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). 

by

sunbuns99

 First published October 30th, 2005 at 11:17 AM, Republished May 15, 2020

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

It's almost summer now, but there are warm places to visit during winter (in North America), too.   I recommend some of my favorite gay travel destinations below. 

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 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 highly recommend the Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve, located just north of La Jolla near San Diego, California.  There is an officially sanctioned nude beach just south of the State Reserve, which is accessible most easily by using the Torrey Pines State Nature Reserve parking lots.  The upper parking lots provide the quickest hiking access to the park and then southward down the beach to Black's Beach (the huge clothing optional beach). However, in March 2020, the upper parking lots were closed.

 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'm dying to return to the Canary Islands - I had been thinking that it is not quite warm enough until March, but actually that's not really true. It's pretty much spring and summer year round in The Canary Islands, Spain's territory just off the coast of Morocco. However, South Africa would also be a blast during our winter. Maybe West Africa -- Senegal or Ghana.  I had made plans to visit Senegal in March 2020, but that trip was cancelled because of the worldwide coronavirus epidemic. Actually, I had planned to fly to Dakar, Senegal, from Gran Canaria (the Canary Islands), where I was to have visited for about the 12th time.

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?

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

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.  NOTE:  It's been closed since 2018 when the Kilauea Volcano released a huge lava flow that destroyed 700 expensive homes and an unknown number of small unpermitted homes in the Puna District.

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.

---------
Trips to 1) Honolulu and Big island (Hawaii), 2) Provincetown, 3) Spain and 4) Croatia

1) Honolulu and the Big Island

        Recently, the beach located at Diamond Head Beach, off to the right down Beach Road (limited parking available) or simply walk through Kapioalani Park and then take Diamond Head Road to Beach Road).

 Nowadays, you can find naked or semi-naked nude men and a few women on the public beach at Diamond Head Beach.  The city discovered that there is no law against public nudity on city owned beach, whereas public nudity is illegal on state-owned beaches, but not on Diamond Head Beach.

On the Big Island of Hawaii, there is nude sunbathing at Beach 67, which is located above Waialea State Beach, located off of Old Puako Beach Road at Telephone Marker 67. It Is about 300 yards north of the entrance to Waialea State Beach. You take a dirt road into the upper portion of Waialea State Beach. It's about 400 meters (yards) down to a parking lot and a port-a-potty toilet. There is no drinking water available.  Then park your car and walk down to the secluded Beach 67, which is a small clothing optional beach.  There is sometimes cruising by males here at the Beach 67 and further along the rocky shoreline heading north.

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

2) Provincetown, MASS.  

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 by 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 ===============
3) Croatia  

I travelled 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?

---------------------------------
4)  Maspalomas Beach, southern part of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands　

　　The world's largest nude beach and sand dudes (gay cruising area) is at Maspalomas (at Playa del Ingles on southern end of the island of Gran Canaria). 
That 's where I'm headed for the 12th time in a few months (Jan 12-19).. I'm not camping but staying at a two-hotel hotel for about $30 a night (self-catering), sex city at night and sunshine and naked male skins for days on the beach.  Men cruising the dunes are aged 40+ and higher so not everybody's preference. 

 Gran Canaria is a fairly nice gay travel destination - there are excellent points but also some negative aspects.

          This entry is mainly about the sex clubs and the dunes.
In the Yumbo Centre (the largest shopping and commercial complex in Playa del Ingles on the southern and resort/beach side of the islannd, there are a couple (or more) sex club/backroom bars on the ground (basement floor) - they don't even open to 10 or later. You check your clothes at the door and there is not a dry (cum free) body by the end of the night (4 am?)

However, I have heard that the Yumbo Centre is going to be renovated sometime this year. Someone on this site told me many months ago so I'll have to look him up since he was due to travel there in Nov/Dec. It may be closed when you (or I) want to go there.

The above bars/clubs should not be confused with Basement Studios [url]www.basementstudios.es[/url]
which is a gay hotel just across from the Yumbo that requires a dress code for staying guests (different 'costumes' each day - all nude, jeans, leather etc,) and the rooms are all opened at certain time for those willing guests to freely roam about and suck/fuck like rabbits (I think that you can also pay to enter as as temporary visitor to enjoy the sex fun). See the site for details. I choose to stay somewhere cheaper (see alpharooms.com for ideas). I'd be exhausted in no time from diving in the morning, sex in the dunes in the afternoon and wide abandon both all evening and all night (LOL).

