Nudist / Naturist Travel Guide Blog

Have you been to the INF International Naturist Federation website?

2011-02-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

The International Naturist Federation website has lots of good info about traveling to nudist destinations.

The resort directory is a good place to find ideas about nudist destinations that you may want to consider visiting for a nudist vacation.

A Return to Solair Nudist Resort in Woodstock, Connecticut

2010-03-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

The second time is a charm.

We've been to Solair nudist resort once before several years ago and were in the Boston area again. We had to make a return. The nude recreation destination is a great day trip from Boston if you want a day of family-friendly fun in the sun.

Solair Recreation League is located in Woodstock, Connecticut in the north east corner of CT, minutes from the Massachusetts border. It is about an hour and half from Boston, MA. If you ever happen to visit Boston (which is a good time in itself), Solair is an easy nakation day trip with a rental car.

We returned to spend the day at Solair late last summer. Having been there once before, we knew what to expect but explored to see some new things we missed on the first visit.

We just paid the day fees at the entrance and were on our way. Solair offers discounted day fees for those under 40. It seems to be a good incentive. We saw a good mix of ages and people under 40.

It was a nice day. Everyone we interacted with were very friendly. Just like our first visit, the grounds were in great condition. There's a lot to like about Solair. Here's my favorite things.

What I like about Solair Recreation League nudist resort:

This nudist resort is member owned. The members take care of it and are very friendly to guests. In fact, a lot of friendly regulars who have summer homes on the grounds and know the region well and can recommend restaurants and such.
You feel "away from it all" here on the large wooded grounds.
Nice pool, sometimes has water volleyball games on busy summer weekends (it did during our first visit)
Indoor hot tub and sauna
Lake with paddle boats but no alligators like in Florida. Go skinnydipping or take a paddle boat out.
Small recreation room with pool table and ping pong - if you get a cool day, there's at least something to do in the nude indoors.
Lots of nude hiking and walking on both the paved roads in the residential area and wooded trails (I'm not sure that there are maps for the wooded trails. You may have to ask a member.) We took a walk all around the residential area and then onto a short trail that goes up a hill and overlooks the lake.
If you bring a bike, you could ride your bike on the paved roads on the grounds.
Tennis courts - not sure if you have to bring your own rackets and balls.
Some food served in cafe on the weekends

What not to expect:

It's not a place big on nightlife.
It's more of a "very nice campground" than a "resort".
Food options are limited...so packing a picnic lunch might be a good idea.
Don't expect you can be disrespectful to others. The members care about this place a lot and they want visitors to do the same.

Having now been to many more nudist resorts over the years, I have to say that Solair is an excellent facility given that it is a northern US nudist resort that has a short season.

If you are going for a first time visit, read Solair's website or maybe call first. It seems they want first timers to only visit on weekends, at least that is my understanding. I think this is because they need to have someone on hand to give a tour.

At least as of my last visit in late 2009, Solair had a policy that during the first 4 visits, they want visitors to spend time talking with a member who does an interview as part of a membership screening/recruitment process. I had previously thought that this would be a pain in the butt (I have mixed feelings about these types of red tape procedures that detract from nakationing). But we did talk to a member this visit. It wasn't a big deal at all. It was a casual 10 minute chat. The nudist member who interviewed us was friendly and asked us our experience, told us a little bit about the place, and asked if we had any questions.

If you're in the area, give Solair Recreation League a try.

Top things nudists do in winter

2009-01-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Looking at the most recent American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) Bulletin newspaper, I was surprised at how many activities are going on this winter. Nudists throughout the US are finding great ways to have fun.

Duckpin Bowling

In Baltimore, Maryland, the Capital Area Family Naturists (a nudist travel club) are hosting a few duckpin bowling nights. The club has rented private space at a bowling center for naked bowling.

Watch the Super Bowl with nudist friends

Many nudist resorts across the country are hosting Superbowl events. For instance, Mountaindale Sun Resort in Portland, Oregon will have a Super Bowl Party and Potluck Dinner. Cedar Creek Park in Pelion, South Carolina is also having a big Super Bowl Party.

Celebrate Chinese New Years, Mardi Gras and Valentines

The Travelites, a South Carolina nudist travel club, has a slew of events planned, including gatherings to Celebrate Chinese New Years, Mardi Gras and Valentines. Avalon in PawPaw, West Virgina also has Valentines and Mardi Gras events planned and its indoor pool makes it an attractive winter destination.

Go to a Chili Cookoff in Texas

Sahnoans at Star Ranch in McDade, Texas will host the 11th Annual Shell-less Armadillo Chili Cookoff on Jan 17. Mmm...armadillo....tasty. BlueBonnet Nudist Park in Decatur, Texas will host a Chili Cookoff on Jan 24.

Party in Wisconsin

Valley View Recreation Club in Cambridge, Wisconsin is closed for the winter season, but that has not stopped them from putting together an innovative event. The club reached out to a local hotel and rented out space for a weekend. The result is the Valley View Recreation Club Mid-Winter Party on February 28, 2009.

Nudism still doing well? Yes!

2008-11-23T10:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, according to an article recently published in the Chicago Tribune about nude recreation.

The article makes it seems that nudism is really popular. Imagine that.

"One in 10 Americans ranks staying at a resort that offers nude recreation as extremely/very desirable, according to a 2008 survey by Ypartnership/Yankelovich National Leisure Travel MONITOR." (Chicago tribune)

If that statistic is true, one out of ten of your closest neighbors and coworkers think nude recreation is extremely/very desirable.

The article talks about other trends in nude recreation. The article was overwhelmingly positive and talks about nude recreation growing. At a time when everything in the news is so negative, this article is shocking.

People are interested in nude recreation. More and more people are trying it for the first time and enjoying the experience of freedom from clothes and being at one with nature.

But there are a few hurdles to overcome for nude recreation as the article mentions. For example, the incorrect association of nude recreation as being a lifestyle/swinger activity. The two are separate but some nudist resorts are catering to both, a challenging line to walk. Nude recreation is not about sex and true nudist resorts are family-safe (at least the ones affiliated with the American Association for Nude Recreation are supposed to be).

In contrast, lifestyle activities are about sharing partners, a unique lifestyle decision based on sex. Certainly, lifestylers are just people with a different belief than me and I respect that. But in my opinion, too many lifestylers are not respectful to others who do not share their beliefs. That I do not like. It's a small subset of these lifestylers who are ruining it for everyone. While most nudists and lifestylers are generally very tolerant people, except when their rights are encroached upon, a few rotten apples need to be controlled so that nude recreation can continue to have a bright future.

Read the full article on the Chicago Tribune website free.

