Nomadic Boys

Gay Friendly Philippines – Nomadic Boys

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Gay Friendly Philippines - Nomadic Boys

We absolutely fell in love with the gay friendly Philippines. It was the big surprise from our big trip around Asia. Most travellers backpacking around Asia also told us the same thing – they came to the Philippines with low expectations but ended up leaving completely besotted with the place!

The Philippines has 7,641 islands of which only 2,000 are inhabited. That’s a shed load of tropical beaches to discover. The country also straddles the Coral Triangle, which makes it a paradise for underwater adventurers – we had some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving experiences here, particularly in the waters around Palawan.

And, it’s super gay friendly! We rate the Philippines as one of the most gay friendly countries in Asia. Whilst it has a long way to go with its LGBTQ laws (as does almost every country in Asia), this was one of the rare countries in Asia where we felt super welcome as a gay couple.

We put this down to the Filipinos. They are extremely friendly, warm and fun-loving people – the “Filipino hospitality” is a thing which they highly value.

We were fortunate to make many LGBTQ Filipino friends during our travels, both in the gay friendly Philippines and elsewhere. We reached out to them to give us their opinion on why they think the Philippines is so gay friendly and awesome! We specifically asked each of them to answer these 2 questions and have printed their answers below.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Philippines Gay Travel Resources

Gay Montevideo – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Montevideo - The Nomadic Boys

“Guys it’s true, trust me: 98% of guys in Montevideo are either gay or bisexual!”

…so claimed our Uruguayan friend, Rodrigo, when we were chatting with them in Chains Pub about what gay life is like in Montevideo. Whether or not our friend is right, one thing’s for certain: the guys here are smoking hot!

Montevideo is often described as a “sleepy South America city“ – slow-paced, old fashioned, and nostalgia-tinged. Sleepy or not, we had a ball exploring the gay scene of Montevideo, its cutesy old town and the impressive coastline avenue, the Malecon.

And the bit about 98% of men here allegedly being homosexually inclined in some way? Well whether it’s true or not, this simply speaks volumes about how liberal, open-minded and chilled Montevideo is.

We’ve put together our experiences of Montevideo in this detailed gay guide to inspire your trip to include the best gay hotels, bars, clubs, events, things to do and more.

Is Montevideo safe for gay travellers?

Definitely! Montevideo is frequently rated as one of the most gay friendly cities in the world and based on our personal experience, we certainly rate Uruguay as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world.

To start with, Uruguay has a history of being extremely progressive, lenient and open-minded. It legalised abortions in 2012, established a welfare state all the way back in 1903 and legalised marijuana consumption in 2013. With regards to LGBTQ rights in Uruguay, they have long been secured and respected. For example, homosexuality was decriminalised as far back as 1934, anti-discrimination laws have been in place since 2003, adoption laws since 2009 and gay marriage implemented in 2013.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Uruguay Gay Travel Resources

Thailand’s Trans Culture – The Nomadic Boys

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BLOG - Thailand's Trans Culture - The Nomadic Boys

As soon as we mention we’re going to Bangkok, our (straight male) friends are quick to shower us with the “ladyboy” jokes also offering advice on “how to spot them“!

We always try to challenge stereotypes about transgender people in Thailand, the most common usually emanating from a guy’s fear that “they” are plotting to trap and seduce him. The reality, of course, is that “they” really are not! Most are simply trying to lead a normal everyday life, just like you and me, in a world that still hasn’t fully accepted its transgender community.

We have many transgender friends around the world who we’ve met in our travels, like Finn from Berlin. We take great pride in the LGBTQ bond that unites us: as gay men we are ultimately part of the same rainbow family, undergoing the same daily struggles of acceptance. We, therefore, take great pride in using our online platform to have an educative influence for transgender issues by challenging stereotypes and promoting a positive image of our transgender brothers and sisters.

One of our very good trans friends is Regina, who we met when we were out partying in the gay bars of Bangkok. Like us, Regina loves travelling and has stories from all around the world to share. Regina was also open to telling us all about her transition as well as her experience living/working as a trans person in Asia.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Thailand Gay Travel Resources

Tokyo Gay Tours – The Nomadic Boys

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BLOG - Tokyo Gay Tours - The Nomadic Boys

An urban jungle of intense energy, electric colours and lights. Yet it all flows together in an impressive orderly manner, absolutely nothing out of place.

This is Tokyo. It’s absolutely mad, like nothing you’ll ever experience! A frenetic city of almost 15 million people, yet somehow doesn’t ever feel crowded – unless you take the metro at rush hour…try this just once to experience it, but otherwise, to be avoided!

Every time we visit Tokyo it always feels like a culture shock and we love it! It gives us everything we want no matter how many times we visit. And as a bonus, it has a terrific gay scene with over 300 gay bars crammed in the tiny Shinjuku Ni-Chome district. We recommend checking out our detailed gay guide to Tokyo for more about this.