Of course, the dunes will NOT be undergoing renovation - except just what nature provides (wind/sun/blowing sand) and with nature taking its course (so to speak) - it's very cruisy - almost non-stop in the dunes. It is truly a nudist paradise - but it depends on what (and who) you expect to see walking the streets of heaven.

You should realize that - at least during the winter - Gran Canaria is the temporary home for thousands of retiree couples and also gay couples of all ages (who just want to get away from the snowy colder Northern European climes. There is a lot of camaraderie but typically couples are just hanging out and meeting their 'old' friends whom they met over several wintertime visits to Playa del Ingles / Maspalomas.

Nevertheless, there are hundreds of male (and sometimes female) nudists out sunning and also cruising the famous Maspalomas Dunes from morning to sunset. However, beggars can't be choosers - I'd have to say that the average age is at least 45 (probably older - more like 55 some days) but .. what the hey... who am I to turn done the advances of some middle-aged hottie. I am well into middle age myself. The clubs are different they attract a more virile and younger clientele.


The Canaries are NOT only about wild sex.. there is historical, cultural and natural environment that has a lot to offer - in fact, I go there as much for the diving and hiking and marine sports as for the gayness of its this varied resort attractions - it IS part of Spain after all.

  

Vacation CMNM experiences with younger men

Vacation CMNM experiences

by sunbuns99  

   

I had some great CMNM (Clothed Male Naked Male) experiences during my month of vacation travel in August a few years back. They really aren't ones that would have much graphic or explicit content or anything like that... but they were certainly meaningful because I was able to make some great connections with people. For me, it's not enough just to be naked in front of strangers - that's

easy enough to accomplish at a nudist beach, locker room, or clothing optional resort, etc.

I find it increasingly important to me if I can develop some kind of interaction - social - not even sexual with the guys I am nude with. I realize that this probrably says a lot about the nature of my own reasons or motivation for seeking out CMNM situations. I should eventually delve into that - I suppose. For me it not simply whether or not the guy is showing any interest in seeing my nude body or me his. It's much more satisfying when the clothed person and I (or if I'm clothed and he's nude) are engaging in either doing something together or conversing about mutal interests while one of us is nude.

Here is just a quick glimpse at my summer episodes... (as much for my own recall as for your entertainment ):

a) I stayed several weeks on the Big Island (Hawaii) so I had a chance to camp, go to a clothing optional resort, and get nude on a couple of beaches

b) I stayed at a hostel (same one as before) and had a wonderful time getting to know my bunkmates and people from adjoining rooms. There were quite a few opportunities to be naked or be clothed with naked during that 5-day stay. One of the most fun things was 6 of us going skinnydipping at Waikiki Beach after midnight (2 women and one guy remained clothed, 3 guys got naked). I had spent the whole time just dying to see those other two hunks in the nude so it was really cool being accepted in the camaraderie of guys being guys and getting to skinnydip with them in the end.

c) I meet up the next week with oneof the guys who stayed in that same hostel dorm room (he didn't

go skinnydipping) but his bunk was just across from mine (both on the top) so I had an uninterrupted view of him sleeping and also he had the same of me - I sleep nude every night of course. I loved watching him put his hand down his pants and play with or 'straighten' his cock (supposedly while asleep).

I made sure he got a chance to see me with a woody too several times a night (and at sunrise) - although he never acknowledged noticing. Because we were both returning (from Honolulu) back to the the Big Island, we ended up going together to the Puna area of the Big Island the following week- so I introduced to the delights of the 'naked Aloha' life. It was his first trip to a nude beach and at first he was reluctant - although he's the one who suggested going - but finally he got up the courage to shed all his clothes and even allowed me to take some photos.

