Celebrating Memories of France – and Making New Ones

I have decided to spend my 58^th birthday, August 4, 2013, in the City of Light. I remember seeing the Eiffel Tower the first time, two days after turning 19 – almost 40 years ago. Growing up I had often stared at a picture of my father flying under it on his golden birthday, August 25, 1944. I am sure his feeling of exhilaration of this accomplishment was mixed with the horror of the last 10 weeks of his life in combat. And on that special day I am sure that he was not thinking of four months later when he would again fly dangerously low, this time over enemy lines at the Battle of the Bulge. For the Eiffel Tower stunt he got a photo and lifetime of memories, for the bravery at Bastogne he would receive the Silver Star from the future President Eisenhower.

My father,
Darwin D. Rounds

I joined my father and mother in Paris in 1981 to celebrate my father’s retirement from decades of holding two jobs to ensure that his children would never know the economic hardship of his childhood. Returning from over three years in the Peace Corps in Cameroon, I had stopped in Greece for six weeks before coming to Paris. It was in Greece that I came out after meeting someone in Mykonos. David joined us in Paris for three magical days with my parents – days that I will never forget. The City of Light, the City of Love – to me there is no place as magical as Paris to look into someone’s eyes and really let yourself go.

When we were planning our 2013 schedule for Brand g Vacations, I decided that it was time to share my love for Paris with other travelers. Our two days there will precede one of the first-ever LGBT cruise down the Rhone River. This cruise is such a great way to see the varied French countryside, without having to unpack, for seven days. From the verdant vineyards of Burgundy to the ancient ruins of Arles, our guests will have the opportunity to taste great wine in the fields where the grapes were harvested, or climb the massive Pont du Gard to try and understand the ingenuity of the Roman architecture that built this massive aqueduct. But perhaps the greatest moments will simply be sailing along France’s greatest river and watching the world go by, surrounded by 130 friendly people who share the experience of having seen the great leap forward of the LGBT community in the last few years. Perhaps France will soon offer full marriage equality to its LGBT community?

And after the cruise, I look forward to the optional two-day excursion in Barcelona, for which I have fond memories as well. I doubt I could have imagined in 1974 when I was first there and the country was still shackled by the dictatorship of Francisco Franco that Barcelona could change much in 38 years. I was there again in July of 1995 with a cruise ship of 220 LGBT passengers, and I remember to this day an excursion bus driver saying that he didn’t think there were 220 of “us” in the entire world. I am sure that 10 years later, when Spain passed full marriage equality, he finally understood that there were many more than 200!

Great cities, countries, and memories for me. I hope that you will join me in creating more.

Meet Seth and Nick

We’ve received so many heartfelt love stories for our Brand g Vacations contest to win a romantic Danube riverboat cruise. Here’s one of our favorites of the week…

When I first met Nick, I was finishing up my degree at Utah State University, working two jobs, struggling with my sexuality and I was about to move to a new city where I had no friends. I was desperate for a connection with someone else; I needed someone to help me understand how to come out of the closet in such a conservative atmosphere. There were no gay bars, no gay organizations, no Pride Center for me to look to for a resource in the small, college town of Logan, Utah. Simply put, I was alone and didn’t know who could help me.

As I was preparing to move to Salt Lake City, I checked out some of the dating websites on the off-chance that I would meet someone who I would connect with. That rainy April Sunday afternoon I met the sexiest, sweetest guy imaginable. We hit it off immediately and there was no one I wanted to spend time with. From the moment we started chatting, we were practically inseparable. After I finished an internship, I graduated from school and moved in with Nick.

We come from similar backgrounds, both raised as Mormons – before we met we even went on Mormon missions for two years to try and spread Mormonism. But we both knew we were living a lie. When he turned 30 he was finally able to get enough courage to start living like he knew he needed.

His tells me sometimes his biggest regret is taking so long to be true to himself. But as cliché as it may sound, all things happen for a reason, and his waiting so long to date men led him to me, as did my own journey. We are about to celebrate our three-year anniversary and we couldn’t be happier.

Nick has helped me with so much! I can’t even begin to describe how much I love him. His love and support pushed me to get my life back on track; I was able to come out to my friends and family, land a job in one of the few gay-friendly environments in Salt Lake City and he continues to support me through all the tough times. I run the only gay newspaper in Utah, QSaltLake. Although we’re a small operation, we’re a scrappy bunch and our audience is growing. Publishing a queer newspaper in Mormon central is more challenging than I ever would have thought and I simply couldn’t do it without Nick’s support.

Nothing would make us happier than to win the trip on the river cruise. We always talk about exploring Europe together, but haven’t had the time or the finances to get across the pond. We’ve dedicated a lot of the funds that would be for a vacation budget to providing for me to work for the newspaper. We feel very strongly about advancing equality in Utah, but frankly, we sure could use a vacation from it all.

Going on a river cruise in Europe combines so many aspects of our dream vacation. Nick watches every television program he can about boats and ships and we have always talked about taking a river cruise but we’ve never had the chance.

This Valentine’s season, if I could repay Nick’s love and kindness with a surprise, dream vacation, it would make a wonderful relationship even more spectacular.

Gay Riverboat Boom Satisfies Culture-Seeking Crowd

In 1986, the first all-gay cruise set sail out of New Orleans with 750 guests thanks to Kevin Mossier, founder of RSVP Vacations. Because of the social climate of the time, during the height of the AIDS epidemic and socialized homophobia, Kevin saw a need to create a safe place for gays and lesbians to vacation.

But let’s face it, the gay and lesbian travel market has evolved significantly since the 1980s. When we launched Brand g Vacations, it was my hope to ride the wave of a new era in gay travel, one that would reflect the changes in our community over the last twenty-five years. And while the younger LGBT generation (much younger than me!) may not necessarily seek out an all-gay product as readily as those of us who came out in the 1980s, I believe that there is still a strong need and interest in the experience and camaraderie that are part of traveling with other LGBT guests. However, I also believe that the next generation in gay travel represents a greater mix of men and women, as well as straight friends and family members.

I believe another notable trend in gay travel is culture-focused vacation experiences that offer alternatives to large-scale gay cruises and resort buyouts. For example, Brand g is one of seven other LGBT tour operators either chartering or organizing groups aboard boutique European riverboats this summer. Our full-ship charter of AMA Waterways’ newest ship, the 164-passenger AmaCerto, features two nights in Prague followed by a custom-tailored, seven-day itinerary down the Danube River that includes stops in Regensberg, Melk, Vienna, Bratislava and ends in Budapest.

A gay riverboat cruise is an exceptional way to see these destinations: an intimate setting, great food and service, surrounded by a welcoming community. And I truly believe that for those of us who are lucky enough to live in states with marriage equality, there is no better way to spend a honeymoon!

We have a wide range of ages booked so far on our cruise, though our average is 48 years old (a bit younger than a mainstream European riverboat demographic of 55-60+). And while small-ship travel may be more conducive to quiet conversation and castle-watching, the ambiance on our ship will be anything but boring!

We invite you to join us this summer down the legendary Danube. You will not be disappointed.