Latest news with #AcrossAsiaontheCheap
Hamilton Spectator
17 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Lonely Planet just published its first LGBTQ guide. Why now?
In the half-century since its first travel guide, 'Across Asia on the Cheap,' Lonely Planet has grown into a global behemoth, having sold 150 million printed guides advising budget travellers on where to go, stay and eat in destinations ranging from Scandinavia to South Africa. But until now the company had never published a stand-alone guide for LGBTQ travellers. 'The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide,' by Alicia Valenski, features more than 50 queer-friendly destinations in a coffee-table-size book, a departure from the company's usual packable paperbacks. Also unlike the usual guides, this one explores destinations such as Brooklyn, Berlin and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, entirely through local voices. Lonely Planet, which has been including a section on LGBTQ travel in its guidebooks for decades, is a strong player in digital guides through its website and app. Why was this the moment to debut a glossy guidebook that would barely fit into most backpacks? I spoke to Valenski, 32, in late April in New York. Why publish an LGBTQ travel guide now? Lonely Planet was poised to publish a book about queer travel in 2019 or 2020. And then the world stopped. And, so, once they were ready to pick it back up, it was like 2022 or 2023. And the biggest thing that keeps coming up with people is, this is such a unique format for a book. It's either a guidebook or a coffee-table book. Having a book that is by the queer community, for the queer community, in this moment, feels so empowering. Why publish in this format? I wanted to strike that balance between 'This will plan your trip for you,' versus if you texted a friend that you knew lived in the city: 'Hey, I'm coming to New York. I'm coming to Amsterdam or Madrid. Where should I go while I'm there?' You could skim this and just look at the bold points of interest, look at the map, look at the need-to-know info. Or you can read the story of the people who are giving you these recommendations, why they live there. So it's kind of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Who is your audience? I was writing it as though it was to a friend. We are giving you recommendations so you can feel happy, safe and comfortable going to these places. I really want it to be a resource for allies as well — I wonder how that will sit with people, because it does say LGBTQ in giant letters on the front. I want them to read and say, 'Wow! I had no idea that queer people had to think about that when they travel.' Online, it can be really hard to deduce what is an ad and what is not. Oftentimes, what you're seeing on your phone may be special treatment an influencer is getting. Somebody who lives there knows this is a tourist trap, and this is an authentic place where the community actually gathers and enjoys themselves. What makes you an expert on LGBTQ travel? I don't know that I'm an expert. I mean, I am bi. But my expertise, I think, is in the interviewing. How did you select the people in the book? I would follow their blogs. So thinking of Two Bad Tourists in Madrid and Spain, I just loved their story: 'We dated, but then we broke up, and now we still run a tour company together.' And then, it was kind of word-of-mouth. I did speak to (many) trans folks in the book very intentionally as well, to make sure that their perspectives were represented. One person told me that, in Malta, even if you have top surgery, you can't be topless, necessarily, at the beach. There are laws against that. How did you handle the evolving landscape of LGBTQ rights? Anything you write in print is almost immediately out of date, so part of that is, is it safe to include businesses or not? If we reached out and they were like, 'We don't want to be included or we fear for our safety,' any of that immediately would have been taken out. But most businesses were thrilled to be included. I would have liked to include more recommendations in Africa and Asia. Unfortunately, I was not able to find people who were comfortable with — if not the actual legality of homosexuality in different places — the local attitudes or treatment of queer folks. Did you leave out any places? Honestly, there were no destinations where anybody said, 'That can't be in here.' I think if I were writing it now, I would have done a little less U.S., but, at the time, it felt safe. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .
Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Lonely Planet founder shares four destination he'll never return to
Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler, who has visited more than 170 countries worldwide, has revealed the four destinations he won't be returning to for reasons as diverse as war and bad traffic A travel expert who has visited more than 170 countries across the globe had revealed four destinations he won't be returning to. Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of popular travel guide Lonely Planet, has spent more than half a century travelling - but says he won't go back to four particular places. The adventurer co-founded what would become a guide book empire alongside his wife Maureen in 1973, when the pair published Across Asia on the Cheap. He sold the firm to the BBC in 2007. In a recent post on his blog Tony Wheeler's Travels, the writer said war, local transport and political turmoil had put him off going back to the four destinations - Russia, Saudi Arabia, the USA and Indonesian island Bali. Russia The world's largest country by land area has been at war with Ukraine since it invaded its neighbour in 2022. Tony, who says he has visited Russia multiple times, admitted he wouldn't return "as long as they're buddying up with North Korea and the USA to attack Ukraine" and "as long as Vladimir Putin continues to kill innocent people". The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia due the risks of its war with Ukraine. Travellers are warned of drone attacks and terrorist incidents in major cities. Saudi Arabia The expert said he wouldn't go to the Middle East country for "many reasons". The Gulf state, which attracted 30 million tourists last year, has been criticised for its human rights record. Tony mentioned the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 along with recent reports of Saudis murdering East African domestic workers in his explanation. He added: "On my own travels to Somaliland in 2022 I encountered cheetahs saved from being shipped to Saudi Arabia to be kept as pets, and then killed when they grew too large." Bali The Indonesian island of Bali has been a popular spot for Brits seeking gap year getaways or luxury getaways. But the influx has left the island playing catch-up, Tony says. He said: "Bali, there are so many good things about that Indonesian island and I've just had a great travel writers reunion trip there, but until they sort out the ridiculous traffic I never want to go back." USA Often a popular destination for western tourists, Tony surprisingly listed the USA among his new no-go areas. Having visited all but three US states, he said he wouldn't return while Donald Trump is president. He added: "Right now with the orange one (AKA Liz Trump , or even Donald Trump to some people) and his associated scoundrels running the place I really don't want to go there anymore. "Despite having spent nearly 10 years of my life living in the USA (Midwest, East Coast, West Coast) and despite having many American friends, I'm currently happy to leave the USA at the bottom of my dance card."
