Home Exchange and Gay Guest Hosting: An idea whose time has arrived?

artis Spain : Cataluña : Girona

Original posting: artis I would like to start here a group of people interested on hosting exchange It's always nice to go to a city and find somebody friendly to host you. That can be the start of a good friendship, or at least it can help you to have a safe place to sleep. Then when that person come to your place you can offer him same chance to enjoy there. I live in a little town in Costa Brava, Spain, but my husband's parents own a flat in Barcelona. We would be interested on visiting some cities such as London, Venice, Rome... Let's see how this works like. I am a painter and also do photos. I also work giving sensitive massages. We are not smoking people, and don't use to drink alcohol, and have never been into drugs. We like quiet and relaxed life, travelling, going to cinema, etc. We enjoy nudism and pleasant sex.

seghebo Italy : Emilia-Romagna : Bologna	Follow up: seghebo 16 Nov Who does come to Italy ??
toronto Canada : Ontario : Toronto	Follow up: toronto 16 Nov I've done it often...most luck I've had hosting/being hosted around the world were on couchsurfing.com and stay4free.com...these are not sexual sites and have a mix of all sexual orientations but usually attract very open minded and friendly people...happy trails.
surfohio U.S.A. : Ohio : Cincinnati	Follow up: surfohio 03 Dec I'm on couchsurfing too - worth checking out but you really have to believe in what its all about in order for it to work - Read more and you'll figure it out.

sunbu
ns99
U.S.A. : Hawaii : Pahoa 
Follow up: sunbuns99

18 Dec 23:15 Note to artis, the original poster on this topic on Dudesnude.com I've seen your work on Flickr.

There is a site for gay hosting and house exchanges:
http://www.oneworldonefamily.com

I am not sure how well it is really working. I had the condo in Hawaii that I formerly owned listed on

that site for while, but it never got any serious inquiries. But it might be worth a try. It specializes in gay/lesbian house exchanges.

Another site is iTravEx.com It is not free - but no money is actually exchanged. It works on a point system, although you must have a vacation rental property listed on either VRBO or Owner Direct.

P.S. I realize that some DN may have no interest in 'renting' (making money on exchanging your home), but some other people might. I'm sure artis was interested in a free hosting exchange.

Hosting someone you know is one matter - even getting to know someone by inviting them to stay at your home could be great, but arranging to exchange homes with someone I only met on a website would require much more safeguarding. I do not want to send off my house keys to somebody on the other side an ocean whom I had never met in person (or by telephone) -- if there is not some assurance that everything is legitmate (and I'm sure it works both ways).
A vacation home broker or housing exchange broker or hosting agent would certainly add a sense of security and could make things work smoother (and reduce risks).

So take these as suggestions with that idea in mind. I don't claim that it's a solution, however, I have used with pretty good success such vacation home rental listing services at: VRBO.com and HomeAway.com. So when I found out about iTravex.com I was pretty interested.

ITravex is not a GLBT vacation rental agent (but might be gay friendly) - it is only a broker or site that links up people (host and guest). Actually, it is only available to vacation home owners, but if someone has a place (especially in or near a big city or resort area) that is available for holiday and vacation rentals and can also hosting or housing exchanges for a least part of the year, then you could become a member of iTravex by listing your property on OwnerDirect.com (or with VRBO.com which does cost).

Your home does not have to be actually rented (because YOU always decide whom, when, and under what conditions someone will use your home (second/vacation home). Owner Direct is not the largest vacation rental property listing site (VRBO and the HomeAway sites are the largest and that is why they charge $150-$199 a year). Also, there is no guarantee, people will inquire, but at least, using such a site legitimizes your 'renting' or 'exchanging' your property.

There is no upfront cost for listing on OwnerDirect but you do have to pay a commission (10%) from the rentals.
The way iTravEx works is it allows members to use your earned or purchased iTravEx points to rent a vacation home or apartment. The 'host' (owner) earns these points by letting members 'rent'. There is no actual exchange of money. The point is you don't have to exchange between the two same homeowners - each one can ask to be hosted at any property (as long as the dates, conditions, and points can be negotiated).

My point is I could see how some people here on Dudenude (and a myriad of other gay social networking sites) could actually use iTravex as the kind of 'home exchange' broker/agent.
By the way, some sites such as VRBO (although they cost money annually) allow the adding of such categories for your property as 'clothing optional' and 'alternative lifestyle'.

