Spirit Journeys is very pleased to announce its new gay travel adventure rafting through the Grand Canyon. “Going Deep” is the title of this adventure and it begins and ends in Las Vegas and includes eight days and seven nights of rafting the Colorado River some 280 miles through the Grand Canyon. On this journey, the goal is to experience the canyon and the river at a more profound level than on an ordinary vacation.

Grand Canyon Rafting

The adventure into Self will be enhanced the inspiring surroundings the Canyon has to offer. Being on the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon has a way of making humans very humble; in the presence of such majesty, major life shifts can happen. Meditation, Heart Circles and group movement rituals will be used to help open the mind and heart and deepen the experience of this incredible place. The intention is to actively engage the Canyon and the River; to know them on a more intimate level. The raft stops several times each day to hike, to explore side canyons, to swim in favorite swimming holes or to stand in the power of waterfalls.

Howie Holben is the guide for this gay vacation. He is owner and caretaker of Spirit Journeys. He was raised in northern Arizona and has always felt a special bond to the sacred places of the Southwest. The gifts he brings to this Journey are his extensive knowledge of these places and the love for the path we follow on this journey. Since early childhood, he has been drawn to indigenous peoples and their spiritual teachings, traditions and practices. This attraction has taken him on many adventures, exploring the countless ways of “being in the world”. His personal journey through addiction and recovery has spawned in him a genuine interest in assisting others on their own spiritual path and he takes great pleasure in introducing people to practices, sacred ways and cultures to help them “step outside their box”. A Reiki/Karuna Ki Master and Quantum Touch Practioner, his desire is to help others uncover their potential and set their hearts and minds free.

For additional information on this and other special gay vacations, contact Howie Holben or visit www.spiritjourneys.com.

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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/spirit-journe…

Travel marketers eye gay travel dollars

More and more tourism industry marketers are eyeing the gay travel market. That’s no surprise considering the market’s disposable income. Here are the numbers courtes of Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive,
2004-2008.

6.8% of Americans over the age of 18 roughly 16 million adults self
identify as GLBT.

The buying power of the U.S. GLBT market is estimated at over $712 billion.

There are conservatively estimated over three million same-sex-couple households in the United States.

Nearly one in four U.S. gay men and lesbians live in households with children under the age of 18.

Because roughly 25% of U.S. GLBT households have children, GLBT consumers tend to have more discretionary income to spend than the average American family, affording them more per capita buying power than many consumer populations.

See Travel marketers eye gay travel dollars
Examiner.com