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Here we are again

at that time of the year when we ask with stunned expressions,

"What happened to summer?"

The leaves on the trees are beginning to show a hint of red and gold, reminding us that it's time again to get those long pants and sweaters out of storage.

Thoughts turn to Buckeye football, and for northern Ohioans, to what jacket we'll bring to that night game at Jacobs Field if the Indians are lucky enough to make it to the World Series. Daydreams about exotic locations where summer never ends begin to edge out whatever practical musings we might be having about needing new tires and putting up the storm windows. This is the year, we tell ourselves, that we'll take that trip we've always dreamed about...

The gay and lesbian travel market tops $17 billion annually, according to Recommend magazine, a travel industry publication. Recent market research studies have identified gays and lesbians as having more discretionary income than the average U.S. household, coupled with more time to travel. Therefore, more and more travel companies are providing tours and cruises with us in mind.

To serve this niche market, gay and lesbian-owned travel companies continue to spring up, joining the ranks of the mainstream travel industry. "A few years ago it was enough for agents to say, 'We sell gay travel,'" said Tom Roth of the International Gay Travel Association. "But now clients are looking for more specialization. The doors are opening up for agents to integrate special interests into their gay travel marketing plans.”

The choices available to lesbian and gay travelers are about as diverse as the people that make up the community. From a lesbian-only cruise to the Greek and Turkish ports of Mykonos and Istanbul, to a hiking tour of an active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, to a WinterFest in Lake Tahoe that looks like a gay Pride celebration on skis, there is something for everybody`s taste and budget. There is a great big world out there just waiting to be explored, and plenty of friendly folks ready to help you get to that dream destination. So, here's to recharging those batteries, and making it through yet another Ohio winter. Happy trails.

Revelers at the rail on one of Olivia's all-lesbian cruises.

Above, restored Victorians grace San Francisco's neighborhoods.