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?

What are the alternatives for being naked in nature in Asia?

I have just joined a gay social networking and news media site for men in Asian called Fridae.com - one of their tribes (discussion groups) is the Nudist and Naturalist Networks. It is free to join Fridae and create a profile with a vault (gallery of naked pics), but you'll need to be a premium member to really take advantage of everything the site offers. See my profile at:

http://www.fridae.com/user/sunbuns (You'll need to join it to be able to see my or other guys' profiles).

Where can a person get naked outdoors here in Asia. Generally, people answer that question simply and emphatically: You can't! However, there are actually several options - blatant dickflashing or exhibitionism - notwithstanding.
Here is what I added to the several responses concerning this discussion question on Fridae.com:  

Where in Asian can a guy go to a nudist beach?
 In Japan, there are only two places where guys (mostly gay men) go as a nude beach (one in Chiba, and the other is a deserted spot on Shonan Beach). Neither are well known by the general public partly because they are so hard to find, and far from Tokyo. Also, it's not like Black's Beach or ones in other Westernized countries, people get naked very discreetly even on a supposedly nude beach. They generally wear swimwear when walking around or when in the water, but remove their clothes while lying in the sun.

The next best thing to a nude beach then is a hot springs resort or a public bathing spa, the latter of which there are over 50 in Tokyo. In these, men and women have separate bathing areas. 

Often, there is a small outside areas (enclosed by a fence for privacy) where the naked men can soak in a pool of mineral waters or lounge naked or draped in a towel. Inside, there are various types of baths, but the men are usually totally naked when walking to and from each pool and when they sit on stools at individual showers for washing body and hair. Many of them have wet and dry saunas. So, despite their being little interest in nude beaches, Japanese are often fond of such warm mineral baths, and even travel to stay in the many areas of the country where there are nice resort hotels grouped around these hot springs, such as Hakone.

However, you don't have to go far from any metropolitan area to enjoy the same atmosphere of men enjoying being naked. Formerly, there were the old-fashioned public baths or 'sento' in every neighorhood, which have just about disappeared these days, being replaced by large, more modern and luxurious: bathing resort (or 'onsen' - hot springs bath or spa). The water has a higher content of minerals, particularly sodium (salt) and it's either brought in or created, but in sometimes comes naturally from the ground as Japan is a set of volcanic islands, also prone to earthquakes, as everyone knows.

Well... for those in Malaysia or Singapore, and other places where there are not naked places, you can do what I often do: Make your own nude beach by just getting naked where the general public cannot see (easily).


About my own free-based, public nude sunbathing...
I love being naked outdoors and often do so when there is a patch of land or a bushy area along side a river or a section of recreational land. If men are already sunbathing someplace, then just find a more hidden place in the same area and take it a step further: remove all your clothes and cover your privates. When no one is around, you can remove the covering.

In my trips to Thai, Singapore and Malaysia, I can recall a few places where this might happen, such as Sentosa Island, or a bit further afield - take a ferry or boat to one of the Indonesian islands not far from Singapore. There are surely some deserted beaches as well along Malaysia's southern coast, perhaps on Tioman Island (as there are plenty of foreigners), and also in East Malaysia (Sarawak), I was able to get naked inside the Bako National Park both inland and at any of many deserted beaches. Guides on individually hired boats can take you to a certain point, and pick you up later.
Here are four other photos from times I got naked in public or went hiking naked where nudity is not supposed to be allowed:

1) at a public park just outside Prague, 2) Naked in public park & campground on the Big Island 3) Naked while camping at a private resort at Russian River, CA. 4) Swimming and sunning myself nude at Tama River in the suburbs of Tokyo, Japan.

I realize that an important element may be missing when you simply go out and get naked alone. One of the most fun things about nude beaches is not only about being seen in the nude. It's also the chance to see others (especially men) in all their naked glory. You can't always do both at the same time. There must be places and events where men in various Asian countries are naked or dressing / undressing so take advantages of those spots even if you can't be naked yourself at the same time.

However, you may get a chance to see both nature and men doing things in nature and completely naturally that you didn't expect to see, such as guys having sex or masturbating because they think they are alone, like in this photo from a voyeur site above. Or scenes like the ones below - where everyday Asian guys just enjoy finally being able to get completely naked in public.