Whether you’ve been to Tokyo before or this is your first time, there are a variety of excellent Tokyo gay tours you can join to explore the best the city has to offer from experiencing the Shinjkuku gay scene with a local LGBTQ guide or learning about the city’s history with an LGBTQ focus. We’ve put together some of the best gay tours in Tokyo for LGBTQ travellers to check out right here.

Gay Night Tour of Tokyo

To experience Tokyo’s gay nightlife through the eyes of gay locals, we recommend joining this excellent tour of the gay scene. Remember above when we said there are over 300 gay bars? We weren’t kidding! The majority of Tokyo’s gay bars are tiny spaces all packed together in the Shinjuku Ni-Chome district. The one downside of this is that a handful of these small gay bars do not welcome foreigners and may even refuse you entry if you’re not local or know someone local to take you. Therefore having a gay local showing you the gay scene of Tokyo is the perfect way to get you into such bars as well as steering you through this wacky minefield of Tokyo queerness!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Little Known Facts About Vietnam – The Nomadic Boys

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BLOG: Little Known Facts About Vietnam - The Nomadic Boys

“Guys, take my hand, stay together and slowly cross the road. Just don’t stop or go back. Walk with confidence and all the traffic will work around you. Trust me it’s super safe!”

“Are you f*g kidding me?” I said to Stefan…

Yet our friend Quan was right. The chaotic and seemingly neverending traffic of Saigon and Hanoi all seem to work together in this sort of messy ‘union’. It’s overwhelming for first-timers. I can tell you I was terrified out of my skin at the prospect of crossing the streets of Saigon when we first touched down Vietnam. But you quickly realise it’s absolutely fine…like our friend Quan told us, start walking slowly, but with purpose, and all the traffic just negotiates its way around you!

Crazy traffic aside, we loved Vietnam. As a gay couple, we loved how welcoming we were made to feel at the hotels we stayed in. There’s even a large LGBTQ community in the large main cities with a handful of queer hangouts to check out. As foodies, we couldn’t be happier. Vietnam is one massive culinary adventure, from the rich “pho” broths of Saigon to the yummy “cao lau” noodle dishes of Hoi An and the delectable tiramisu-like “egg coffees” of Hanoi. We pretty much ate our way from the bottom all the way to the tip of this unique S-shaped country in Southeast Asia. We recommend reading more about this in our blog post about our favourite traditional foods of Vietnam.

The gay scene and tasty prizes aside, Vietnam also has a rich cultural heritage, with its first independent monarchy dating back to 900 AD, a period of French colonialism from 1850-1945 and a subsequent period of division when the North and South became divided into two opposing rival states. Since reunification in 1976, Vietnam has evolved into a crazy, fascinating and above all else, thrilling destination in Asia. We loved it and would zip back in a heartbeat!

Here’s a flavour of precisely why we fell in love with Vietnam set out as our 10 interesting facts which we learnt about it during our big trip.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Vietnam Gay Travel Resources

Gay Xi’an – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Xi’an - The Nomadic Boys

Emperor Qin Shi Huang was one pretty remarkable Diva in Ancient China! Not only did he declare himself as the first Emperor of a unified China back in 221 BC, he also created an entire tomb of terracotta sculptures depicting his massive army who would protect him in his afterlife.

This was no mean feat. Old Qin Shi’s posthumous army consisted of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. And it’s pretty damn impressive to behold!

We came to Xi’an expecting to be wowed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s famous Terracotta Warrior sculptures – and bloody hell, we sure were! But unbeknownst to us, we were also blown away by the delicious street food in the Muslim Quarter as well as the city’s small, but lively gay scene.

Most will only come to Xi’an expecting to stay for just a few days to see the Terracotta Army then leave. But we recommend hanging around a few days longer. This is a city with an extraordinary history that dates back over 3,000 years, back to when it was called “Chang’an” – one of the four great ancient capitals of China and the starting point of the famous Silk Road trade network. A few days just doesn’t do it justice – trust us, you’ll thank us!

This is our detailed gay guide to Xi’an’s bars, clubs, hotels and some invaluable inspiration for LGBTQ travellers. All the information in this guide is based on our first-hand experience travelling here as a gay couple coupled with notes from gay locals we met during our trip who continue to help us keep our guide up-to-date.

Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

China Gay Travel Resources

Berlin Gay Tours – The Nomadic Boys

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Berlin Gay Tours - The Nomadic Boys

Berlin is a city that has been revelling in its queerness for years. Even as far back as the 1920s, it was known as the gayest city in the world. While other cities have recently begun to vie for that crown, for us, there’s just nowhere quite like Berlin!

With a truly hedonistic gay scene featuring gay clubs, bars, saunas, hotels and cruising clubs, Berlin might seem a little overwhelming to first-time visitors. Hell, even us old queens who’ve been here dozens of times occasionally get surprised by the newest additions that have popped up since our last visit!

