Product Description

Naked Magazine and The Nazca Plains Cororation are proud to bring you the very latest edition of the most complete guide to gay naked travel in the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #623324 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 212 pages

About the Author
Publisher of Naked Magazine.

Customer Reviews

Slapdash Effort, Not Worth the Money
Anyone interested in gay nude travel should be advised that there are two books out there with the words "naked places" in the title. The book described on this page is called "Naked Magazine's Worldwide Guide to Naked Places" and is published by the Nazca Plains Corporation in Las Vegas, NV with no author credited in the actual book (even though it credits Robert Steele on this webpage). The other guide is called "Naked Places, A Guide for Gay Men to Nude Recreation and Travel" by Michael Boyd, put out by Mercury Publishing in Austin, TX.

Having already owned Mr. Boyd's excellent book, I decided to buy the Naked Magazine book since it was published more recently and I'm about to take a trip to Europe. I was hugely disappointed. After having received the book, I believe the previous 5-star reviews must be bogus. In fact, one of the reviewers seems to specialize in writing 5-star reviews of Nazca Plains titles. Check it out for yourself.

The Naked Magazine/Nazca book is a truly shoddy effort. First, it is horribly organized so that the reader has no sense of geographic orientation. For example, the author doesn't even have the courtesy to divide Canada into provinces or even cities! Beaches and places to stay for the entire country are listed separately and alphabetically, with the result that the reader has to constantly flip pages to figure out what is near what. Same goes for other countries.

Secondly, there are several popular nude beaches in the U.S. that are omitted altogether, like the one on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, which is one of my favorite nude beaches and one of the prettiest beaches anywhere I have been. There is no mention of it in this book, and it is a popular and well-known place.

Third, places outside the U.S. seem a mere afterthought even though this book is touted as a worldwide guide. Descriptions and directions are virtually nil. Two examples: for Danube Island in Vienna, Austria, the directions read "Best if reached by bus, ferry or subway since parking in this area is a problem." That's it, that's all they tell you about how to find the nude beach on a river island that is 12 miles long. And here are the directions for a beach in Spain: "The beach is near Hotel Santa Cristina. There is a McDonald's near the beach. Ask for directions locally." Ask locally?! Isn't the purpose of a nude beach guide to tell you how to get there?! These examples are typical of the entries in the book and are virtually useless. (In comparison, Mr. Boyd's guide gives detailed directions with the nearest street intersection, how to make use of European mapping sites like viamichelin.com, what public transit to take when applicable and even the GPS coordinates so you can look it up on Google Earth! Night and day difference in quality!)

My advice, in short, is do not waste your money on this book. It is clearly the slapdash effort of people out to make an easy buck who know nothing about the subject matter. Get Mr. Boyd's book instead, Naked Places, A Guide for Gay Men to Nude Recreation and Travel, 5th edition. In contrast to Naked Magazine's book, Michael Boyd's book is bigger (about 120 more pages and many more entries), infinitely more detailed and clearly written by someone who knows/cares about the world of gay nude recreation. In terms of quality, it is like comparing a TV guide to an encyclopedia!

Wow! This Guide is really complete!
At first I thought paying $21.95 for a guide would be completely ridiculous, but after receiving it -- WOW, is all I can say! It looks to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date gay travel guide on the planet! This guide is especially written for those of us who like to get naked and let it all hang out... this sixth edition really shines with not only US listings, but detailed international naked listings for the connoisseur of worldwide nude travel. Upon receiving this book, I immediately flipped to New York, and was amazed to find clubs and B&B's I've never even heard of! I've got so much to do now!!! The format of the guide is extremely easy to carry, easily compacted, EXTREMELY colorful, great pictures of some GEORGEOUS men, and really easy to navigate. I've read the previous editions, but this 6th edition is hands down the best gay naked travel guide in the country. It's got the combo of things that make it worth every penny: Pictures, information, full-color, and just plain fun to read. RUN; don't walk to buy this thing. If you're looking for some steamy fun on the weekends, wherever you may be, pick this guide up and browse on through.

Taking it off all over the world
A caveat: I am not a nudist, but my partner is. When it came time to purchase the latest installment in the Naked Magazine Guide to World Wide Places, this ultimately went to his bookshelf.

But after reviewing it myself, I can say it looks to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date gay travel guide to this date. Especially written for those who like to get naked while on the road, this 6th edition is terrific not only for its US listings, but detailed international notations. Once we got The Guide, I looked up Pennsylvania. (And you know you'll do the same thing!)

If you already have an older version, the replacement is worth your time. Plenty of new color photos for you picture hounds to go with the updates. Wherever you're bound for, be it in your home territory or across a border, you'll find "The World Wide Guide To Naked Places" to be invaluable.