What Happens in Vegas.....Doesn't Always Stay in Vegas.

Hey boys...Going on vacation is suppose to be about getting away from it all, leaving our stress and worry behind...right? I'm all about letting my hair down and getting my groove on when out of town. An ad campaign I ran across recently is really HOT, and gave me something to think about for my next vacation.

Last year Swiss health officials did a study to find out why people put themselves at risk for HIV; especially when they know how to protect themselves. What they found out is that many of us are taking the idea of vacationing, to get away from it all, a little too far. Their study found a proportionate number of people who were recently infected with HIV had their only risk for HIV occur on a business trip or holiday.

I think on some level we have known this for sometime here in the states. This is evident when you look at programs in gay vacations hot spots; like Camp Safe in Rehoboth Beach. Camp Safe's entire focus is helping people "get off" while on vacation and not taking home any unwanted visitors. Kinda cool....

To increase awareness about taking condoms on vacation and wrapping it up while you're there, the Swiss put out a sexy and somewhat racy ad campaign. The campaign shows people having sex in odd locations, in the jungle, in a cave and even on Mars. The visuals remind people to pack a little something extra when leaving town...condoms.

What about us Utah boys though...what if we never go to a gay hot spot? Last October in Puerto Vallarta I never came across anyone in a boy scout uniform on the beach handing me a condom. I was just going down to relax and drink too much with friends...it never occurred to me, in my wildest fantasy, that my boy and I would end up with some random boy from Seattle naked in our room.

Just something to think about when your packing for your next trip out of town. Throw in a box of condoms...they'll help stop any unwanted souvenirs.If you would like to check out the website for the Swiss campaign you can visit http://www.stopaids.ch/.

Tyler Fisher has worked for the Utah AIDS Foundation, SLVHD, Harm Reduction Project, and Project Reality. Have a question about sex? E-mail him.