Berlin Gay Tours

Luckily, for those who want to ease into Berlin’s gay scene gently, or even explore the city from a unique perspective, there are a variety of fabulous Berlin gay tours to experience. Whether you want to just explore Berlin with a gay guide, get acquainted with the gay nightlife, or even learn about the city’s history of sex, there’s a tour for you! We’ve rounded up the best of the best for you right here.

Berlin’s Gay, Lesbian and Queer Scene Walking Tour

When we did this tour we had the terrific, Finn, as our guide. Finn is a gay local and also a history fanatic – the perfect person to get you acquainted with Berlin’s historic gay scene!

The tour is organised by Original Berlin Walks, who focus on telling the history of Berlin in an informative and entertaining manner. We were definitely entertained by Finn, learning so much about Berlin’s queer history at the same time as he walked us through the streets of Schöneberg.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Germany Gay Travel Resources

Bangkok’s Gayborhood – The Nomadic Boys

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BLOG - Bangkok's Gayborhood - The Nomadic Boys

Lights… Camera… ACTION!

10s! 10s! 10s! across the board, as you sashay your way down Bangkok’s Silom Soi 4 street, the beating heart and soul of the city’s incredible gay scene.

We love it here. It’s one of our favourite gay scenes in the world. Regardless which day of the week you come, there’s always life and action. Whenever we visit Bangkok, the first thing we do is head straight to Balcony and have our obligatory “welcome to Bangkok” Pad Thai in their outdoor terrace.

Balcony is one of the many gay bars in Silom Soi 4 – an area with lots of gay hotels, massage parlours, clubs, saunas and restaurants. You can read our full gay guide to the city of Bangkok, but in this article, we take you on a magical journey through the gay area of Bangkok!

Where is Bangkok’s Gayborhood?

The majority of Bangkok’s gay bars and clubs are located in Silom, which is a sub-district of Bang Rak. There are two main gay streets in Silom, known as Silom Soi 4 and Silom Soi 2. Both of these smaller pedestrian-only streets lead off from the main Silom Road, which you can reach via the BTS Skytrain (get off at the Sala Daeng station) or the Silom MRT Station.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Bangkok Gay Travel Resources

Gay Life in Thailand – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Life in Thailand - The Nomadic Boys

“Guys you’ve been to so many countries in the world, you must have a favourite?”

Oh, we sure do! There are of course many places we’d go back to in a heartbeat, but if we had to pick just one – Thailand!

Thailand has it all, amazing beaches, a rich cultural fabric to discover, delicious food and most of all, it is very gay friendly! Bangkok, in particular, has a fantastic gay scene – in our opinion, one of the best in the world. Whilst Thailand has positioned itself to become one of Asia’s leading destinations for LGBTQ travellers, we wanted to learn more about what gay life in Thailand is really like from a local’s perspective.

We met cutie photographer, Saroj, in Bangkok, who gave us his perspective of what gay life in Thailand is really like and what it was like growing up gay there. Read his story right here:

Sawasdee krap Saroj, Please Introduce Yourself:

Hi guys, my name is Saroj Kunatanad. My friends call me “Ark”. I am 33 years old, born and raised in Bangkok. I grew up in Bobea, which is in the old town area of Bangkok, near Chinatown and the infamous Khao San Road.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Thailand Gay Travel Resources

Gay Bangkok – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Bangkok - The Nomadic Boys

Bangkok. Practically the definition of a hot mess. Crowds of thronging people and a confusing but delightful mix of traditions meeting modernism. Wonderful food that is quite literally heaven in our mouth. The weather is great too! Though let’s be real here, it doesn’t take much to beat the dreary British weather… With beautiful natural scenery at our doorstep, exotic adventures and amazing cuisine, it’s no wonder we love coming back here!

Thailand is famous for being one of the most gay friendly countries in Asia, with the capital city of Bangkok its beating heart. The gay scene here is thriving, with so many gay bars, clubs, hotels, massage parlours, restaurants and more – largely centred in Silom. We love the gay scene of Bangkok and definitely rank it as one of our favourite in the world.

We also love that no matter how many times we come to Bangkok, it’s always a culture shock, from the food to the hectic polluted traffic – to give you an idea, you MUST try going in a tuk-tuk – the little rickshaws that you see in movies. They are absolutely bonkers and a great way to really get out to see what the city has to offer!

This is our comprehensive gay guide to Bangkok based on our many trips here. We’ve highlighted the best gay friendly hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, things to do, and more.

How safe is Gay Bangkok?

Oh, it’s very safe! Bangkok is frequently rated as one of the most gay friendly cities in Asia due to its inclusivity and safety.

We’ve been to Bangkok many times and have never had hassle from any of the locals for being gay. Thai people are seriously friendly. They have a genuine interest in what is going on in your life. We also found that due to their varied and vibrant culture, they tend not to be judgmental. Which is fantastic! We know it’s not just towards westerners that they are friendly, but they also treat each other with respect. We have quite a few friends in Bangkok who are adamant that their lives are on a parallel with gay lives in London.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Bangkok Travel Resources