How to Get to Cap D'Agde France from the USA

2008-09-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Cap D'Agde is the naturist village in southern France. Along the Mediterranean Sea and away from the larger towns and cities, getting there by a direct flight from the US of A is not possible without either a long drive, train ride or by taking a budget airline flight from somewhere else in Europe.

This Cap d'Agde website has some good tips here about how to get to Cap D'Agde from the USA.

One of the recommendations for US travelers is to fly into Gatwick airport in London and then take EasyJet to Monpellier. EasyJet to Montpellier is a quick flight. I'd love to get back to Cap D'Agde again and this might be the cheapest and easiest way.

Another option is to fly to Paris and then take the hi-speed TGV train. The price is similar but there will be a lot more french speaking people to deal with as compared to flying into England - though being multilingual is common in France.

I suggest getting a rental car in Montpellier (instead of taking a taxi). Driving from Montpellier to Cap d'Agde easy. Once in town of Agde, "Village Naturiste" signs point in the direction of the gated naturist village along the shore.

Upcoming Naturist Society Events You'll Want to Attend

2008-06-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's almost July. What are you doing to get naked for the rest of the year?

Looking for ideas? Here are some upcoming Naturist Society events that are sure to be a good time. These festivals offer days and nights full of nude recreation activities amongst people who are dedicated to nude recreation. The events feature workshops, sporting activities, and social activities from petanque to dances. The Western Naturist Gathering will even have a drumming circle.

Northeast Naturist Festival
August 5 - 10
Empire Haven, Moravia, NY
315-497-0135

AvalonFest
August 8 - 10
Avalon Resort, Paw Paw, WV

Western Naturist Gathering
September 11 - 14
DeAnza Springs, Jacumba, CA
619-766-4301

Southern Naturist Gathering
October 16 - 19
Lake Como, Lutz, FL
877-TRY-LAKE

I have yet to visit the other destinations, but I did visit Lake Como Resort earlier this year. Lake Como has a lot of fun things to do. Several small rowboats and canoes are provided for fishing and cruising around the lake. Lake Como has a large pool, a lakeside bar/restaurant, another larger restaurant, billiards hall, dance hall, hot tub, sauna, tennis courts, hiking trails and more. Amongst campground-style nudist resorts in the United States, Lake Como has to be amoung the top ones. Adding the Southern Naturist Gathering to the mix should make for a very entertaining nudist getaway.

Clothing Optional Bare Hare Duathlon Comes to Sunny Rest, PA

2008-06-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

A short drive from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is a place where you can experience the freedom of riding a bike while nude or running or walking - in a race for charity - in the privacy of the gated resort, Sunny Rest Resort, in Palmerton, PA.

I recently returned to Sunny Rest and tried out mountain biking beyond the nature trails I wrote about doing nude hiking on last year. I'll have a more on that nude recreation experience soon. In the meantime, check out the Clothing Optional Bare Hare Duathlon charity event being held on Sunny Rest's grounds. It is sure to be fun!

Here's the official Inaugural Bare Hare Duathlon North event info with more on the Sunny Rest event page:

Get outdoors at the Sunny Rest Resort, 425 Sunny Rest Drive, Palmerton, PA 18071, and DO the DU.
Butts A'Runnin Race Management is proud to be DU-ing the FIRST-EVER Clothing-Optional (Must be
18+) Duathlon in the Pocono Mountains. This event will be ChampionChip timed by Queen City
Timing Services of Mooresville, NC and results will be posted at www.queencitytiming.com.
**************************************************************
DISTANCES:
1.5 Mile Run (on paved roads)
8.5 Mile Mountain Bike (on mountain trails) Helmet required and must use a Mountain Bike.
5K Trail Run
**************************************************************
+++++There will also be a separate 1.5 Mile Fun Walk on paved roads. Finishers will receive a
commemorative medal.
**************************************************************
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
First Run: 1.5 Miles
Level: Beginner
The run will wind through the mostly paved roads of Sunny Rest Resort, with a
challenge towards the end (Cardiac Hill) about a 100-yard up-hill run on paved surface.
++The Fun Walk will also follow this same course and will head to the finish line in front of Irv's house.

Transition 1:
Will be on the open grassy area in front of Irv's house.

Mountain Bike: 8.5 Miles
Level: Intermediate
2 loops on wide groomed (4 wheeler ATV type) paths, passing will not be a problem.
Path surface is a mix on hard pack soil, rocks and exposed roots. Much of the course
has long stretches of beginner friendly trails; however there will be several challenging,
rock/exposed root climbs and descents. "You will know you're in a mountain bike race"!
Helmets are required for the bike (ANSI/SNELL). All climbs and descents will be
well-marked to give you warning. There is also a few small stream crossings and mud
puddles, they are shallow and easily pass-able, generally just a few feet in width. A
little mud is part of the fun!
A beginner mountain biker can complete this course; they may need to dismount on a couple of the climbs, no problem, it's a race not an exam. No water stops.
Course will be well-marked.

Transition 2:

Will be on the open grassy area in front of Irv's house.

Second Run: 3.1 Miles
Level: Beginner/Intermediate
The run will be a single loop on trails with same terrain as the mountain bike leg.
2 water stops at 1/3 points.
Course will be well-marked.
When you cross that finish line, you will have completed "Du-ing" the first-ever clothing-optional
Duathlon presented in the world!
****************************************************************
CHARITY:
This event will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
(For those who wish to donate only, may do so by sending their donation to: Sunny Rest Resort,
425 Sunny Rest Drive, Palmerton, PA 18071. Please make your check/money order payable to:
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.) Tax deductible. Please reference the Bare Hare Duathlon North.
JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST BLOOD CANCERS THAT CAN STRIKE ALL AGES
****************************************************************
OTHER INFO: *We will DO the DU......RAIN OR SHINE!
*No refunds or transfers.
*Register early to be guaranteed a commemorative inaugural t-shirt. (First 150)
*Post race food & refreshments free for participants & volunteers. All others
must pay $5.00 for a wristband.
*There will be ample parking, restrooms & showers available.
*Please mount & dismount your bikes at the appropriate mount/dismount line.
*No riding in the transition area.
*Water will be on the course. If you prefer anything else, please bring.
*Please bring a couple of towels. To sit upon if you are going BARE.
*Must go nude to use the pool, hot tub or sauna.
*May stay on resort until 9 PM after event ends. If staying later, you must pay
day fee charge.
*Please be aware that the Bike course is OFF-ROAD and you must use a
mountain bike.
*At the end of the event, please turn in your chip or you will be charged a
fee of $35.00.
*You must purchase a wristband for $5.00 to bring a non-participating guest.
Include with your entry fee or buy on race day.
*A Nude & Non-Nude Group Photo will be taken of those who wish to
participate for a fee of $10.00. Include with your entry fee or buy on race day.
Picture will be available that day.
*An all you can eat spaghetti buffet will be held on Friday night for participants,
members and guests for $8.00 each in the restaurant. Include with your entry fee
or pay at restaurant that night.
*All events to be held on the grounds of Sunny Rest.
*There will be bike and EMT support if needed.
*lf you've pre-registered or coming on the grounds of Sunny Rest to register,
you must participate in the event or the daily grounds fee must be paid.
*You may have a relay team, 3 members per team allowed, male & female.
*Teams will not be eligible for individual awards, only the team awards.
*When registering a team, please include a registration form filled out & signed
by each team member & include the name of your team.
*Please call Race Directors for all Duathlon info, not the resort. Only call the
resort to make reservations or for info on the resort. Thanks!
*We do not publish full names or list towns in our results unless requested to
do so or if we have your permission. This is to protect your privacy. If you
"DU" on Sunny Rest, it stays on Sunny Rest.
*Get out there & let's"DU" It!
**************************************************************
TIMES: *Entrance into Sunny Rest will begin at 6:00 AM for the DU.
*6:30 AM - 8:30 AM Check-in, packet & chip P/U. Race Day registration.
*Pre-race instructions at 8:45 AM.
*9:00 AM - LET'S DO THE DU!
*Awards ceremony to follow ending of event.
**************************************************************
EVENT TIMING: By Queen City Timing Services of Mooresville, NC
**************************************************************
AWARDS: *Subject to change at Race Director's discretion.
Overall Male & Female
Overall Male & Female Masters (40+)
Overall Grandmasters (50+)
Senior Grandmasters (60+)
Age Groups: 3 Deep
Male & Female: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+