Later we camped out a Kalani so he got another chance to

be naked on the clothing optional pool that evening. Of course, I slept naked next to him in the 2-man tent and I hardly got any sleep at all. The previous day we went to the natural steam vents (like an outdoor sauna made from lava-heated steam) and we got naked. A guy there was 'pretending 'to sleep and sporting a big hard on so that gave me and Koji a chance to talk later about dicks and erections when the other guy got up and left. I got several pics (and he of me) of our short few days together.

d) I stayed in Manhattan at the West Side Y and had quite a few chances to be naked with strangers. Guests can use the pool, gym and locker rooms just like paid members. On my return trip thru NYC, I stayed at another hostel and also scouted out a few more where I might return on my next trip. I also spent several evenings at the West Side Club.



e) Some nudity at a couple public beaches lead to some sexual encounters -- I met a really nice Russian guy whom I mistook for straight until he keep coming up and trying to get peeks some parts of my anatomy. Eventually, I got more than just a peek at his.

f) One of the times I almost forgot about was really one of the coolest CNMN experiences I had for

a long while. I stayed over in Waikiki over 6 days (at the hostel I mentioned earlier). On Sundays, there is a catamaran cruise which is mainly reserved for gay and lesbians departing from Waikiki Beach at 1:00pm - you can get discounted tickets at Angles (gay bar on Kuhio)



and the 90-minute ride includes 4 drink tickets. It's advertised as clothing optional - although I'd never seen anybody go naked on this cruise before (it was the 2nd time to take the cruise since they have advertised it as 'nude cruise.' It seems that actually boat operator and captain aren't really kept informed (at least they plead ignorance). I asked my hostel roommates if they wanted to come along but the macho-man guy from the Netherlands was negative about it, saying he didn't want to go on any gay cruise - but - of course, it seemed he never missed an opportunity to get naked. I am sure all would have had a great time if they had gone. I certainly did.

Previously cruises were very tame, but this time I simply was not going to be denied the chance to get naked in public in front of so many people. As we were boarding, I asked some of the guys if they were going to get naked later on. Nobody seemed eager but there were any flat denials either. So .... when we got further out in the bay about 500 yards from shore, I asked the

captain - a local Hawaiian guy, if it OK if I got naked. He said he was told about that before - but I explained that the cruise was advertised that way and that I wouldn't be obscene or do anything to attract attention from other boats. So he consented.

I was the only one to get nude and there were a few women and also a group of 5 young Black doctors from Wash D.C. in town for a medical convention. I sat with a very big local guy but he didn't get naked but seemed to enjoy having me do so. The two young ship's mates on board took furtive looks but they were nonchalant about having a naked haole dude on board. Later on we got back closer to shore nearly the end of the cruise, I pulled on my trunks and then we asked about being able to stop for a swim so the captain agreed. It would have been great to have been naked - all of us jumping off of the boat and then remerging up the gangway between the two large rudder fins of the catamaran. It was a great cruise and being naked made it so much more fun.

Encountering once again a self-revealing stranger

 Do Hostels make for hostile people?  I think not.

A recent email  to a former limited acquaintance is found below. Why is it significant enough to blog

about it?   Once I learned something important from a complete stranger I happened to find sleeping next to me.  Now, I wonder again if it's possible to learn something or even teach him some valuable again.  Let me try to explain...

I met JH (not his real name or initials) and really thought he was cool guy. He  was masculine, athletic, and rather good-looking, but he was down-to-earth and a good listener, too.  We were sleeping in adjoining bunkbeds in a youth hostel while we were both on business/pleasure in Honolulu several years ago.  We enjoyed talking and did spend some time doing touristy things. 

 Nothing much really happened that was truly important, but I could not get out of my head that this was a time that my two normally completely separate lives  - my alternate personal identities - straight father who is university professor and gay blogger who travels the world to stay at gay nude resorts - would come together for a brief time.

To explain that  significance, it might help the readers to understand a bit more about me and my second life as K L  

     Being careful about self-disclosure comes easily to a self-exposing naturist, I love travel, being naked, enjoying new experiences, and helping others reach their potential. Sex is pretty good when thrown in the mix. I am not always 'gay' or truthful about being straight either - but I'm never dishonest. My real age and real name are not disclosed - I don't look a lot like Orlando Bloom now, even though people have noted the resemblance(s) to him. He's my archetypical hero.

    If sex were just simply a bodily function or loving the beauty of  the male face or form was recognized a wholly human artistic endeavour, or if we only recognized having sex as a way to manufacture new human

carcasses (receptacles for our brains) then I'd not have to hide part of my identity - the gay one.
'The Web (virutality) is not a windbreaker or umbrella as much as it is a sail. It's not even waterproof or certainly not a fullproof shelter from the storms of existence, but I find it a wonderfully wild set of habitats.

I found a photo of JH on a hard drive where I had downloaded it months earlier,  and then his name and a MySpace page recently in a pile of notes and papers, so I decided to google him to see if he had emerged somewhere.

