Traveling Alone -- Where to go, how to, and how not to (go alone).

Traveling Alone: Where to go, how to, and 

how not to (go alone).  

 First published on my JustUsBoys blog on October 30th, 2005 at 12:17 PM

[Part of several responses on a gay travel discussion board on JUB.]
The following is a collection of separate entries that I've made on gay travel .

Warm places to visit during winter (in North America and beyond):

South Texas or San Antonio, New Mexico, San Diego or Arizona would probably feel very warm compared to those bitterly cold (but sometimes sunny) days where most people in North America live. Looking for a great travel destination to get away from the winter cold and blahs?

I always recommend Hawaii (of course)-- take in at least two of the islands (Oahu and the Big Island ). How about the Caribbean islands - -although I've never been. Mexico and points south could be great... I want to visit Belize, Costa Rica or Honduras. Brazil and Argentina also get high marks for warmth - both temperature and cultural and subcultural too. It does not get any 'gayer' than Rio or Sao Paulo during Carnival and Gay Carnival(s).

I think Australia would be great -- in time for Gay Carnival (maybe it has another name) -- not only Sydney but visit Cairns, or even Melbourne, Brisbane for their special features. New Zealand is rated as one the best places to visit on the planet. There are also other great places in the South Pacific.

I'm dying to return to the Canary Islands - but it is not quite warm enough until March. However, South Africa would be a blast during our winter. Maybe West Africa -- Senegal or Ghana.

By the way, what about NOT traveling alone?

You could try finding a travel partner or join an organized trip or tour. For example, sometimes your college or a university in your area or even across the country, sometimes offers organized study-tours that may fit your schedule, budget and choice of location as well as really getting you deeply into some aspect of the culture you visit.

They are generally set-up by the continuing education division and professional association and other types of groups/organization sometimes offer them too.

Gay-oriented tours/trips

Have you (or has anyone else) had experience with joining an organized group trip as a single (gay) man? How was it? Would you recommend it?
Does anyone know of how / where to connect with some good gay (or all male) travel groups or organized trips?

I have a partial list here but hope other can add more:

Kalani (Gay men's retreat during certain weeks at this Big Island Hawaii resort (add dot com to find the web site).
You can also stay there without participating in a retreat or conference.

Gay.com has a gay travel section that may have organized trips to some place warm during the winter.

Travelocity and Orbtiz seem to have a special Gay and Lesbian travel section with some organized tours.

There are Pride celebrations in warmer spots (some already mentioned).

You might find a travel buddy -- even here on Dudenudes.com or try one of the other such as Hardbuddies.com has a travelers and expanded invitation section so that you can try to hook up both BEFORE you go and also when you get there.

QTmagazine used to have ads for travel buddies, but I don't think it worked very well or was popular enough.

Is there another site that does these kinds of things to get travel partner together?

Craig's List lets you post ads -- but they may not be your cup of tea -- so to speak.

Specialized tours or adventure or sporting trips
Gaysports.com and gayoutdoors.com may have links to some possibilities.
Also, there are a couple of tour operators for gay cruises, guided tours and scuba diving or sail boat trips, such as, alysonadventures.com
and underseax.com. These latter types tend to be quite expensive.

=================================

My Trip to Provincetown and to Croatia

=========== Provincetown ===========

There is plenty to do in Provincetown, MA. Herring Cove is THE hot spot -- it is a national/state (?) park but it's the mecca for most people who love the sun, sand and naked butts in Cape Cod and all kinds of people across the Northeast.

You can walk to Herring Cove from the town going down Commercial St, over to Bradford St, or ride a bike (NOT into the dunes, please) or drive a car (parking costs an entrance fee to the park), go left after the ranger station and park as far left as you can, then walk to the beach and to left about a half-mile or more - Provincetown is great in any season, but it's all the better with the hundreds of naked guys in the summer. The cruising in the dunes gets pretty hot too.

I'm not much into going to a gay bars, but there are some good ones in P-town; the streets are crowded and the restaurants are great -- the great one has long lines so plan accordingly. Renting a bike for a day and riding the National seashore park is fun. After 5 days you'll probably want to do something different -- if you have the time (and some $$ to burn), I recommend a day trip to Boston on the hydrofoil (or ferry). It's $55 round trip but you can basically walk (or take a subway) to downtown Boston and see a lot historical sights for free.

Anybody traveling to P-town may see me walking down Commerical St or Bradford in my see-thru shorts or jogging pants. Give me a hoot..
Otherwise, see you 'au poil' on the beach.. from Pensacola to Montreal this summer.

