My husband has been on all-male trips abroad and I bet none of them would ever ask for directions, but they wouldn't do it at home either. In the UK it's is a widespread joke that men won't ask for directions at all - even in an unfamilar part of their own town, never mind on holiday ! Isn't that a joking matter elsewhere ? I think it's a macho thing :-)

As regards travel planning, IME men don't plan ahead :-)

Do any of your husband's all-male trips involve cultural sightseeing?

My husband recently met a friend in Rome and they did nothing but culturally sightsee and go to fine restaurants, and then the friend came to visit us.

Yes, people in America joke about men not asking directions -- but I've often been stopped by men asking for directions, sometimes with their wives right next to them. And at least half the travel planners posting most often on Fodor's are men, yes? People have these gender-based ideas, but I don't think they actually track.

A real man always takes his GPS system with him, containing all those POIs.
Men don't get lost anywhere, so they don't need to ask for directions. If the GPS should stop working for any reason (She forgot to buy decent new batteries!), there's always the sun which is used to navigate.

"It's 8am and the sun is over there, so our house is in that direction!"

Women are crazy thinking a man would have any problems navigating.

Since I grew up in Southern California, I've almost always oriented myself directionally by the sun (and the moon at night). The real man I married grew up in NYC, where sun is often blocked by buildings, and never developed that trick.

So that won't work either as a gender-based theory.

There are always traitors in our midst.

I'm English.

What is this "Sun" of which you speak?

In England the water always comes from the west. You don't need something called sun.

The sun can be found here: www.thesun.co.uk

I hate asking for directions, and my DH loves to. He doesn't travel with other men, but doesn't socialize with them much either. He likes the company of women (platonically), and rarely hangs out with guys.

He was talking about flying to Florida for a weekend in December to visit friends and relatives, and suggested to a female friend that she tag along with him as she had never been to Florida and I can't go. He was very surprised when we told him that his relatives would likely think it very strange if he showed up with another woman. It had never occurred to him that it would look peculiar.

A REAL man needs just one look at a map, and will remember exactly which roads to take from A to B.

GPS is for wannabee men only. It became such a huge success since the wannabee man can claim that it's been developed as a military gadget.
No REAL man would follow the advice of a woman where to make the next turn. But have you ever met a guy who programmed his car's GPS to work with the male voice?? Wannabee men.. Q.E.D.

A real man doesn't need a map, that's the point.

persimmondeb,

My father was the same way -- although not to the extreme of not understanding that it raised eyebrows how readily he platonically bonded with women not his wife. He didn't have any opportunities to travel, although he would have liked to, but he certainly wouldn't have wanted a stag party or a sports match!

Since it was your husband's relatives who were the issue, did he tell his friend not to worry and go with her anyway?

Cowboy,

Did you know that Bob Dylan is trying to get a contract to be a GPS voice? I'm not making that up.

Cholmondley,

Did you know that Norwegians thought that England was where people went when they died because they always saw it shrouded in mist?

The sun can be found here: www.thesun.co.uk>>>>

You navigate by tits?

You foreigners have ways very different from our own.

So you live in Italy (in Camogli, of all places, the "houses of wives" town), and your male friends are artists and sculptors who gang up to visit museums together. And you stay up all night posting frantically on Fodors. And the rest of us are travel conformists. Get over it.

His friend is insisting that she really doesn't want to go to Florida, since it's hot there. We'll see what happens.

He's quite sure that his relatives won't be scandalized, since she's just a friend. He's never really gotten the idea that most people are suspicious of "friendship" between men and women.

C_W.. yes, those guys do navigate by tits.
And this is where they want to go to:
http://tinyurl.com/63byd

No tits to be found there anymore..

http://www.thesun.co.uk/discussions/...ow/News-2.page

"Maoam is too sexy for children". Where else do you see a picture of a lemon doing it with a martian and have people complain about it.

Talking of GPS, when I am in the States and using the excellent GPS on her car, my girlfriend constantly argues with the - extremely accurate - directions given by the well informed, but disembodied, voice. Does anybody else suffer the same way ? Maybe it's just female nature to argue !

persimmondeb,

Well, I don't get it either. But I also would avoid Florida this time of year, no matter who asked!

And no surprise, here comes the angry St Cirq, trying to make other people feel bad for talking and questioning, living up to rep as all time Old Fallopian Tubes, phallus-hating Fodor's poster, scolding me for having fun at night and with cultured men!

For the record Camogli isn't the "house of wives" town, as tourist brochures say -- and of course St Cirq mindlessly repeats it! The town is actually named by its Celtic founders for a Celtic deity named Camulo or Camolio -- but no one knows how it was spelled as far as I know.

Cowboy,

No wonder I couldn't get there. I kept putting 'fooking' into the GPS

DavidSXM,

I argue all the time! But my GPS isn't accurate -- or maybe I should stop yelling "fook" at it.