Sure enough he was found on Facebook (his 'straight' or regular guy self), but he also figured somewhat prominently in another person's life-story. Based on what I read in the following blog  http://wackyonensf.blogspot.com/   That blogger describe his long-running problems with a series of gay roommates, and what he disclosed about JH was not very flattering or nice because they had been some kind of financial problem with getting his share of the rent paid.

JH was very likely 'escaping' from the wrath of this irate roommate during the very time that I met and spent a good many hours with him in Honolulu. I believe is was during the month of November, which is also his birthday.  What I found rather attractive about him was the unusual way he slept, it was manly and erotic, but so cute too. His nightly acrobatics made me have a several night's of fitful sleep, where I was furtively jerking my dick while straining to see up the athlete shorts he slept in each night.

Just the night before he (or was it I) was to leave the next day, I confessed to him that I thought he was a really handsome guy who must be hit on my a lot of women and men. He shocked me by telling me that he preferred it when guys hit on him -- instead of the females.

 It floored me to think I had been laying in my bunk bed next to his all those hours (over 3-4 days) wondering about his body, and thinking of something nasty I'd like to do to it, when all I had to do was simply ask him. No, he wasn't really interested in a man old enough to be his father. But, the next morning, he briefly explained that he was moving out because someone guy he had just met had asked him to stay at his place - obviously for a romantic sexual encounter.  Like.. Damn!

[This is his own photo from a old MySpace page. I had saved this photo in order to help me remember having met JH in Honolulu.]

  persona, and that I was very envious of him for being able to do so right now.   We parted that day and I had not heard from him until my re-discovery of his existence just today.

That incident revealed to me that today's young gay men have a incredibly different perspective on what being gay means to them. One large reason may be because the way that gays are perceived nowadays is so different than when I was growing up into manhood.  I even told JH about this realization and commented that I would someday like to be able to be myself - a gay father, professional  academic,  happily married without living in a disguised

So I wrote to him today (via Facebook) and wonder if he'll even reply and what he'll say.
------------------

Dear JH
 We met in Honolulu a few years ago when you and I stayed at a hostel in Waikiki Beach there. Sorry -  that's not my real photo in my Facebook profile.  So I won't be friending you here. I just thought of you recently when I happened to come across some old notes, and decided to look you up on Facebook.

  As you probably won't recall, it surprised me to discover (thanks to your being forthcoming) that you are (were) gay.
So am I - but also happily married to a woman for over 30 years.  Your life (what little of it I know) was a very different experience from the time when I grew up.

  I know you may not want to be 'reminded' of being gay or of that time in HNL. Perhaps you won't appreciate my having purposefully 'run-into' you again.  However, it is only to wish you well, and because I respected you - although I don't have much reason to do so.  But I think we did have some good conversations in that short time. By the way, I have been back several times to that hostel and have made several friends and new acquaintances from around the world - both gay and straight.

I just wanted to say that I wish you well, and hope you're finding life good or making of it what you want.  One of my sons was living in the Bay Area for the last two years, but has now returned to Tokyo. I know at one time, you had intended to come to here for skiing.  Did you make it or have you been back again since then?  If you do and have time to spend, I'd be glad to show you around, or at least have some food or a drink.   I'm not stalking or wanting a date - and no even interfere, but if you'd like, I'll send you a message via my 'real' (and ostensibly straight) persona here on Facebook.
Cheers,

--------------------------
Here I sit now.. waiting and wondering what kind (if any) response I will get back. In reality, I had written to him several times (with his old Yahoo email address) but never got a reply. I suspect that if

 what the blogger (link above) has written is true, then TH may be very revealing about only some aspects of his life (or even lie by others). Perhaps he would not feel safe and secure to disclose some of this past mistakes and problems.  Eventually, we all get older and certainly don't want mistakes in our past to ride herd over our lives. However, it takes a man to admit that he has learned from what he did in the past. So I wonder if TH was half the man that he seemed to be at the time.  Perhaps, I'll never know but it is important for him to recognize that his life did and does affect other around him -  even when only knowing each other for a brief moment in time.

Added Note by author: Just the next day, I received a welcoming message from JH. He was glad to hear from me, and owing to his new business venture, he'll be coming to Japan next year a couple of times. So we'll probably have a chance to meet at that time. It's not such a small world and small minded planet after all. I will contact him subsequently via my 'real' email address and Facebook profile.