A Young gay asian guy from the Philippines takes a walk every saturday afternoon, but not because he is in love with nature, but because he loves to be naked outdoors. Sneaking out of his house on Saturday, he heads into the forest. As soon as he is out of sight of his home his clothes start to come off. Walking down the path the leaves and branches brush against his thighs, causing him to get very horny. The silky feeling of the brush against his skin causes his cock to get hard. It's not long before his cock is ready to explode in a massive cum shot. Come inside and see our gallery collection of Jaycee (Jecee) on his naked nature walks.

Hawaii Nudist and Gay Beaches (Oahu and the Big Island) -- Update Sept.2017

Hawaii Nudism and possible cruising in Hawaii
- REPUBLISHED May 28, 2008, revised October 2008, Revised Sept 2012, Updated Sept. 2017

(Note: Some info may not be accurate since conditions change - such is the nature of nudism across the world - the weather and erosion, changes in attitudes of the local community and prohibition or surveillance by law enforcement or public park authorities may cause significant changes to the 'facts' listed in the article below).

Sorry for the canned and somewhat disorganized article below but I frequently get requests about the topic of Hawaii and what 'gay' things there are, so I have this standard blog entry and have just kept adding more to it over the years.  It's time now again for update on the information.

If you have more specific questions later, I'll try to answer them. But for now, I hope this general introduction to Hawaii nude beaches and gay spots there will help.

The first part is mainly about Oahu. There is aksi specific information about The Big Island, Hawaii, and Maui at the end of this article.

Nudity and Nude Beach in Hawaii

Nude beaches, heh? Do they exist in the Hawaii islands?

Yes, but proceed with some caution because except for a couple of places (not on Oahu), nude sunbathing is considered illegal (except for a couple of long-time (and which has tacit permission for the law enforcement officers).

Warning:  Nudity on public beaches is illegal. Do not do so without taking adequate precautions to be discreet. However, there are a few places where it is tolerated (or at least overlooked) by the authorities. However, most of these are NOT located on Oahu. Nevertheless, nude sunbathing does happen on Oahu (the main island, where Honolulu and its famous, Waikiki Beach is located).

Queen's Surf  -- NOW NO LONGER A GAY MEETING PLACE
There used to be a section of Waikiki Beach called Queen's Surf -- where you guessed it - the queens gathered. But sadly it is longer active as a gay men's meeting point (for sunbathing (clothed, of course), picnicking, and just talking.  No, it is no called Queen's Surf because it was frequented by drag queens (LOL), but gay men used to gather there to socialize. It's still there as a public beach, and a few gay men do congregate there, but nothing like the masses of gay men who used to frequent this public beach. It's found just passed the Honolulo Zoo and is located just two hundred yards from the Waikiki Aquarium. You can find it just passed the snack shop/restroom. However, there is absolutely no nudity on this very public part of the beach. Many people don't even notice and you're likely to have families or tourist/visitors sitting near or even among the 'guys' on the grass lawn just across the beach side sidewalk. NOW (as of 2015 and later),  NO LONGER A GAY MEETING PLACE.

Diamond Head Beach (Lighthouse Beach)
For nudism, the closest place to Waikiki where you can go to a gay and sometimes discreetly nude beach on Oahu is at Diamond Head Beach (below the Light House). It can be cruisy, but you need to be aware that it is part of a public beach and not everybody walking down along the shore is a guy looking for gay sex. Tourists, people walking their pets, and families sometimes walk thru and even stop to enjoy the beach too. However, it does get cruisy at times -- sometimes best when the sun has started to set or after sunset. Just be discreet and cover up if somebody who looks like a cop comes thru. I have never seen a police office or been stopped myself, but I've "heard" that arrests have been made for public indecency. I have received a parking ticket - so don't park where it is prohibited or after posted hours. There are places to "hide", ledges to sunbathe nude without being seen from below and I've had some wild times there both in broad daylight and after dusk, especially on the forested hillside just above this beach.

