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Best places to hook up while traveling
"It's 11pm on a Saturday night, I need to leave you guys to find some ass." I swear to whatever there is above, that's what a girl said to us recently on the night of Noche en Blanco in Madrid. I wouldn't announce it so blatantly, but I have to admit that hooking up whilst on the road -- whether it's a holiday, gap year, or extended travel -- is one of the glories of traveling whilst you are young and single. Whether you are are 'wham-bam-thank-you-maam' type, or the passionate whirlwind love affair type, all's pretty easy on the road. Depending on what you are looking for and how open you are about finding it, some places can work for you more than others.
Being a girl who doesn't have the 'one-track-mind' all men are accused of having by default, to think about a piece like this wouldn't have occurred to me unless I read this great piece on the Sydney Morning Herald's travel blog.
Of his list of 10 best places to pick-up, I have been to three - Thailand, Portugal and Denmark. I'm not too sure about pick-up prospects in Portugal and Denmark -- the language barrier and the Scandinavian chill don't do much for romance; but Thailand is a sure winner.
In my opinion, other winner cities would be:
- Negril, Jamaica: Oh my goodness. Sun, beach, wild marijuana, and reggae music -- need I say more?
- Havana, Cuba: Sorry that Americans can't go here easily, but here both men and women will get together with you anyhow, and anywhere. Other than wanting toothpaste or toilet paper in return (this happened to a guy friend of mine), perhaps it's the sheer attraction of foreigners that gets them pumping. With the rum, the reggaton and the strong will to feel any sort of temporary liberty, has to make Havana one of the most sexually open and explicit places I have visited.
- Sydney, Australia: Another sun and beach lure, practically every other Ozzie you see looks like they played a role in Baywatch. Easy shmeezy, and you'll even feel like you are in Baywatch.
- Balearic Islands, Spain: Ibiza and Formentera -- hardly a surprise huh? The fact that most beaches here are nudist just emphasizes ease of hooking up.
Filed under: Nightlife
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Oct 19th 2007 12:37PM
Yeah, good luck with that hooking up. Be sure to let us know how you figured out that all your prospective partners are STD free, decent people who won't knock the crap out of you on a whim, or hooked up with the local crimelord. Three words - Natalee Holloway Aruba.
Joe RoadWarrior Oct 19th 2007 1:14PM
Mark's pessimistic ("realistic!" he'll argue) aside. I will have to agree that hooking up on the road is a major perk of my current job.
As I am a guy, I do need to worry less about the things he mentioned- but common sense goes a long way. Mark, your current partner could just as easily have an STD without you knowing. Always practice SAFER sex (with the knowledge that SAFE sex is an illusion).
As for the person not being decent and knocking you around? Bottom Line- you can NEVER know for sure what another person is going to do- whether it's a regular at the corner bar or a One Night Stand in Thailand. But as we go through this life, we pick up experience, practice common sense, and learn from other's mistakes.
Be sure to let us know how living your life in a bubble works out for you.
Eva Oct 19th 2007 1:54PM
I don't mean to come across as a self-righteous prude here, but I think particularly in poor countries there's a pretty fine line between "hooking up" with locals and sex tourism. And, uh, accepting sex in exchange for toothpaste and toilet paper definitely crosses it. In places like Cuba and Thailand it's far more likely that people are hoping for some material gain to make their lives easier than that they "just want to feel any sort of temporary liberty".
Joe RoadWarrior Oct 19th 2007 3:56PM
@Eva
A Solid point that I totally missed... But no one would know better than the people (perhipherally, at least) involved-
So Abha? Did your friend feel that the "toiletry exchange" was payment for sex or is there a less distasteful explanation?