To be honest, I've had a couple of inquiries from members of iTravex, but no one has actually exchanged home yet.

There are nowadays several iPhone apps where gay men can find places to stay at private residences through the shared accommodation model.   I've thrown in the names too of several other types of gay-specific travel apps.

Gay Spot Info Sharing Map          Gay Homestays

 

 

Gran Canaria: Gay sunshine mecca in The Canary Islands of Spain

I go every year to Gran Canaria in March (this year in May was my 7th trip). So when asked to give some advice about flights or accommodations there I wrote the following:

The pics show me naked out in the Maspalomas Dunes, which can be reached on foot from the Playa del Ingles beach or by walking back from the shoreline toward central Playa del Ingles (town).  The major gay nightlife is usually found in and around the Yumbo Center, a large 4-story shopping complex, with numerous restaurants, souvenirs shops, fashion stores, etc. It becomes the local gay mecca sometimes after 11pm each night and is active until 3-4am. There are also sex clubs located within the Yumbo, mostly on the ground floor level, mixed in with the gay bars, several which have drag shows and strip shows.  
You can sometimes find good bargains for flights and hotels to Gran Canaria on the major travel booking sites, but not always the most popular ones, like Orbitz, Yahoo Travel, or Expedia. 



Instead take at look at:
http://www.alpharooms.com
http://www.booking.com

 

Alpharooms also has flights with hotel stay plans that can be quite cheap, although I have found it usually cheaper to book them separately. But it is worth checking out if you are coming from a major European city. 

Koka: The place that has been fairly nice (a small studio apt with kitchen and balcony or direct access to the pool), it's cheap (in March usually $30-$40 a night) and also not too far from the beach or to the Yumbo (gay nightlife) is:

Apartamentos Koka,
Avenida de Tenerife, 17 35100 Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Palmas, Spain Tel 928 76 16 17

(I just checked these sites for possible booking for next March, the Koka is already fully booked. So you may find the same is true for your stay). 

However, there are dozens of similar apartamentos hotels, like the Koka, some with room and board plans. In fact, some may be closer to where you want to be. I suggest staying with walking distance of the Yumbo Center since you'll inevitably end of there late at night (there are taxis, of course) to more outlying areas (which are nicer and more expensive). 

It all depends on what you want or need out your vacation. 
I prefer to stay cheaply since I am usually not in the room at all except to sleep and sometimes cook my own meals. There are plenty of restaurants, of course. But the typical place in Gran Canaria has only the basic food (rather unhealthy too). So I prefer to save my money for splurging on gourmet meals in other larger cities in Spain and elsewhere in Europe. 

Note too that there is a city bus from the airport (LPA) that runs through Playa del Ingles and onward to the Lighthouse tower near the beach in the actual town of Maspalomas. 
In the two cities blend together and even the locals confuse the two locales. It's better to know the street names and have a map or the address of the hotel before you arrive. 
I got off at the wrong place once and had a long walk with a suitcase before I found it (or a taxi). 

P.S. There are a few exclusively gay hotels, but I prefer the 'straight' ones -- just because the services are the same but the clientele is not. Gay men can be snobby and even act condescending (especially some gay couples on vacation). At least the straight people will either be friendly or just plain ignore you. Besides, you have to pay premium prices for gay hotel (clothing optional or not). You're just as well off to be naked on the beach and in the dunes all day and then stay clothed at your place of accommodation. 

The Basement Studios is a gay hotel, but they also allow day and evening guest from outside, especially for their Wed night sex party. The Cellar (gay nude bar) is open nightly from 10:30 ish until late.

Why I get satisfaction from flashing or CMNM

 

Probably a lot stems from what happened (or didn't ) in childhood / pre-teenage years and adolescence.At about the age of 13 or so, I remember going out often after dark at 9-10 at night and then stripping off my clothes and sneaking around the neighborhood homes' backyards, garages, etc. My bedroom was in the basement floor of our house whose backwall opened outside since the house was on a hill. So it was easy enough to go out without my parents knowing.