Update: Great trip to Provincetown in August. I stayed for 4 nights at Dune's Edge Campground, a family oriented but gay-friendly place just off Hwy 6A as you approach P-town. You can find it via Google. It is a 10-minute walk from Commercial St. During the winter, you probably cannot camp -- although you might also try Coastal Acres Campground. For stays during the winter, you could try some of the B&Bs or inns or look at Redweek.com or a similar site to rent a timeshare.

===== Croatia ========

I traveled by train from rainy Budapest but it was clear and sunny on the Croatian coast (here is a pic from Rijeka on Monday, Aug 29). It was drizzling in Zagreb that morning but clear by the time I got to Rijeka. So a cruise to some of the outer islands would have been fabulous (weather wise) if I had had more time.

I decided to return to Budapest where cruising for hot men was easier -- I also had a gorgeous day getting naked at Donau Island in Vienna on Aug 31.
So I think the weather is variable but there seems to be some likelihood for some good weather on the Croatian coast even when it is rainy inland - still locals should know better and take the advice to see local weather forecasts online.

I could not stay as long as I would have liked so I will just have to go back.
I went by train from Budapest -- of course flying would be cheaper or is there a quicker way to get to the Croatian coast. I've heard the ferries from Italy are good.. Anybody got a better idea?

Next time I want to go the supposedly great nude sunbathing beaches on the Croatian coast.. I gave up on doing so this time from Rovinj because the buses seemed to be so infrequent..where is the best place to find out gay guys interested in sun/fun and hopefully sex on the beach?

Hostel Hotness: Experiencing CMNM flashing in hotels and hostels

Hostel Hotness 

(from discussions on DN, DF & JUB)

Elegantism (member id) started off the discussion on hostel hotness like this:

Traveling through Europe,  I stayed in hostels sometimes]8 guys to a room so I always thoughts something hot would go down.

I remember this one time in Italy where the room was tiny and there were 6 guys in it. all ended up sleeping naked on top of the sheets sweating and boning all night long.

Any more exciting stories?
------------------------------------------

Follow up: beachpuppy
I was staying in a hostel in Verona, Italy, in a beautiful converted villa. Some of the showers were communal, shower heads from a common pillar. When you took showers, it meant you were standing around the same pillar, sort of face to face. Got hooked up there taking showers together...

Follow up: nakedparis
It happened to me in Budapest; the hostel was an university residence and showers were in a big room; there were little walls between showers but no curtains, so it was easy to peer the guys in the fron shower's line or drying after the shower.
In Stockholm too, I found two hostels with showers not very private; there were curtains, but the undressing room was common, so before and after the shower, we could peer each other.
-----------------------------------------

My response:

It's great to find others who are equally attracted to CMNM (clothed male / naked male) experiences at hostels. Sex is sometimes overrated and that's not just sour grapes because I can and do get a lot of it. But I find the male bonding / friendship/ buddy camaraderie / 'skinship' aspect of relationships with other men (not just sex) can be so much more easily experienced in an environment like a hostel and I find myself craving such experiences because I feel so isolated from knowing men fully. Sure I can fuck around with guys, but it find it hard to make friends or just be buddies with guys without sex at the same time releasing our typically mutual inhibitions toward deeper male friendships.

I have had some great times and also some highly homoerotic stays at several hostels... particularly at one hostel (presently unnamed) - which I have described here on a previous thread posting (now disappeared). I've written about these hostels and sought and given advice about traveling using hostels and the male bonding / male nudity that can happen here and on my blogs. 

nakedparis (above) has a great idea but I think we need another site/venue to share these since DN is so limited and the posts eventually scroll up and disappear. Also, there is the issue of privacy - when we start actually naming places and giving out address, then it may get back to the hostel owners (indirectly) that their establishments is targeted by gays/bi-guys seeking sex in their hostels. Some of the hottest places to stay are not always to gay-friendly or diversity oriented.

In the meantime, I want to hear more from elegantism about his experiences...
Hey, don't any of you guys blog? One cool idea is to create a Group Blog (using Blogger and Flickr) with multiple account holders (blog members). It's easy to set up (I can do that) and then you can either post entries by going to the Blogger (there can be many blog members or you can blog an entry by sending an email (even with an attached photo).

What do you say? Anybody want to try that... the discussion can still go on here but a 'good / useful' entry could also easily be blogged too. It doesn't mean to have to share id or have common passwords either.