How to get there..
From the east end of Waikiki, you can drive there or it is even possible to walk (20-30 minute walk across and down along Kapiolani Park) to its eastern end and then walk up about 700 yards to the drive way that goes down to Light House Beach. You can't miss Diamond Head crater's peak looming overhead -- which can be seen from anywhere in Honolulu. If you drive, then you can follow Kalakaua east to the Zoo and then continue due east along Kapiolani Park to its end and then turn right on Diamond Head road. There is a small road down the beach -- but there is limited parking there (don't leave a car at most Diamond Head Road street parking after 10pm or as posted!!)

If driving, it is easier sometimes to go on passed the light house and then look for parking up at the look-out point(s) along Diamond Head Road (regular unmetered parking) or for roadside parking on the mountain side of Diamond Head Road. As any place in Honolulu - don't leave valuables in your car and don't park where people can easily sneak up and open your car -- car break-ins in Honolulu  are among the highest rates in the entire country -- more than New York City, by far. So you'd best take precautions.

If you're really worried about break-ins,  then drive your rental car,  but park instead at Kapiolani Park,  or take a bus (#14) or a taxi and then walk back from the nearest bus stop to beach, or just walk all the way from Waikiki and back - which is what I usually do., besides, it's good exercise too. The walk through Kapiolani Park either way is beautiful. On the beach side parallel with the Park and eventually leading to Waikiki proper just across from the Zoo (at the interection of Kalakaua and Kapahulu) is the extension of Waikiki Beach. There you'll find Queen's Surf Beach between the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium, where a lot of gays hang out - but there in NO NUDITY absolutely at such a public place.

Just as a extra side-trip, I often stop in at the men's restroom and changing room with open stall showers at the old Natatorium (outdoor competitive swimming pool - which has now fallen in decay from lack of use). It's open from early (6:00am ) to dusk so you can sometimes catch (cute) guys changing and showering before or after their romps in the ocean for swimming and surfing. I always like to get naked when I shower, and enjoy it even more when another guy or guys does the same.

Being Discreet and Avoiding Trouble
You should know that public (beach) nudity is illegal in Hawaii (as in most US States) -- this is posted at most beaches -- and there has evidently been more police patrolling of Light House beach. But I myself have never seen a police officer on the beach -- although the stories / rumors keep going around. My advice is don't be blatant -- it is a public beach with families and tourists -- who don't expect to see a nude guy especially one with a hard-on or engaged in sexual activity. They are probably the ones who call the police (if they ever do come down to look for "sex perverts".) I prefer to stay up above the beach -- (but not TOO high) or the tourist at the look-out point above can see you -- and have towel/swimsuit to cover up if somebody obviously NOT gay comes snooping around.

Nonetheless, I've had some good "looks" and quite a lot of sex in the bushes and in the coves/nooks, especially around dusk. If you aren't interested in the cruising part, then you can just enjoy the sun and see what other guys do. They can't arrest you for thongs or skimpy bikinis in any case.

Mokuleia (near Polo Field) on the North Shore (Oahu)
(part of a discussion Yahoo! Group Hawaii Nudist -- it is not very active, but there was information about a North Shore 'nudist' beach - Mokuleia.)

Since there are no legal nude beaches on Oahu or its too far to go there, some guys do lie out on the north shore near the Polo Fields at Mokuleia. Others lie out at Diamond head below the lighthouse right outside Waikiki. (by Honolulust)

The beach on the North Shore (Polo Fields) is much nicer than the Diamond Head lighthouse beach. The water is clearer, cleaner and much more secluded. At the end of the public access trail, go to the right for the gay nude area. As you walk you will see a bushy wooded area.
That's the gay area. You can situate yourself on the beach or in the little areas in the bushes. I 've had some very hot sessions on that beach!
(by Musl2Pound)

I'm still not sure where that beach is - Polo Fields at Mokuleia. Is in off of Crozier Dr. (the street closest to the shore) or is it further west out Farrington Hwy? If you don't have a car (a tourist
or visitor) would you be out of luck? I mean is it worth take a bus to Waialua and then walking?
(These question are from sunbuns99 - p.s. Nobody ever answered my questions so I still don't know much about Mokuleia (May 2008). You can find the place and the polo fields on Google maps.)