I dated a man for years and years, he went to Europe regularly with his male friends and also alone with me and also with other couples. The men had been traveling together for years. Every year they went to the Cannes Film Fest for example, and I never went along, I couldn't go for family reasons. They would come back with stories of their escapades in Morocco and other places that had me in stitches. Their dynamics together were formidable, they were all happy good longtime male friends, drank wine, visited art venues, etc. Once two of them were asked to judge a beauty contest in the Middle East, things like that I would not have wanted to attend.

He would call me mid trip and say I have found the best place, we have to come here next year. Fun times for all.

Interesting! It does seem men travel together if there is a specific activity beyond general sightseeing. I know men who would probably join other men in seeking out great food itineraries in another country, or a film festival.

PS Sea Urchin, don't apologize for knowing men who are interesting if it comes to that!

Interesting. My all guy trips have been for Fantasy Football drafts, watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Vegas, football road trips, basketball road trips, Cooperstown Baseball Hall Of Fame weekend and golf trips. All sports related!!!! Kim and I did actually go to the Accademia in Venice without Mary and Tracy one morning. Does that count?

On our golf weekend each year, we usually do all go wine tasting together, so I guess we do have one non-related sports activity (although since it's just wine to drink when we get back to the house while watching baseball and football on television, I guess it could be determined to be sports related, too).

((H))

Maitai, you are such a great writer!

Z., for years, those male trips involved renting the same condo for a few weeks in Villefrance because they all loved the area. Two bedrooms and four men (and four beds). They would get into minor spats about snoring and too much card playing, cigar smoking, etc. but they all grouped together to try out new and favorite restaurants at night. By mid trip, one would end up sleeping on the porch to get away from snoring or clothes on the floor and they would go their separate ways sightseeing or pool or beach lounging. I never thought anything of it, I never thought men don't travel together, I guess they will if they have common interests and bonds, like Maitai and his sports, like you say. Now that I think back, they never traveled together in the USA, except visiting the one of their group who lived in Hawaii and maybe Vegas for another one.

Interesting topic and yes they were interesting!

Yelling at the GPS is perfectly o.k., only if you start arguing with it like a woman it's getting dangerous. You can keep her from arguing with it, if you chose a male voice (either Clint Eastwood (tough guy) or Robert Redford (the other guy) ). In both cases, she will be quiet.

Don't make the mistake of chosing a female voice! A male voice saves a lot of pain.

I could explain, one was the cigar smoker and this was before the days when you asked before you smoked, two were card players, one took the time to relax and mine was the most avid sightseer. They would settle their differences over wine and excellent food though and just end up calling each other pain in the arses before they planned their next trip. All such characters.

Seaurchin,

I never thought about men not traveling together until I start reading the fodor's message board!

maitai,

Yes, you and Kim count!

For 17 years a group of us (guys) would go to Reno or South Shore to gamble, drink and golf. Most have died but I still travel solo to Great Britain each year. My great wife stays home as I go during the winter and see mostly military museums, rail museums and the like. I drink tons of beer, piss a lot and eat fish and chips. What fun.

"maitai, Yes, you and Kim count!"

I will have to tell him that we are Renaissance men after all!

((H))

Do James May and Oz Clarke count?

My husband and a buddy go birding, but I guess that's kind of a sport. I'd think it was great if he went off to Europe with friends. He'd like to tour there with his band, but I can't see them getting along in any extended close proximity; all those egos.

My husband and a buddy go birding,>>>

You are aware what this means in English?

I encourage all his hobbies.

Does anyone personally know any men over 50 who have decided to go off for a European adventure without women in tow?

If this is refreshingly NOT about only straight men then the answer is yes i do know one..ME

Do YOU know any men straight or gay who get on message boards and ask "what should I wear?"

I encourage all his hobbies.>>>

Well it saves you a job.

Dukey, I don't know any women who would do that.

Cholms,

?

(Sometimes I wish I were a native English speaker.)

"Birding" is the persuit of birds. Then, instead of them laying eggs you lay them. The birds that is, not the eggs.

I have spent many happy trips with all male groups birding.

Both meanings involve Great Tits.

CW - open minded. But a bit suprised.

ps In Britain "birding" (ie bird watching) is called "twitching" which doesn't really make things any clearer.

I don't imagine the world is interested in the stokebailey sex life or lack thereof, so I won't comment.

Interesting topic! My husband has never traveled with any of his male companions but if he did I highly doubt he would venture to Fodors asking for advice. It's just become habit that I do a lot of the trip planning and then we go over my findings together. So while he appreciates the advice we get from fodorites, he just isn't the type to log onto a message board asking for advice. And my assumption would be that if he did take a trip with the guys, they would end up going to places that he had already been, since most of his friends have yet to leave the US and would rely on him to get them around. I do know that any trip like that would not be based around sports, even though he does like sports. Matt is mostly into history and nature - and maybe some beer thrown in for good measure!

Tracy