A few days later...... I added:

I created the CMNM blog and I can add you as a co-author.
Actually, you don't have to actually join blogger to do so - because even without being an (approved) blog author - it is now set up to allow posts to be sent by e-mail. That address is written in the first (trial) post at:

http://guysn2cmnm.blogspot.com/

The problem is how to handle explicit sexual photographs (I discuss in that post). Not having any solves that dilemma-- but there is still the matter of what constitutes 'sensual / sexy vs erotic or artistic nude vs blatant sexual behavior or obscenity as defined by the courts.

It won't be an issue-- of course -- if nobody ever posts or even reads it.
Look at it first and then tell me what you think about 'managing' the off-site blog..... Guys Into CMNM

------------------------
So now it is off and running more to follow later.....
Kelly

Experiencing CMNM flashing: Ideas for hotels and hostels 

These next series of posts might be interesting to someone who wants to be see naked by other guys - particularly by str8 or clothed men when you are in 'nude' situations. I don't consider this blatant or in-your-face exhibitionism - for me, it is a sort of sensous and partly innocent accident flashing or being seen naked (or purpose) where nudity might be expected. I find it even hotter and more

sexually stimulating when the guys doing the looking are either supposedly straight or are themselves clothed. It's great when they take notice or when you can tell that they kind of like the experience (or the freedom and license) to get naked them. Many don't need to get permission and quite a few don't care or even notice, but you know never what will happen or how they might react - there are surprising results sometimes - and far from bad ones.

A few weeks ago a posted question came from somebody on another board:

I am staying in a budget hotel next week with shower and toilet in the hallway. Stayed there before and tried the basic stuff. Like walking to the shower and up and down the corridors in underwear, and even nude, but was, as far as I know, never seen.

Does anyone have any creative ideas to show off or to risk being seen in this situation? Perhaps I can post some pics of your fantasy..

Here is how I responded to the guy's request for suggestions:

I had a conference in Honolulu and had planned to stay in a shared hotel room with a str8 buddy. As it turns out, my friend is not going to make it (his wife is coming along), so I made a reservation for a large (10 bed) dorm room in one of these hotels. It sounds like I might had more luck to choose the small dorm room (just 4 beds) since it might be more conducive to a break-out jo sessions. I know I'll be horny as hell and probably not get a wink of sleep - just hearing out guys breathing / turning over / adjust clothes / and the normal sounds of sleeping turns me on like crazy. I don't know what I'll do if one of them is audibly (or visibly) beating off. Still, I'd love to hear more.

I'll be at a hostel next week Feb 15-18. It's more like budget hotel with shared rooms 4 to 8 people in either co-ed or female only room. However, it's actually rare to have a coed dorm room be that. single women at a hostel rarely stay in a dorm so they are most all male -- but some regular hotels and inns have larger rooms where guests/strangers who don't know each other share at least a WC/shower but also the bedroom (and lounge/ en suite facilities (kitchen / bathroom etc).

Here are my suggestions for the hotel you've chosen:  

( I think you only have a shared bath/toilet . But it really all depends on the actual place and how lucky (popular LOL) you are with the other guests).
Whether it's a true hostel situation or just a hotel that's cheaply built; changes how you can set up a flash - we're obviously talking about innocent exposure (and kind of CMNM - not a full-on shove hard cock in their face). If you can do that kind, you probably would NOT be asking for advice.

So it depends on the rooms (size and number of beds shared if at all) the layout of rooms and hallways, number of floors, how big (or small) the bath /toilet (in Europe (and Japan) it's always separate but not in North America. Other important things are who are the guests - backpackers - young, free-minded and playful or staid conservative hard-line tourist or locals who are just too stingy to stay at more expensive hotels (no offense --- I've stayed at many a budget hotel myself - there are many reasons to do so - than just saving money - friendliness, personal attention and a chance to talk to local owners (who are more likely to own and run it themselves).

1) leave the door unlocked - even if you are NOT 'surprised' once when somebody embarrassingly open it while you're nude..for example they open the door and then close it quickly after getting a glimpse of you - (even though you did see or don't acknowledge having seen them)  at least , he will know that there is a good possibility of it happening again (you've established a 'predictable' pattern ) so he might just deliberating sneak open the door the next time for a better look or just swing it back wide to give somebody else a chance to see.  

2) stay at least 3 nights -if you can.. Notice other's habits/timing for taking showering (or needing the bathroom) -- then make sure you're there before during or after - in some states of undress.     