Relay Teams: 1,2 & 3
+Plus there will be Door Prizes & other SPECIAL awards+
**************************************************************
SUNNY REST RESORT & CAMPGROUND:
*More than 100 camping & RV sites complete with water & electric hookups.
*Tenting sites with electric hookups.
*Or if you prefer, there are over 20 motel rooms, complete with private bath,
air conditioning, refrigerator and cable TV.
*The resort spans over 190 secluded acres and is a tranquil, clothing-optional
retreat located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains.

For this event you may enjoy camping for a fee of $40 from Friday to Sunday. Or if you prefer
the motel, room rates will be 25% off. Please call Sunny Rest Resort to make your reservations at
610-377-2911 or 866-Sunny-50 (866-786-6950).

Visit their website: www.sunnyrest.com Email: sunnyrest [AT] sunnyrest DOT com.
Please make your reservations early. They do fill up!
***************************************************************
Registration: *Early Fee by June 13, 2008 *Late Fee after June 13, 2008 & Race Day
$40 Individual $50 Individual
$70 Teams $80 Teams
(Late Fee payable online only & on race day)

Walk: $20.00 (NO LATE FEE)
*May register online soon at

Or
(Click & Print application)
Mail Check/M.O. with fees & registration to:
Butts A'Runnin Race Mgmt. Early fee by June 13, then late fee until midnight
P. O. Box 6872 June 19, 2008. (A sm. extra online fee will apply)
Statesville, NC 28687-6872
*******************************************************************
Questions? *Race Directors: Gary & Sue Butts
Phone: 704-880-4561
Email: ButtsArunnin [AT] aol DOT com

The Naked Golf Cart Experience

2008-05-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

I used to think golf carts were just for golf. Then I visited a nudist resort and saw people riding around naked in golf carts. Then I tried it myself.

Forget golf. Golf carts are best used for nude recreation.

Yes, golf carts are a common sight at the larger of the nudist and clothing optional resorts and just about every campground has them.

The Naked Golf Cart Orientation

Riding a golf cart in a nudist campground is a treat at a handful of the larger clubs' "first-time visitor" orientation tours. These orientations are to help new visitors get acquainted with the property and nude recreation. During the ride, the rules are outlined to ensure that these places stay wholesome and family-safe - part of being an AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) affiliated club.

We rode naked in a 6-person golf cart during the orientation tour at Solair Recreation League, a nudist resort in Connecticut, not far from Boston, MA. This was fun - though I wanted to skip it and head straight for the pool because it was so hot out that day. At Lake Como Nudist Resort near Tampa, Florida, we did the very educational orientation clothed, though I'm sure we could have rode naked if we wanted.

Riding solo

Golf carts are a must have for seasonal residents who spend the summer living the nude life in trailer set-ups. Usually, the residents own or rent their golf carts.

For day and weekend visitors to most nudist campgrounds, golf cart rentals are not typically available. The only way to go for a ride is to make friends with the locals. There are some exceptions.

Calling the resort is a good way to find out what's available. If the resort doesn't rent golf carts, they may lead you to someone who rents golf carts. For example, at Paradise Lakes clothing optional resort in Lutz, Florida, we were able to rent a golf cart from one of the residents who owns several and rents them out to visitors.

Instead of the long, hot walk from the pool area to our rented room on the other side of the grounds, we rode a golf cart. Besides staying cool, golf carts were the quickest way to the pool and restaurants. Riding was fun - the wind blowing on your skin is refreshing. We rode all around the expansive Paradise Lakes property. Counting all of the streets and parking lots, we must put a few miles on the odometer riding around the resort.

Of course, like all things nudist, sitting on a towel is a requirement. For golf carts, it serves the additional purpose of keeping legs from sticking to hot golf cart seats.

After getting into nude recreation, I'll never think of golf carts the same way again.

From now on, I'm going to try naked golf carting whenever possible. And when golf carts are not available, as is usually the case, the next best thing is bicycling. Let's save naked bicycling for another day.

3 Nudist Resorts in 3 Days and I Lived to Tell About It

2008-04-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

We did it.

We visited 3 nudist resorts in 3 days. In doing so, we went in 4 pools and 6 hot tubs without wearing anything!

After about 5 minutes of being nude, you wonder what the fuss about clothing is. Clothing seems so unnecessary and being clothes-free seems so natural. Other people of all shapes and sizes seem natural too - your mind no longer notices their lack of clothing and you just see them as people like you.

The whole experience was actually very relaxing - what vacationing should be. We started out at Paradise Lakes Clothing-Optional Resort, then visited Lake Como Nudist Resort and then Caliente Clothing Optional Resort the day after. All are nudist/ clothing-optional resorts in central Florida and within minutes of each other.

The 3 destinations have very unique characteristics and cultures. Nude recreation, the freedom from clothes in a natural way, is their commonality.

Here's what we experienced at each place:

Lake Como Family Nudist Resort

Lake Como is a nicely appointed family nudist resort where a lot of people have year-round trailers set-up. Lake Como is owned by 100 or so full-time members who are serious about naturism.

At Lake Como, we enjoyed swimming nude in the pool and hot tub. Then we played naked billiards and went in the sauna before returning to the hot tub.