Once during one of these nightwalks, I was naked and my clothes were out of reach. I was sitting on a low rock wall behind my neighbor's house and was jacking on my cock in the moonlight. All of a sudden, a kid a year or so younger than me and whom I didn't know personally appeared out of the darkness. "What are you doing?" I was surprised and I was so startled I lost my erection quickly. I guess because I knew he lived about 8 houses down on the next street - it got me scared because since he has seen me and let him be recognized he probably would have wanted to join me - if I hadn't been so skittish.

He asked me if I lived next door, pointing to my house. But I denied it, saying I lived on another street. I got up and grab my shorts and shirts and put them on hastily and got out of there. Later when I got back to my room, the fear lessened, and reasoning kicked in, and then I realized how much it had turned me on to be discovered like that - naked and jerking.

I guess that might account for my continuing habit of getting naked whenever I could. Later as a teenager, I used to take long rides on my bicycle and eventually find a place to get naked out in the country. Since it was broad daylight, I never really had the guts to risk getting caught - so I stayed well hidden. Still the excitement was always there and I never failed to cum quickly once I was completely naked. That's still the case today. Typically, I get naked, erect and jerk off several times a week in semi-public (I'm not an extreme flasher who can just jump out of the bushes and spread open my trenchcoat (LOL). I get naked and jack off -- almost no matter where I am -- while driving (if the situation necessitates), while walking the dog (in my local cemetery), while on trips (to other places and countries) and on outings (to parks , beaches).. I guess being outside is best for me. I don't usually try getting nude or beating off in public buildings or commercial zones. It's the sunshine and greenery and blue sky - communing with nature -- that seem to turn me on as much as the thought of being caught.

One time a couple of summers ago, I got naked in a public park overlooking Tokyo Bay. I ended up being seen by a couple of curious male onlookers (casual strangers who were walking by and who seemed to 'know' that seeing sunbathers was common here).

Of course, I think I was the only sunbather who was actually nude. Well. one of the curious onlookers was a young Japanese guy who eventually got closer and closer and finally came up to me with his passions obviously enflamed by my daring. I was lying naked in the grass, and standing over me (clothed), he encouraged me to beat off to ejaculation right in front of him. It was a very hot experience and one that has kept me trying to 'repeat' it for a couple of years of dickflashing experiences since then.

 My love of being nude outdoors and hopefully in front of other men probably stemmed a lot from

what happened (or didn't ) in childhood, in my pre-teenage years and in adolescence. Of course, it depends on what you mean when you stay started flashing.' But that's a whole other issue.

One of my first 'flashing' or exhibitionist experiences was in the 3rd grade - age 8. I had a school friend whose house was far from mine (we rode a school bus). Sometimes, in order for us to play, our parents would allow me to ride home with him, and then either mine or his mother would bring me home. He had a real wooden 'playhouse' in his backyard - complete with furniture, windows/curtains, and he also lots of toys and also clothes (his mother's mostly) for playing 'dress up.' 

We'd strip naked and put on the old clothes. I have an image of me running around his yard with a thin chiffon blouse with nothing else but a hard-on underneath. NO... I did not (and do not) get

aroused by wearing female clothing - it was just the act of getting naked to dress up (only partially clothed) that excited me. I vaguely remember us comparing stiff dicks but I don't think we really did anything with them - although I kind of have a faint memory of us doinng something with granulated sugar on our prepubescent woodies. My family moved every year during this period, so I didn't stay there long enough for things to develop further.     

At about the age of 13 or so, - just about the time I discovered masturbation, I remember going out often after dark at 9-10 at night and then stripping off my clothes and sneaking around the neighborhood homes' backyards, garages, etc. One reason was the fact that I really did not have a place to jerk off. There were six people in the family and only one bathroom. While the basement was being turned into a third bedroom and family room, my brother and I had to sleep in the living room - just steps from my parents' room - so there was little privacy.
The basement floor of our house, whose back wall opened to the outside since the house was on a hill, so it was easy enough to go out without my parents knowing (and my brother was asleep). My mother was a nurse and often worked the 3-11 shift.

 

Once during one of these 'night walks', I was naked and my clothes were out of reach. I was sitting on a low rock wall behind my neighbor's house and was jacking on my cock in the moonlight. All of a sudden, a kid a year or so younger than me and whom I didn't know personally appeared out of the darkness. "What are you doing?" I was surprised and was so startled I lost my erection quickly. I guess because I knew he lived about 8 houses down on the next street - it got me scared that he tell someone or the word would get around. Actually - I realized later by the way he kept asking more questions about what I doing, he was probably curious about the jerking off.