3) Sometimes you can time it so well that you can be ready with all your stuff and clutching your towel loosely around your waste.. and then look disappointed if he makes in in before you. if he hesitate just say you won't be long or you're in a rush to an appointment so ask if you can jump inthe shower quickly ahead of him - while he shaves ...
4) If it's the reverse you get in first but see that he was wanting to shower/use the bath too (he's got his shower gear etc). You can suggest he go first IF you can get started with shaving -- then you can come in too and strip naked and shave until he gets finished with his shower. and comes out to dry.  

5) Use the shared bath/shower on another floor - then you have an excuse to be half-naked (skimpy towel that seems to be falling down by inself ) for a long distance... People want notice unless - for example, you ride up and down on the elevator naked to visit many floors. 

6) Pretend to go to a room (on the same or different floor where you KNOW there is not guest) - you can see the key has not been picked up - there are not footsteps at all from the room directly above yours.  

Then act like you're trying to get into visit that 'empty' room's guest - wearing only your underwear or skimpy towel -- you can knock of the door just as someone opens to come out or when the elevator opens -- knock and whisper a name but drop something -- bending over to pick it up you 'accidently' loose grip on the towel around your naked loins - IT'S OLD comedy routine but it works because most people are embarassed for you NOT because of you. If you clumsy -looking enough, sometimes people will even reach out to help you retrieve something - like the towel. and then you can turn to be red-faced with mocked shame...  The problem with this one is that you can't be sure the person who will view is male or female.

7) Another way to so pretend to be mistaken about a friend's room number. Most people won't open for a complete stranger but if you are insistent and seem to KNOW a real person who you know is 'inside' - most people will open the door to correct your error - out of kindness - If they don't or won't, and just yell through the door then nothing's been harmed.  

If they do open it without speaking to you first, you can just pretend to be expecting your 'friend' and start to come in through the door - but you'll be SO surprised that the person is NOT who you were expecting that you drop your shower/bath gear and then loose hold of the towel trying to catch the shampoo bottle. It's better if you actually do have your hands full or are holding something else because the 'normal 'reaction would be to turn or to try to cover your genitals. The guy (hopefully you'll get one 50%of the time) will either look up at your face (either before or after he looks right at your cock). If it's noticeable he's not completely disgusted or seems to find it amusing, then smile and apologize and explain that you thought Hans/George was in this room and you needed to give him an urgent message - all the while still not covering up and even almost or dropping something else (unbreakable) to that the guy (guest) has to get down and look up to see from a 'better' angle. Your cock should have swelled a bit now -- so he'll show even more appreciation in his eyes or make it clear that he wants you to leave.
Hey.. I came up with a lot of bold and perhaps successful ones -- I can't wait to try out some of them myself... 

Final suggestion, next time try a hostel - you're in a room all the time with men - so you can be as naked as much as you can get away with it-- the bath/shower is attached usually so you can freely go back and forth in the nude to your own ..  

Nowadays.. I'm sure that might be one reason that advertize these rooms as MIXED or COED - but - in truth - only a group of women would stay in a mixed group room - usually then the hotel clerk puts that group by itself. Also there are women only group rooms - so it's very like you'll only be put in a room with men.  

What I hate is when I am the ONLY person in the room. Sometimes if the hostel is not busy -they will put a lone 'wolf' - single older guys into one of the doubles/couples rooms (for the same price ) but sometimes I think it's just them taking a precaution - or out of respect for the noise that younger (under 26) supposedly make. Frankly I LIKE the noise they make - that's why I'm staying in the hostel (that and the opportunity to see and be seen naked). Still it is lucky to happen because most people are stranger than they are normal around strangers. LOL 

I'll let you know how my trip to one goes next week.

By the way, there are many chances to do get naked in public bath (baden ) and spas or hot springs. In Japan, there are onsen (hot springs resorts - where you can also get a day-pass just for the indoor and outdoors hot pools); there are even still pubic baths - sento - where you pay about $3-$4 to sit naked among or across from other men (sometimes young men and teens - but there are all ages), and wash and soap your body-- paying special attention to scrubbing your cock and balls. and then soak nude in the hot communal pool (after rinsing). It's a tradition that is rapidly dying out.  

Any ideas or experiences about a flashing at 8-person hostel room (it may be coed)? It's in Honolulu and I don't know the shower set-up -since shower stall or communal (I hope).
Kelly
_________________
The spirit is willing but the flash is week day and weekend!