The resort has a campground atmosphere and is perfect for first-time nudists. Upon arrival, we were given a clothed tour of the place and told about Lake Como's history. The amenities include a lake, heated pool, whirlpool, sauna, rec room with 2 pool tables, a few trails, excellent tennis courts, restaurant, a smaller restaurant/bar called the "Butt Hutt" with a deck on the lake, a beach area, and even a small library. Lake Como even boasts a nature-preserve area of the grounds.

This was our first time to Lake Como and we were impressed. We're plotting a plan to return to hike the trails, use one of the free canoes to "canude" the lake and do the others things we want to try.

If you've never been to Lake Como and are an American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) member, check your membership pack. You might have a coupon for a free day visit to Lake Como. We did and spent the day there for free. Can't beat that!

Caliente Clothing Optional Resort

Caliente is an upscale clothing optional resort - a polar opposite of Lake Como. Caliente opened only 4 years ago so everything is modern. Though the grounds are large, all of the activities are located within the smaller fenced-in main building complex.

The amenities are excellent but grounds fees expensive. Even with an AANR member discount, the day pass for a couple was $70!!! We did enjoy the place, staying for the day and having a reasonable $25 lunch. We spent some time in the large pool which has a waterfall fixture going into it and two islands. Then we went into 3 of the conversation pools/hot tubs of varying sizes/temperatures. After that we did the sauna and steam room. Caliente also has 2 volleyball pools, several bars, dance hall, restaurants, and a gym.

We went to Caliente on a weekday with cooler weather, so the place was empty. Be careful. Though Caliente is nudist-oriented, week-end night time events at the night club have received criticism for not reflecting family-friendly nudist community values. Look at the event calendar on their website and judge for yourself. We've been to Caliente twice and have not seen anything out of the ordinary, but have read of bad experiences from other nudists. For a family-friendly atmosphere that's more fun, Lake Como is the place to go.

Paradise Lakes Clothing Optional Resort

This was our third time visiting Paradise Lakes, a 72-acre clothing-optional resort. During this trip, we slept at Paradise Lakes and took day trips to the other 2 resorts. Upon arrival at Paradise, we had a naked lunch at the Key West Bar, the semi-outdoor poolside bar. We then swam in the large pool in the entertainment complex. Afterwards, we warmed up in the heated conversation pool and then smaller hot tub. Later, we visited another pool on the other side of the grounds and part of a smaller complex. A hot tub there was out of order as it was the last time we visited. Maybe next time.

Paradise Lakes is somewhere in the middle of being like Lake Como and Caliente. Paradise is dominated by residential complexes and large resident population. It has a small campground area and a lot of asphalt. The main complex has 2 restaurants, pool tables, gym, dance hall/bar, darts, ping pong table, tennis courts and lots of lounge chairs. The water volleyball pool can be popular on weekends. The secondary complex has a pool, more tennis courts, chairs by a lake, and a building used for yoga classes and special events.

We rented a golf cart during our stay at Paradise Lakes. Naked golf carting around was a lot of fun. I guess we now can join a very small group of people in the history of the world who can say we've rode in a golf cart in the buff.

This visit we also worked out in the gym in the buff. That was some experience! But let's leave that for another day.

Try nude recreation

We did 3 destinations in 3 days and lived to tell about it. We say that now with ease. It was not long ago that the idea of nude recreation was absurd. Then we took a chance and tried it. Now there's no turning back.

We've since visited several destinations. Our motto: "If the Europeans can shed their clothes and enjoy it, why should we Americans wear uncomfortable bathing suits." That's what nude recreation is to us: comfort and relaxation. Get rid of that soggy bathing suit, shed those cultural norms about clothing, and give nude recreation a try.

5 Reasons 2008 is the Year of the Nudist

2008-03-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

2008 could be a big year for nude recreation.

US nudist campgrounds, resorts and beaches all over the country could be busy this year. [See the list of nudist clubs on the American Association for Nude Recreation's (AANR) website]

Here's 5 reason why:

1. USA Nudists will get extra money in May, just in time for nudist season.

The USA government is giving out economic stimulus payments in May. This means an extra up to $600 for nudist singles and up to $1200 for nudist couples. Many nudists will put this money towards USA nudist travel. See the IRS website for the facts.

$1200 in the hands of a nudist couple is enough to buy a long weekend at a nearby nudist campground or resort.

What better way to spend extra money than nude recreation? Name something better, I dare you!

2. Less USA nudists are heading to Europe this year.

The US dollar losing value to the Euro has been all over the news lately. Today, it costs $1.56 USD to buy 1 Euro. Add at least 2% to 5% percent on top of the exchange rate for currency exchange fees at banks and with credit cards. Many USA nudists will have to skip the European nudist vacation and stay in North America.

Luckily, the experts on TV say things will even out in a few years. For now though, many American nudists will wait it out.

I highly recommend Europe and loved the naturist village of Cap d'Agde, France, but when I went, the exchange rate wasn't as bad.

3. European nudists ARE heading to the USA.

Whereas USA culture still finds nude recreation awkward, this is not so much the case in Europe. Nude recreation is common with the French, Germans, Spaniards, British and others.

And now more than ever, coming to the USA for nude recreation is a bargain. Imagine being able to convert 1 Euro into $1.56 US dollars. It makes coming to the USA for vacation much more affordable.

4. Nudism awareness in the USA is higher than ever.

I'm taking a guess here. It would seem that with all of the media coverage of nudism over the last 2 years, the awareness of the idea of nudism would be higher than ever in the USA. Back before the Internet, this media attention would go to waste. But today, someone reads about nudist travel in the New York Times or Conde Nast Traveler and then can go online for more information about the nudist resort discussed. Just about every nudist resort's website has a FAQ about nude recreation that should make people new to the concept comfortable. For instance, see Paradise Lake's.

5. Good things are happening.

While not everything is rosy, the long-running USA-focused nudist blog USAnudist.com/blog makes regular mention of good USA nudist travel happenings. USAnudist.com mentions that the oldest nudist resort in Florida, Lake Como Nudist Resort, is getting a modern upgrade in 2008 by adding a new RV and mobile home park within the grounds. See "Lake Como adds RV park" on USAnudist.com.

There you have it! 2008 has a lot of potential for nude recreation, doesn't it?

15 Reasons to Visit Gunnison Nude Beach

2008-02-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

Just recently, the Friends of Gunnison Beach did a Nude Polar Bear bare swim in the icy cold winter waters of the beach.

Polar bear swims are the one thing I will never do!

Give me warm weather and a nude beach, please!

One of the best ways for a nudist to remain positive is to think about warm beaches, to visualize the ocean, and to feel the comfort of the surrounding warm air.

You may have heard of Gunnison Beach, a popular nude beach in New Jersey. It's a small part of the Sandy Hook National Park peninsula.