He asked me if I lived next door, pointing to my house. But I denied it, saying I lived on another street. I got up and grabbed my shorts and shirts, put them on hastily and got out of there. Later when I got back to my bed, the fear lessened, and reasoning kicked in, and then I realized how much it had turned me on to be discovered like that - naked and jerking.
Later I wondered what he was doing out alone at night and further from his house than I ventured. Probably he would have joined me in getting naked and jerking if I'd handled it differently.

I guess that these events might account for my continuing habit of getting naked in public whenever I could. Later as a teenager, I used to take long rides on my bicycle and eventually find a place to get naked out in the country. Since it was broad daylight, I never really had the guts to risk getting caught - so I stayed pretty well sheltered from direct public view. But the excitement was always there because I could have been caught (or seen), and I never failed to cum quickly once I was completely naked.

 One time a couple of summers ago, I got naked in a public park overlooking Tokyo Bay. I ended up being seen by a couple of curious male onlookers (casual strangers who were walking by and who seemed to 'know' that seeing sunbathers was common here). Of course, I think I was the only sunbather who was actually nude. Well. one of the curious onlookers was a young Japanese guy who eventually got closer and closer and finally came up to me with his passions obviously enflamed by my daring. I was lying naked in the grass, and standing over me (clothed), he encouraged me to beat off to ejaculation right in front of him. It was a very hot experience and one that has kept me trying to 'repeat' it for a couple of years of dickflashing experiences since then.

I wrote about this in my latest JUB blog entry and also on my Guys Into CMNM (Clothed Male / Naked Male) blog.

 

       

Skinny Dipping - one of the great summer treats

[quote="BudnBos"] (As posted on Freeballing.com) I did skinny dipping for the first time this summer, and it was awesome... being in the water and at the beach nude. Most everyone else was nude also so it was no big deal.[/quote]

It may not be a big deal as far as flashing goes, but it's still a great thing to be nude and enjoying the Skinny dipping at San Onofre (see pic at right) -- that's the whole point of skinny dipping. I try to do that all summer long and whenever I can any time. I love getting out to Black's Beach in San Diego, Baker Beach in San Francisco, Russian River at Guerneville (CA) and San Onofre State Beach (just south of Orange County (CA) on I-5 (one hour north of San Diego). I had fun there in Feb-March and met up at Black's Beach with one of my flasher buddies from the Net. (See his photo at left below).surf and sand -

Of course, it's more thrilling to try to get naked (with or without the swimming) at the pool, or jacuzzi, or the beach or anywhere that nudity isn't expected.

I used to teach at a school (K-12) that had a pool. Since I had a key to the locker room (with access to the pool), I would sometimes go late at night and swim naked in the pool. I found out later on that one of male teacher had done the same but got caught and in trouble. Eventually, they beefed up security and put a stop to all late night swimming (changed locks).

Sometimes, it's possible to get naked in a hotel pool or jacuzzi when not many people are around. At other times, I've tried going completely naked from my tent to the campground toilet / shower - at night of course - while camping. Have stripped and gone skinny dipping at many places - public parks, state and national parks - Yosemite has some (cold water freezes your balls!) great places for that. The Big Island (actually part of all the islands of Hawaii) have many beaches where it's possible to skinnydip without offending others. Waipio Valley - out from Honokaa in the northeastern area of the Big Island has a great place where can just see tiny figures bobbing around from their lookout point at the time.

people frequently (spontaneously - not a regular practice and probably frowned on since there are tourists (from the US mainland - Bible-belters) but once you descend the steep road down the valley entrance (on foot - of course), you can cross the fresh water river that flows into the ocean, and go to the northern (deserted) stretch of the beach. I've seen many people get naked there (including me and friends) for skinny dipping. People

Deserted stretch at Waipio Valley

Kehena Black Sand Beach (Puna Coast, Big Island)

Of course, my all-time favorite place to skinnydip is Kehena Black Sand's Beach on Hawaii's Puna coast. It's not just about showing your goodies on a nude beach. It's a marvelous place where nature's splendor, the chance to swim with dolphins and see whales, mix with the convivial atmosphere of the local tradition of a hippie holiday romp on the beach - complete with all sorts of naked and semi-clothed characters - all of whom are welcoming, tolerant, and often buzzed.