You'll Have A Gay 'Ole Time

All-Gay Vacations... what do you think of them?  You can't flip through a gay magazine without seeing several ads for gay vacation packages.  Browsing through the latest copy of The Advocate, I stumbled across one such ad that noted an upcoming trip to Tahiti... and you know that immediately captured my attention!

So I ventured over to the website and learned that the tour group is taking over an entire resort for a week in November on a French Polynesian island (just a 55 minute flight from the main hub of Papeete, Tahiti). 

An entire resort, you say?!  Well, many of the resorts are not that big... this one, in particular, accomodates about a maximum of 80 people.  That was one of the nice things about FP, we never felt like there were a ton of people around...

We have talked about the all-gay vacation/cruise thing before in our household... and while it would certainly have its advantages and be "nice" ... and this may get me in some trouble, it almost seems like it it would be too strange.  Maybe it is just years of conditioning... we pretty much know whereever we go we are going to be a minority... well, with the possible exception of Vegas... Vegas and sporting events are two places were 2 guys can go without drawing nary a second glance.  Now don't get me wrong, we don't have raging paranoia every time we walk out the front door... though we do do some homework (i.e. one reason we did not go to the Caribbean, having not quite got a handle on the degree of "friendliness" on different islands).  And heck, in these environments, it is always fun to stumble onto another stray gay couple... as we did on Moorea.

But one big deterrent from going on an all-gay vacation are, oddly enough, the advertisements!   The lovely speciman that greeted you at the top of this entry is the poster boy for the Tahiti trip from this tour group... and you'll find plenty just like him in ads for other trips and tour companies.  Now I hate to burst your "mental picture" bubble... but I don't look anything like that...

Now, you say to yourself... c'mon not all the guys on these vacations are going to look like Greek gods... and while common sense makes me want to agree with that, I have seen "real" guys on <ahem!> certain personal websites who DO go on these trips/cruises... I offer up the following evidence:

Sorry for boxing out faces, but since I borrowed the pix without asking I figured I had to protect identities... but trust me the faces are just as fine as what you ARE seeing!  So what's the deal?  Do just beautiful people go on these trips... or do us Average Joes just not take picture of ourselves and share them with the world?!  (BTW, we have 3 pics of ourselves from Tahiti... one is fairly okay (but dorky), one is spacially out of whack, and in the third we are pretty much shadowed out.)

So while I have heard only great testimonials from these trips... I have my doubts that we will be going on one anytime soon (and heck, getting older is not going to increase the chances any!).  I am sure it would be a "freeing" and wonderful (and interesting!) experience ... but, ironically enough, I am guessing I would feel a lot less comfortable.  And while us coupled gay folk tend to be just as boring as our hetero counterparts at the end of the day, guys are guys...  and I can't imagine these vacations are NOT a bit turbo-charged.

So my queer peers (sorry heteros, every vacation you go on is a straight one!)... do you have similar reservations about making reservations?  Would you/are you consider going on an all-gay vacation? Or have you been on one and what has the experience been like?

Comments

[Scott C]

Manny and I have discussed going on a "gay cruise" or "gay vacation." We discussed this with a travel agent friend of ours, who happens to be gay. He told us that the gay cruises and vacations remind him of big circuit parties, with many pretty boys, and many retired gentlement chasing them. So, at this point, we go on vacations, and be ourselves.

[Todd]

We've never been on one of those cruises or vacations, but my friends who have been on several say that there's something there for everyone -- the circuit boys, the bears, the "regular" people, and anything else.

Still, if we ever decide to go, I'll need 6 months notice so the lipo scars won't be so noticeable... :-)

[Rojo]

As your pictures testify - little point in us (the non-muscle blessed, the non gym-goers) forking out for a cruise to feel like a social reject and be reminded of the body fascism gay culture can sometimes follow. A nice holiday in Vienna with 'normal' heteros for us!