Did you know there is more to do in the area than just the nude beach?

Of course, nothing beats the freedom from clothes that a nudist destination offers. But Sandy Hook park offers other attractions besides just Gunnison Beach.

Activities Requiring Clothing:

These things are not nude activities, but they are still fun diversions and a reason to consider spending a weekend at or near the beach.

Biking/walking or inline skating on the 5 mile multi-use path
Hiking on the various Sandy Hook trails
Seeing the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest one in the US
Looking for species of birds and butterflies that have been spotted in the park:

340 species of birds
50 species of butterflies

Visiting the bird observatory
Visiting the Fort Hancock Museum, the Battery Potter (an old gun battery), and the History House
Surf fishing
Get on the water: boating, windsurfing or kayaking
Dining at the Highlands - Actually outside of the park, this is the place to go for dinner or to a pub

Nude Activities:

After all of that activity, lounging on the nude beach the way Mother Nature intended sounds like a great way to relax. While on the nude beach, there are fun things you can do:

Have a nude picnic lunch
Read a book
Take a nap
Go for a swim
Play a board game or a card game
Play Frisbee

Additional information about Sandy Hook park and Gunnison Beach:

Friends of Gunnison Beach - a non-landed AANR nudist club, they play an important part in making Gunnison what it is today!
National Park Service Website: Things to do at Sandy Hook
A Guide to Sandy Hook
"Sandy Hook: A Different Sort of Beach"
Sandy Hook Bird Observatory

And if New Jersey is too far away for you, consider western Canada's Wreck Beach (that I recently visited). Located in Vancouver, it has plenty of charm.

8 Naked Ways to Have Fun Indoors Without Clothes

2007-12-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

With winter making most of the United States and Europe too cold for outdoor nude recreation, many nudist travelers are longing for warmer weather.

If going south is not an option, here are 8 alternative ways to enjoy nude recreation indoors without traveling.

All of these nude recreation activities can be done inside your home relatively cheap.

Exercise in front of the TV with work-out tapes but without clothes
Naked yoga: More and more people are realizing the advantages of yoga without clothing
Ping pong: Get a ping pong table and play ping pong in the buff
Billiards: Get a pool table and play billiards without clothes
Table tops games: Better yet, get one of those gaming tables that converts from a pool table to a ping pong table to a tabletop foosball game.
Air hockey: Air hockey tables can be had cheap and are another way to do indoor nude recreation
Board games: Play Scrabble, nude, but with double points for nude recreation words
Reverse Strip Poker: Start out nude but put on clothing if you lose

Have fun!

Photo: Englischen Garten in Munich Germany

2007-11-23T18:15:00.001-08:00

Kleidungsarm am Eisbach im Englischen Garten (München): Manche lassen die Hüllen fallen
Originally uploaded by humpelbein

The English Garden (Englischen Garten) park in Munich, Germany is one of many clothing optional bathing locations in the historic city. The locals spend the day nude sunbathing in a section of the park.

Besides this park area is a river to cool off in and do some skinnydipping. This picture shows the Eisbach river, the small man-made river that flows through Englischen Garten. Click the picture to go to the photographer's Flickr page where he describes the seen further.

After sunning and swimming, Englischen Garten visitors can get dressed and head over to the beer garden for a drink or two. Nude sunbathing and beer. Can't beat it.

Nude Germany: Englischer Gardens, Munich

2007-11-03T09:05:00.001-07:00

I'm on a quest to learn more about nudist Germany. It seems like a great nudist travel destination, not just because of nudist freedoms but because Germany itself has plenty of great sites...and beer.

Maybe when the US dollar rises against the Euro someday, I could afford to go. Doesn't hurt to be prepared now though.

One German destination that seems very popular with the locals is Englischer Gardens in Munich Germany. Even Rick Steves has been there.

Here's one tourist's honest comments about the famous Germany nude sunbathing park:

clipped from www.igougo.com

"Ooh, nude beach, dude!" Yes, the English Garden is home to a nude sunbathing area, but don't go in search of hot young flesh; if you do, you'll find that many of the undressed are a few decades older than you had in mind. By the same token, though, it's refreshing to see so many non-supermodel types who are comfortable enough with their bodies to bare all. Of course, there are other things to do than strip down and sunbathe; a visit to the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) beer garden is a must, and there are plenty of tree-lined paths for walking. Bring a picnic lunch (just visit a supermarket and load up a basket with fresh produce) and enjoy it in the sun.

100% Nude Hiking in Eastern Pennsylvania: Sunny Rest Nudist Resort

2007-10-19T19:26:00.001-07:00

Hiking out in nature without clothes provides a level of freedom that may exceed that of hanging out at a nudist resort pool or nude beach.

Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, PA, provided the setting for our first experience with real nude hiking - legally and within the grounds of a gated nudist resort who adheres to the standards of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR).

Sunny Rest usually gets props for its excellent amenities (pool, indoor hot tub, game room, restaurant, etc.) and grounds. The nude hiking trail is a hidden gem.

Picture of Sunny Rest trail
(Source: Sunny Rest website)

Anyone can hike Sunny Rest's wooded hiking trails in the nude and feel safe. The trails are within the 190-acre resort property boundaries.

Just wear sneakers and socks. The trails were well-maintained and level with the exception of one small hill on what's called the "hard trail" - really just a small section that diverts from the main trail.

The main trail goes about 1 mile and then there are smaller side trails that are dead ends. Tack on about half a mile for the walk on pavement from the pool area to the start of the dirt trail.

A Nudist Travel Guide Blog exclusive, I've scanned the literature I received from Sunny Rest.

"Bare" with me. The papers got wrinkled. Oops.

The thing about hiking in the nude is the distinct lack of pockets.

I was forced to fold up the maps and stuff it in my sock. Lesson learned.

Click on any of these pictures to see larger versions of the maps and handouts.

The second lesson learned is to bring enough water if it is hot out. Even without clothes, staying cool is not easy if it is 90 degrees out. And don't forget to put on bug spray before you start hiking.

We walked in the paved areas of the grounds too. Many nudists have seasonal trailers in this part of the resort property. Some had more elaborate homes that may have been year-round. Everyone seems to take care of their lot and some people had unexpectedly nice landscaping. We saw some people camping in tents too. Some pictures of the grounds are on Sunny Rest's website here.

The heart of the resort is the area around the pool that includes offices, indoor hot tub, rec room (pool table and video games), dance room, workout room, restaurant and accommodations.

This is a map of the grounds.

To maintain a safe family atmosphere for visitors, Sunny Rest has a typical set of rules to follow.

A very good nudist campground, we plan to return.

Have you been to Sunny Rest? What did you think?

