habits until you perform them without thinking about it. You’ve unconsciously trained yourself on some poor skills.
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The Arizona Equals Conversation
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Jeanne Woodbury, the host of the Arizona Equals Conversation. The weekly podcast is a project of Equality Arizona, a non-profit organization dedicated to making sure LGBTQ+ people in Arizona have the opportunity, capacity, and confidence to make change as advocates, voters, and civic leaders.
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Scuba Diving the Sea of Cortez
Come to Baja California Sur December 1—10, 2023 for an amazing 10-day LGBTQ-friendly dive trip on the beautiful 90-foot liveaboard, Quino el Guardian. We’ll see the best of what the southern Sea of Cortez has to offer. We’ll explore sunken ships, swim with seal lions, look for orcas, and see more spectacular tropical fish than we can count. Finding giant hammerhead sharks? Diving with giant schools of mobula rays, at night? This is the trip for you!
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Motorcycling Portugal and Spain
Join us September 8—23, 2023 for an incredible LGBTQ-friendly motorcycle group ride in Portugal and Spain! We’ll visit the Douro Valley, where port comes from. We’ll cross into Spain to see historic towns dating back to the Roman Empire. Then we’ll explore the breathtaking Pyrenees mountain range with its unique Basque culture and heritage. And finally we’ll arrive on the southern coast to sink our toes into the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Wanna Go Diving? Lisa’s Scuba Destination Bucket List
When you’ve got the wanderlust to travel, and you’re a scuba diver, the world can be your oyster. I’ve been diving internationally since the early ‘90s and I still have a list of places that I wanna visit (or revisit!). My preference is to go on scuba trips using dedicated liveaboard scuba diving boats as […]
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World-wide Motorcycle Trip Bucket List: Lisa’s Great Places to Ride!
For the experienced rider, an overseas motorcycle tour is something to do at least once in your lifetime. I started vacation touring about thirty years ago, first in the US and then around the world. I’m hooked on the experience, and I’ve still got places I want to see from the seat of a motorcycle. […]