Nudist Travel in Spain Part II : Advice for the Adventurous LBGT Traveler Series

Advice for the Adventurous LBGT Traveler Series (Nudist Travel in Spain, Part II)

Nudism on beaches in Spain is very much alive and well, and hardly confined to the recreational pursuits of gay men. There is a wide audience across the nation for naturism (FKK) beaches. 


Of course, where you find a nude beach, you may also find men who are out and about cruising for anonymous sex. It's simply what comes with the territory -- so to speak. 


Like has been mentioned above, there are clothing optional beaches all over Spain. Sometimes, they are just outside (a kilometer or 2 beyond) the famous textile (bathing suits required) beaches. 

For example, near Gandia, south of Valencia, is a pristine white sand beach. But just up coast about 800 m is the clothing optional section (a bit further and behind that is the so-called 'gay beach'). I suspect that a similar layout falls many of the seaside beaches throughout Spain and it is also more or less similar in many other European nations, particularly where the beautiful sea is bathed in warm sunshine, such as Portugal, Italy, Southern France, Croatia, etc (and in some cooler climates as well, The Netherlands and Northern Germany, Norway and Sweden, too.) Even Austria and Czech Republic have their 'baden' where men and women bath and lie out naked to sun themselves at communal baths (although very far from any ocean). 

My personal favorite one is Spain is Maspolamas and Playa del Ingles on the southern end of Gran Canaria (one of the Canary Islands). It's also a popular gay resort destination too (in the cooler months of the year Nov- April). In the summer, Gran Canaria is a (fairly) cheap beach vacation for many middle-class families from Europe so there are few gay vacations at that time. I say 'fairly cheap' because I spent far less to travel there and stay than many of the UK/Northern Europe visitors seemed to do. After leaving GC, I visited London. I couldn't believe the prices in British pounds that were being asked for a full travel package to GC (or other Canary Island resorts).

You can make out much cheaper by buying each piece separately: flights (on a discounted carrier), hotel or apartment accommodation with a kitchen, then cook yourselves and eat out cheaply). There is ample bus transportation around the island and back and forth to the airport (LPA) - without getting one of the very pricey tour packages that includes so-called 4-5 star accommodations and a full board meal plan. 
Such price restrictions also put a limit on what you can do while you are on the island since meal service is planned for certain limited times. The Yumbo Centre only gets really going for gay night life until after 10pm at night. Thus making breakfast from 7:30-9am a bummer for most gay singles and couples who visit the island.
             
------------------------------

I just posted a long piece about Nudism in Spain (see another topic here under Travel forum).
You can also see my former post about gay travel and gay resorts at:

http://www.justusboys.com/forum/blogs/sunbuns99/

Just to be brief, my list of favorite gay destinations is:

Gran Canaria (in Spain's Canary Islands)  - famou
London (you can do a lot of gay stuff indoors and also have the world's best travel destination as your playground too).
Provincetown (in the summer) 

San Francisco,  CA
   Near SF, including Russian River Valley (and / or Napa Valley) for wineries
Amsterdam (and gay beaches on the coast)
Palm Springs, CA
San Diego, CA  (La Jolla and Torrey Pines State Park with adjacent nudist beach)
Fort Lauderdale (or Key West), Florida
Paris 
Southern France (from Nice to Montpellier to Carasonne - offers quite a lot in the way both gay travel, nudism, and natural, cultural and historical sights). 
Spain: Madrid, Barcelona/ Sitges, and Southern Spain
Basque Country (Bilbao - less gay but amazing scenery and sightseeing)
Czech Republic
Munich or Berlin (both are great)
Bali, Indonesia (some great sites, and cultural adventures, active gay bars)
Tokyo, Japan

This post was created following a post by person on a different discussion board from Atlanta, who wanted to get some travel advice about taking an 'exciting gay vacation." But I had to remind him that Atlanta itself has some very nice gay places: Swinging Richard's, and Flex Atlanta to name two of them. Sometimes, we miss the best of what we should find in our own back yard. (smile). 
and the list goes on.....

If you have some travel advice, then you can contribute it on the appropriate tribe or include it in a comment to this Tribe blog post. 
Also from time to time, I will repost with these new added content and also include more than just one photo at:

http://www.justusboys.com/forum/blogs/sunbuns99/

May the sun mostly shine at your next destination,

Kelly