Exchange Rates Change International Nudist Travel Options for Americans/Canadians

2007-10-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Want to travel internationally to a nudist destination but afraid of the prices? Getting out of the US and Canada is a little more challenging lately. Still, there are options.

For US and Canadian nudist travelers looking for adventure in Europe, the fluctuating and lately deflating value of the US dollar against the Euro and British Pound has made many reconsider trips to European nudist destinations. For Canadians, the Canada dollar is increasing but still weak.

But why put off a nudist vacation altogether? There are other places where the US and Canadian dollar stretches further.

Canada to US or US to Canada:

1 Canada dollar currently equals 1.018 US dollar

Canadians can visits tons of US nudist destinations with the Canadian dollar being the closest to the US dollar its been in a long, long time.

For Americans, Canada is no longer the bargain it used to be. Still, Canada has a good mix of nudist destinations (such as Wreck Beach) and getting there is cheaper than Europe or the Caribbean (depending on where in the US you live).

Europe and the Caribbean

As of today, these are the reported currency exchange rates for the US Dollar against 3 other currencies and some of the nudist travel opportunities in these countries.

Croatia nudist travel:

Despite its troubled political past, Croatia is an emerging tourist destination hopefully looking towards a brighter future. Though a long flight from the United States, Croatia has over 30 nudist and clothing-optional destinations, from beaches to campsites. Learn more here.

1,000.00 United States Dollars = 5,176.20 Croatia Kuna
1 USD = 5.17620 HRK
1 HRK = 0.193192 USD

Mexico nudist travel:

Mexico is cost-effective for US tourists. Flying there isn’t too bad, depending on where you live. The pickings for true nudists are limited though.

Playa Sonrisa (Photo Credit: Playa Sonrisa, Xcalak, Mexico)

Playa Sonrisa (official website) on the Caribbean coast of Mexico is for true nudists/naturists and even offers a 15% discount for naturist club members, such as AANR members. They have beach front bungalows and rooms for accommodations, naked snorkeling and even have a restaurant. This seems like a nice destination and bungalows and rooms range from $85 to $140 a night, depending on the season/room.

Hidden Beach and Desire Resort are among the other clothing-optional destinations in Mexico, though they appear to be more adult-oriented and exotic focused from what I can tell from websites about them. I’d research more to find out if this sort of destination is right for you.

1,000.00 United States Dollars = 10,857.50 Mexico Pesos
1 USD = 10.8575 MXN
1 MXN = 0.0921022 USD

Bonaire in the Caribbean:

I had written about Sorobon Beach Naturist Resort in the past. A nice little place on the beach in a protected cove, beachfront accommodations make it desirable.

1,000.00 United States Dollars = 1,780.00 Netherlands Antilles Guilders
1 USD = 1.78000 ANG
1 ANG = 0.561798 USD

Fees for exchanging money

Keep in mind that when exchanging money, everyone wants a cut. Walk-in banks and currency exchange booths are hit-or-miss in terms of how much they take. ATMs and charging with credit cards can be a better bargain. Check with your banks first though. Fees are all over the place. Some charge nothing and others can charge flats fees plus additional rates upwards of 3% or more, which is like throwing away money. Here's a good article on the topic.

Get This Nudist Travel Blog by Email

2007-10-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

Would you like an email every time there's a new post on this nudist travel blog?

Articles are posted here irregularly. Sometimes 2 or 3 in a week, sometimes twice in a month.

If you've like to get notified when a new nudist travel article is posted, it is easy and free. Just sign up at the link below and new articles will be emailed to you.

A service called FeedBurner does all of the work, from allowing you to subscribe to automatically processing your unsubscribe request if you ever choose to unsubscribe.

To sign up, visit here.

Nudist Travel Website Advertising Not Easy

2007-10-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

My apologies for any explicit advertising that appeared on this nudist travel blog recently. The problem has been corrected.

Finding advertising for a nudist travel website is not easy nor lucrative, but my main motivation is getting the word out about nudist travel. For those looking for nudist travel information, I hope this blog is of help or at least points readers in the right direction.

It's really incredibly time-consuming to research and write about nudist travel topics. Getting a part time job at a gas station or fast food place would earn me more money. But it's not about that for me. My secondary goal is simply earning gas money and maybe even food money for nudist travel.

To achieve this, I had used the "Ads by Google" system for several months with good success. It provided useful, family-friendly links to nudist destinations and travel sites. I made a few dollars from it and I was happy. Then one day I was banned.

I guess this nudist blog is too adult oriented for Google ads.

I don't think this blog is any more adult-oriented than AANR or even newspaper articles about nudism such as the ones I've mentioned here in the past. With nudism fortunately becoming more popular in local and national newspapers, I am surprised at being banned.

Still, my desire to get gas money lead me to a different ad network called AdBrite. They reviewed this nudist blog and thought it was ok. Everything was good again.

Though not as good as Google, AdBrite seemed to be the only option. Then one day, they decided this blog was pornography and started putting adult-oriented ads on the site. I'm not exactly sure when this started, but I just found out a few days ago and have removed these ads. This was a shock to me, but I cannot blame AdBrite. I think I messed up on some settings. This is now fixed but it seemed to make sense to try something new.

You'll now notice Amazon nudist-related books more prominently on this blog. These books are written on several nudist topics, mostly about history, though there are a few nudist travel and lifestyle ones. I own a few myself. What better to read while lounging at a nudist resort pool than a nudist book?

I've also switched to a new ad system, Oxado. It puts text ads on the site. They gave me the option to omit adult-oriented ads, which I've chosen to do. I hope this works out better and keeps this nudist blog family safe. This system might be good for others like me, so try it out if you have a blog.

The moral of the story is that it's too bad there aren't more choices for people who want to create helpful, wholesome blogs or websites about nudism and who want to earn a little revenue from the effort.

I think that if there was an incentive system, it would motivate other nudists to learn how to create blogs and get the word out. There are only a small number of people who are able to give up entertainment activities, like watching TV, to do nudist writing for the fun of it. Talking about nudist travel and life is what will help sustain the community in the long run.

9 Ways to Be Clothes Free in Any Town

2007-10-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

Looking at the laws of most US towns, it seems that the laws for wearing clothing are determined by 2 simple factors:

The category of room you are in
Who can see you

If you think about it, nudity is permitted in many common situations:

Undress in a locker room
Shower without clothes at home or in a locker room
Undress and do all sorts of naked posturing for a doctor
Be clothesfree, wearing just in a towel, at a spa
Get undressed at a dressing room in a clothing store
Be naked inside your house as long as the windows are closed
Be naked in your garage as long as the windows are closed
Possibly be naked in your yard if it is fully enclosed are you are concealed
Be naked all of the time if you are a non-human animal

In contrast, there are places in the US to be naked 100% of the time. Nudist resorts offer this comfort as do a handful of beaches.

