SEX, DRUGS, AND PARTYING

There are lots of fun ways to find yourself abroad, but this part is the most fun to discuss. Sex, drugs, and partying will make your trip memorably mind-blowing and are vital to your worldly experience. You will be hooking up with a whole slew of internationals, and you will have a damn good time doing it (safely, of course). If some drugs find their way on the menu, we won’t judge. Moderation is always key (nobody likes a crackhead). As for partying, there are beach, club, hostel, hot tub, and pool parties for the taking abroad. Here are a few things we have learned along the way that should maximize your fun times.

SEX

The conditions abroad are perfect for getting laid. Everyone is so excited to be out of their element that any inhibitions are left far behind. Hooking up with fellow backpackers is inevitable. They’re just as horny and are in the same boat with you mentally (sometimes even close to the same bed). Hooking up with locals is more of a challenge, but everybody loves a good chase, right? A few important factors to get you laid by a local:

Looking your best abroad may be hard. Groom, shower, and primp a bit if you plan to get laid. Go grungy when you’re in between places. Balance is key.

Smile and be friendly. Sure, the mysterious character is cool, if you think you can play it—just save that card as the ace up your sleeve.

Converse. Talk about where you’re from and how much you love traveling. Even if there’s a language barrier, let your charm shine through.

Modify your tactics based on your location. Buying drinks and generally being awesome always helps, but knowing a bit of the local ways and hot spots won’t hurt your cause.

Culture matters when it comes to sex. Some places are very lenient on the sexual liberation front. Other places, like the Middle East, have very strict hook-up rules, and premarital sex may be out of the question altogether. To get more in the know, here’s a list of some our favorite spots for sneaking in a quickie:

BERLIN, GERMANY

The novel ingredients make this cultural melting pot worth a taste. Warehouse clubs, grungy districts, and hidden bars give Berlin’s large BDSM crowds proper grounds to play.

SANTORINI, GREECE

Nude beaches, hot backpackers, and world-famous sunsets will help bring some romance back into your stick-it-where-it-fits sex life.

IBIZA, SPAIN

The mecca of electronic music, Ibiza is where you can get your dance on all night, then settle into your beachside shack for some good lovin’ before sunrise.

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

The Nordic are naughty. With its beautiful, busty blonde babes and tall, large-handed dudes, Sweden is a great place to explore your bisexuality. We’re always down for trying new things.

WARSAW, POLAND

This capital city hosts an annual Eroticon festival. Enough said.

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Big booties shake with pride in the thong’s birthplace. Unleash your desires on the beach or bring it back to one of the city’s hundreds of luxurious sex motels with rental rates by the hour.

DRUGS

Traveling is going to get you feeling all kinds of good. Amid the partying, exploring, and meeting of all kinds of people, there may come a time when you want to take your experience to an even higher level. We won’t pack your bowl, draw your line, or strap your arm (hopefully it doesn’t come to that), but we are here to help.

SUBSTANCE SPECIFICS

Marijuana is a celebrated soft drug that varies in regard around the world. Amsterdam was once a liberal land that welcomed and catered to pot-smoking tourists with coffee shops that were legally slangin’ dubs left and right. Things are changing a bit, but the people’s habits remain. The United States is loosening its shackles on possessing small amounts, but you still wouldn’t want to get caught with a couple grams of sticky. Some countries have completely decriminalized pot, while others will lock you up in a heartbeat. As with everything, be careful and know the local laws. In most countries, even though most drugs are illegal, you can still pick up with the right street smarts.

Option A

Your best bet: ask people you know. Hostel mates, especially, but anybody you’ve come into friendly contact with will suffice. Just work the question into a smooth conversation to see if they can help you out.

Option B

A bit more risky: ask unfamiliar people. As with your first choice, try to make friendly conversation first. This lowers your chance of getting straight-up robbed, and (with enough conversational knowledge) should help you weed out the out-of-uniform cops. Drugs tend to follow the money. Stick around nightlife—bars and clubs especially—and ask patrons, bartenders, or bouncers. Start off by asking for pot (as its use is generally taken more lightly). If that goes well, feel free to shmooze your way into inquiring about some other stuff.

All kinds of drugs will be available everywhere, and their legality will vary from place to place. Take some precaution in buying or using.

PARTYING

A party is to be had anywhere in the world. Your entire experience abroad is going to blend into one big party, and you can find something that fits your specific moods and needs in every country. Some will be organized annual celebrations, others impromptu park and house parties or in the ever-present clubs, bars—even costume balls (during the day, night, morning, and any time in between). A taste of some big guns awaiting your arrival:

Oktoberfest in Germany (page 126) (around September 20 to October 10, annually) is an organized shit-show dedicated to international beer consumption and downright messiness.

Carnaval in Brazil (page 128) (February 22 to 28, annually) is known worldwide for flooding the Rio’s streets with its elaborate costumes (with built-in nakedness) and wild celebrations.

Australia Day (January 26th) is where the country (well, continent) celebrates the discovery (through European settlement) of Australia. It’s all about beers, barbecues, and beaches.

Botellóns in Spain (page 140) are organized park drinking parties. You bring your booze, everyone else brings their booze, and you share. Most large plazas in Spain will hold one around 10:00 p.m. every weekend.

Holi (typically the third week in March) is a multiday Hindu tradition that takes food fighting to a grown-up level. Massive crowds flood the streets and douse each other with colorful flour. India serves it up strongest.

Every October, Copenhagen pulls out all the kinks with its fringe sex festival Kinky Copenhagen (page 130).