Wild Hearts & Honest Bodies
Our Manifesto for Radical Belonging
Let's do something different.
Something bigger, deeper, more meaningful.
Let's bring our own unique joy, talents, and passions to the table. Let's connect over shared moments, open conversations, and maybe one or two drinks too many. We'll laugh, we'll cuddle, we'll strip, we'll dance, we'll celebrate who we are, what we love, and the sheer joy of unconditional acceptance.
Travel is our opportunity to break out of our normal routines. To practice being the men* we want to be in a fresh setting—and with others—who just want to see you be exactly who you are.
This is not another retreat. This is not another gay cruise fueled by superficial status, performance anxiety, and judgy elevator eyes. This is a group that wants to travel, be free, and have unabashed fun.
All Bodies Are Beautiful
Your body is beautiful, and is meant to be shared with those who appreciate it.
We see the ads for gay cruises, gay retreats, etc—and we don't see us or the guys that get our mojo going.
Bodies Bring Pleasure
visually • emotionally • sensorially • mentally
A whole lot of people prefer cuddly extra pounds, that feeling of an enormous bear hug, and we all want to be seen beyond the Instagram frame. That's what Peace Love & Bears is about: celebrating the body but going beyond the body at the same time.
We are building a community that both celebrates bodies of all shapes while recognizing that abs do not make the man.
We do not travel just to change our coordinates on a map; we travel to reconnect with the elements. Our bodies are landscapes, just like the oceans we sail and the red earth we walk on. The salt on our skin, the dust on our feet, the warmth of the sun—these are invitations to remember that we are part of the wild world. When we shed our clothes, we aren't just revealing skin; we are returning to the earth.
Whether your body is larger, or you are smaller and prefer the warm embrace of extra padding, this is a space where this is celebrated. It's also a space where we hope to encourage you to shed your layers—don't hide your belly, fur, man-boobs, or lovehandles from us. Be naked or not to your level of comfort, but be brave enough to be you.
Community Agreements
- We will not ignore someone for what they look like.
- We're willing to break out of our comfort zones and embrace our bodies.
- We go beyond the visual and recognize that pleasure and beauty is more than the physical package.
We Show Up Emotionally Too
We all want to be truly seen. You're in a safe space with us.
The first questions are always the same:
"What do you do?"
"Where are you from?"
"Top or Bottom?"
... boring.
Our trips are short, so let's jump right to it:
"What are you passionate about right now?"
"What's a moment you'll never forget?"
"What's the nicest thing someone has said about you?"
Connection comes from honesty, vulnerability, and acceptance. You will get out what you put in here, join us with a willingness to be open, and accept the love and openness that comes from a community of guys who just like you for you.
We all have trauma, we all have been discriminated against, or have felt the reality of a cruel world and hollow gay standards. We don't have counseling sessions, or professional therapists—This is not a place to trama dump, but it is a place to honestly share and willingly hear, because you might learn from others who have been on the same journey.
Here, you do not have to be "on." You do not have to be funny, charming, or successful. You just have to be present.
Community Agreements
- We recognize that every man in this circle is a mirror and a teacher. We welcome the wisdom of your lived experience, your art, your quietness, and your unique perspective.
- We will share our thoughts and hearts openly. We will listen and love without needing to fix or save anyone.
- We seek vulnerability while maintaining emotional self-reliance.
- We never judge someone for their raw feelings or reactions, but we will honestly share our perspective and willingly listen to others.
Sex-Positivity Without Transaction
We believe that human desire is beautiful, diverse, and nothing to be ashamed of. We are sex-positive, kink-friendly, vanilla, and curious. We are polyamorous, monogamous, single, and searching.
But more than that, we believe in connection over consumption.
We cultivate a space where desire is celebrated but never demanded. Consent is not a clinical chore—it is a conscious, beautiful dialogue of respect. On our trips, intimacy is a spectrum, not a race to a finish line. You can cuddle, hold hands, and share deep touch without it needing to lead to sex. You can flirt without an expectation. You can explore a fantasy, or you can sit on the sidelines with a book and watch the sunset, completely safe in the knowledge that you are a vital part of this tribe just by existing. And if you just want to bask in the ambient warmth of a room full of relaxed, desired, naked men without lifting a finger? That is beautiful, too.
Community Agreements
- Consent is king everytime—only yes means yes. You can change your mind at any point, no questions asked.
- We celebrate the whole physical, unpolished human. We do not judge for whatever someone is (or isn't) into, whether they are in an open or closed relationship, their level of experience, or for natural bodily accidents. We are human beings, not coin-operated machines.
- Desire is a gift, not an obligation. We do not pressure, we do not guilt, and we do not expect.
- We celebrate and enjoy the company, touch, and attention of bears, otters, and those who adore them—regardless of shape, size, or age—because the most important sex organs are the heart and mind.
Flow Over Friction
Community is co-created by those in the room. We create spaces where connection can happen, but isn't forced or artificial. We encourage participation, because you get out of it what you put into it, but trust your heart and body and go at your own pace.
Our trips have itineraries, but outside the broad strokes you're welcome to choose your own adventure. We'll schedule times to gather as a group—with ideas including dinners, cocktail hours, pool parties, kink demos, shore excursions, beach time, strip karaoke, games, cuddly movie nights, and whatever else we come up with—you can join us to your level of comfort.
Community Agreements
- We show up to co-create. This is not a passive vacation; we are co-building a temporary village together. Bring your art, your music, your laughter, and your unique presence.
- We respect the pause. Solitude is just as sacred as connection. We honor when a brother needs to slip away to recharge.
- We listen to understand. When we share our hearts around the fire or the dinner table, we listen to hear, not to fix, debate, or offer unsolicited advice.
We Create Together
We are a constellation of humanists, hedonists, bears, otters, admirers, and free-spirits. What binds us together is not a shared "type" or a shared look, but a shared commitment: we accept you exactly as you are, regardless of what we ourselves are into.
If you are vanilla, we protect your comfort. If you are into kink, we protect your expression. If you are trans, non-binary, cis, or still figuring it out, your seat at our table is non-negotiable. We don't tolerate judgment because we know how much judgment hurts.
We are co-creating a sanctuary. A place where the air is easier to breathe. A place where you can look around a room of men and feel safe, warm, and entirely at home.
*A Quick Note on Using the Word "Men"
This is a group focused on building a community of bears and those who love them—who love to travel, desire connection, and enjoy cutting loose. This community welcomes those who identify in some way as a man regardless if they are gay, bi, pan, ace, queer, nonbinary, femme, two-spirit, or trans. What matters most is that you are body-positive (regardless of your body shape), sex-positive (regardless whether you participate), open-minded and open-hearted.