Swimming without a soggy bathing suit is the way to relax.

Nudist resorts allow you to do a lot of the activities not allowed elsewhere.

For example, we've now dined several times in nudist resort restaurants while in the nude. Fun as long as you don't spill anything hot!

Play nude volleyball. Hike nude. Bike nude. Camp nude. Many nudist resorts offer these types of activities.

Europe has even more opportunities to go without restrictive clothing. Topless bathing is the norm and many places are clothing optional.

Then there's the naturist village of Cap d'Agde, France. That place is cool. Shop in the nude, dine in the nude, swim at the beach in the nude. I've mentioned Cap d'Agde here a few times.

Follow the Path to Naked Gardening in England

2007-09-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Abbey House Gardens in Wiltshire, England is giving new meaning to being one with nature.

According to a BBC article, "A couple who garden in the buff are holding more open days when the public can walk around their garden naked." (Source).

During these 'clothing optional' days, visitors can tour the couples' garden in the nude for a variety of benefits (according to the Abbey House Gardens website):

escape the pressures of daily living
get back in touch with your inner self
be inspired
find time to unwind in fresh air
enjoy some gentle exercise in beautiful surroundings
meet up with friends & relatives in an easily accessible place

Sounds perfect!

If you love gardens and being outdoors without clothes - the ways humans have for thousands of years - then this is a place worth exploring.

The BBC has done an absolutely fabulous job of covering this clothes-free garden story through a series of articles and a video over the last few years. Take a look at some of what the BBC has documented:

Gardening in the buff takes off

Naked Gardeners' Exhibition - The Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury is a must for garden buffs, art buffs and those in the buff…

Video: Naturism big in Wiltshire (2 minutes)

Gardens opening for naked walks (appears to be the first BBC article on the gardens)

Wiltshire's Naked Gardeners at Chelsea Flower Show (mostly about the couples' commitment to gardening)

Also, visit the official Abbey House Gardens website.

I'd love to see something like this at a nudist resort closer to home (United States).

Maybe this exists already, but wouldn't it be groovy if a North America AANR-affiliated clothing-optional club with a large property and lots of woods allocated a few acres for members/visitors to use as a community gardening space?

Nude New Jersey: Gunnison Beach versus Rock Lodge Nudist Club

2007-09-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Time for a battle of nudist travel destinations.

Which of these New Jersey nudist destinations is better? Let's look at Gunnison Beach and Rock Lodge Nudist Resort.

Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook, NJ is usually ranked as one of the Top 5 nudist beaches in the US.

Gunnison Beach is part of a National Park Service park. It's just a beach and lacks the amenities of Rock Lodge. However, it offers the clothes-free freedom not found at a clothed beach. Bring a towel, a book and some food to make a clothes-free day of it.

Rock Lodge, in nearby northern NJ, is an AANR-affiliated nudist club with a long nudist history and a lot more to do. The club has a lake for swimming, a hot tub, sauna, tennis courts, and even hiking on the club's 145 acres.

This quote on Rock Lodge's website shows that people like the place:

"Out of all the nudist resorts we have visited, we can't think of a more friendly bunch of people who made us feel very welcome right from the start. We will most definitely return." —Rich and Mary

Comparing when to visit

The downside of visiting Gunnison is parking as the National Park Service outlines:

"Summer weekends may be busy. When parking areas are full, the park closes until parking becomes available. To avoid delays, arrive before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. Traffic is never a problem on weekdays."

The downside of Rock Lodge is that it only allows non-member guests on the weekends. It is members-only during the week.

Comparing Rules and regulations

The rules for Gunnison Beach are quite simple: follow the law.

Rock Lodge has more restrictive rules and regulations to ensure a wholesome, safe environment for visitors. I respect that, but the rules can be frustrating too.

According to the Rock Lodge website, the following steps must be completed before visiting:

"Step 1
Email, mail or call us. In your message please tell us something about yourselve(s). Please include whether you intend to visit as a couple, family, single female or single male.

Step 2
Wait for our reply. We will reply as soon a possible with additional information and directions to Rock Lodge Club. Emails usually get the fastest response.

Step 3
When you arrive, you will be greeted by a Rock Lodge representative who will introduce you to the club and current members as you tour the grounds."

These steps ensure piece of mind for all guests and the Rock Lodge environment should feel safer than Gunnison. Nude US/Canada beaches are not as controled as nudist resorts.

For example, during my recent trip to Wreck Beach, another top nude beach, I felt on edge and worried about gawkers and people with cameras. That type of worry goes away in nudist resorts.

So who costs more? Gunnison or Rock Lodge?

Both are priced fairly, but differently. The Park Service charges Gunnison Beach visitors a $10 per vehicle daily fee (bikes are free) or $50 for season pass.

Rock Lodge is $24 per person ($19 for AANR members) day fee for non-members of the club.

Rock Lodge has further limitations. According to the Rock Lodge website "Visitors are allowed 2 visits before membership is required." After two visits to Rock Lodge, it's a minimum of $100 a year for an Associate membership to return, plus grounds fees - except that Full members (who pay $450) visit free. For the 2nd to 4th year, there's a $50 initiation fee per person.

Final Score:

Tied. Both offer something to the nudist. Rock Lodge is better for first time nudists and those looking for a more regulated environment. Gunnison Beach is good for a swim in the ocean on weekdays, but the weekends are tough unless you go super early. The beach also lacks controls to keep potential gawkers out.

Gunnison Beach and Rock Lodge Nudist Club are very different types of nudist experiences so comparing them almost isn't fair. If you are in the New Jersey area, I recommend giving both a try.

Better yet, if the Pocono region of eastern Pennsylvania is accessible to you, consider Sunny Rest Lodge. It's open to guests 7 days a week and you can visit as often as you'd like. Visiting is easy. I'll be providing a trip report soon.

Resources:

Visit Solair, but not on Weekdays; Berkshire Vista 2008?

2007-09-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

I received this comment from a reader on another post about visiting Solair on a weekday.

"My girl and I planned to go to Solair yesterday (we're late 30s). Took the day off to relax and hopefully sit by the pool. Sent an email to confirm that we would be coming and got a response that we were not allowed to visit unless it was a weekend or holiday. Needless to say, we won't be visiting. No big deal, but wow, not a way to encourage the younger crowd. C & D"

That's unfortunate.

The weekday restriction is surprising. While some smaller membership-oriented clubs don't have the staff to support weekday guests, Solair gives off the appearance of being able to.

If you've read my posts about Solair in the past, I have mixed feelings. My wife and I are younger than you and did not feel out of place. I like the facilities, the safety and the true nudist atmosphere. That comes at the trade-off of not liking the membership push and what I've heard nudist singles say about being denied.

Membership focused clubs are good for the members but tend to isolate everyone else. There are other membership focused clubs that I've passed on to visit open clubs. Membership is just not for me.

