Much of Europe now accepts same-sex couples, and homosexual sex acts are legal in most countries. Do some research on the city or area you’re planning to visit, however, to ensure your safety. Many European cities have blossomed into centers for gay lifestyles, including parts of London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Greece. As is usually the case, smaller, more traditional towns are often not as accepting.

Your best all-around resource is the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) (%800-448-8550 or 954-776-2626; www. iglta.org), the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry. IGLTA offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses; go to its Web site and click on Members.

Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. Above and Beyond Tours (%800-397-2681; www. abovebeyondtours.com) is the exclusive gay and lesbian tour operator for United Air Lines. Now, Voyager (%800-255-6951; www.nowvoyager. com) is a well-known San Francisco–based gay-owned and -operated travel service. Olivia Cruises & Resorts (%800-631-6277 or 510-655- 0364; www.olivia.com) charters entire resorts and ships for exclusive lesbian vacations and offers smaller group experiences for both gay and lesbian travelers.

An excellent resource is Frommer’s Gay & Lesbian Europe (Wiley; www.frommers.com), one of the first guidebooks focusing on gayfriendly hotels, restaurants, and nightlife. The following travel guides are available at most travel bookstores and gay and lesbian bookstores, or you can order them from Giovanni’s Room bookstore, 1145 Pine St., Philadelphia, PA 19107 (%215-923-2960; www.giovannisroom.com) or A Different Light Bookstore (%800-343-4002 or 212-989-4850; www.adl books.com): Out and About (%800-929-2268 or 415-644-8044; www. outandabout.com), which offers guidebooks and a newsletter ($35/year; 10 issues) packed with solid information on the global gay and lesbian scene; Spartacus International Gay Guide (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide/) and Odysseus, both good, annual English-language guidebooks focused on gay men; the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians; and Gay Travel A to Z: The World of Gay & Lesbian Travel Options at Your Fingertips by Marianne Ferrari (Ferrari International; Box 35575, Phoenix, AZ 85069), a very good gay and lesbian guidebook series.

The Out Traveler (www.outtraveler.com) gives a gay perspective to the travel experience, covering not only destinations but also gayspecific travel issues. It is distributed to subscribers of The Advocate (24 issues/year, $39.97 in the U.S., $69.97 in Canada) and Out magazine ($14.95 in the U.S., $39.95 in Canada). Our World, 1104 North Nova Rd., Suite 251, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 (%386-441-5367; www.ourworld publishing.com), a slick monthly magazine, highlights and promotes travel bargains and opportunities. The annual subscription rate for this magazine is $25 in the United States, $35 in Canada, and $50 outside North America. A one-year online subscription is available for $12.