Northeast alternatives

If you are in the area, SunRidge is 45 minutes south of Solair. SunRidge is a lot smaller but I'm pretty sure they can support weekday guests. It's a nice place if you just want to lounge by the pool all day. It's a nice place to bring a picnic lunch too.

Then there's Berkshire Vista in western Mass, maybe 2 hours from Solair. Berkshire Vista definitely allows weekday visitors and has discounts for staying overnight on weekdays. The downside is that their 2008 future is uncertain. This is on their homepage today: "We are NOT closing! We will operate in 2008 and beyond. Info will be released in the upcoming weeks." Naturist Journal has more details already here that point to Berkshire Vista scaling back.

In Eastern PA lies Sunny Rest Lodge, a really, really nice place with better facilities than the 3 above resorts. We just visited on a weekday and will be writing a trip report soon.

About 30 Years Old and Getting Nude at Solair Recreation League

2007-09-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Hartford Courant newspaper's lifestyle section just featured a nice trip report about Solair Recreation League, a nudist camp ground in Connecticut.

The author, Joann Klimkiewicz, visited Solair with her sister. Both around 30 years old, they left with a fairly positive impression of the resort. The sister's collectively had experience with being in clothing optional environments (Europe and some US topless beaches) so the article was more insightful, I think, than the more common "first timer" article.

As compared to some one-sided articles by authors who have only read about nudism, this author showed dedication by taking the plunge and then writing a well-rounded and fair account of the experience.

Read the full story here

My impression of Solair
Personally, I like Solair overall, having visited once and also being in the same "around 30" age group as the sisters above. When my wife and I visited, it was a lively summer Saturday last year. Besides people gathered at the pool, hot tub and lake, the sand volleyball court was active.

The library was empty, but who wants to read books inside on a nice day!

Solair had an event that day that I've never imagined ever seeing: a cooking demonstration in the nude. Think Emeril live, but scaled down and on a picnic table in a gazebo in a nudist resort. The woman's presentation was actually very good and educational.

I think Solair's hot tub and pool are average but nice. I prefer deep pools over volleyball depth pools, but that's just me. The lake is a uncommon feature and had a platform in the middle that you could swim to while skinnydipping. The grounds are really nice, comparable to Sunny Rest Lodge, a nudist resort in eastern PA that I'll be doing a trip report about soon.

I wish that there wasn't a pricey annual membership fee (after 4 visits) at Solair - otherwise I'd be back more often. The Courant author refers to it too:

"Solair, for example, charges $25 for a first-time visit and $500 for an annual membership. For the under-40 set, that drops to $17.50 for a first-timer, and $300 for the year."

I realize Solair's needs to run a business and the quality of the camp ground shows they are making some good decisions, so I cannot really knock them for it. In fact, it may be the glue that holds Solair together and helps make it what it is. We felt really safe and comfortable there and it is one of the most family-friendly places I've ever visited and that is a good thing for nude recreation.

So there you have it, a newspaper author endorses Solair. I think it's a nice place too. And if you search the forums on nudist-resorts.org, you'll also hear good opinions of Solair.

Nudist Singles Get Their Own Weekend

2007-08-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

In the world of nude recreation, singles usually get the short end of the stick. Several nudist resorts limit singles in some way and others ban single men altogether. Why?

Well, you can thank a few bad seeds that have had a negative impact on the other 99% of singles who are true nudists. This is very unfortunate.

That's why I was glad to see Cypress Cove promote an upcoming singles weekend...not just a dance, but an ENTIRE WEEKEND.

Yes, you heard that right: an event specifically for nudist singles. Cypress Cove, in Kissimmee, Florida, near Orlando, is a good, safe place for this kind of event. A long time AANR member, I've heard many nudists recommend the resort.

Cypress Cove's Singles "Toga" Weekend runs Aug 17 - 19, 2007. A toga party themed singles weekend, here's the details from Cypress Cove:

"It’s a great time to come and meet other single nudists.

We start the weekend off on Friday, August 17th with a special extended happy hour, cracker-barrel discussion and icebreaker games, and then that night a Toga Streak at Cheeks with DJ Xavier.

Then on Saturday at noon we will have a pool party with DJ Xavier once again. He will be playing music and games that are great for singles to get to know one another. At 4 pm we will have another Cracker-barrel discussion at Lakeside Lounge that will coincide with an extra hour of Happy Hour.

When the sun goes down, the fun really starts to heat up with the Toga Party to end all Toga Parties with live music by Cove favorites, The Love Bugs, playing the tunes at Lakeside Restaurant that will help you get a little closer to your new friends. There will also be a toga costume contest at 9pm.

Make reservations now for what is sure to be the best singles weekend yet."

Learn more on the Cypress Cove website.

Cheering the Sun God at a Nude Canada Beach

2007-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Wreck Beach and the Sun God

As the warm sunny day ends, you lie naked on a nude beach with your spouse. Fellow nudists are nearby. Everyone is relaxing as a cool evening breeze blows in.

As the sun starts to make it’s final descent towards the horizon, there are faint sounds of cheering muffled by the wind.

It grows louder and louder, surrounding you. Someone nearby screams “Goodbye Sun God, Goodbye!” An energy flows around you as everyone excitedly watches the Sun God.

The edge of the sun is seconds from hitting the mountain in the distance. The cheering grows louder and louder as the Sun God then slowly disappears behind the mountain.

Then the Sun God is gone. You know its the end of a great day at the beach.

This is one of the more magical moments in life, being at one with the people around you and Mother Nature and not a care in the world.

(Photo credit: Wreck Beach Preservation Society)

It was Wreck Beach in Vancouver, Canada where this happened on a day when the weather and people were in harmony, a common experience during the short Vancouver nudist season.

Maybe this is why many nudists call Wreck Beach one of the top 10 clothing-optional beaches in the world.

But there’s a lot more to Wreck Beach than the occasional beautiful sunset. During the day, we experienced most of its several mile-long beach and visited both ends of the beach.

Taking the long climb down the steps of Trail 6, we first arrived in the southern part of the beach. This is the popular part of the beach you see in pictures in my previous Wreck Beach post.

This main part of the beach has soft, unique brown sand and is covered with driftwood logs from a nearby logging operation. The logs give the place a one-of-a-kind character. They also provide a good place to rest your head while protecting you from the wind.

While resting your head, the view is of mountains in the distance. Behind you is a dense forest covering a steep hill.

We were lucky to have perfect weather. The weather drew out lots of people. Probably 70-80 percent of the beach goers were nude in the sandy beach area that day - a good number for a clothing-optional beach.

The atmosphere was friendly and respectful. Vendors offered food and drinks and other wares. A group of people played nude volleyball. Wreck Beach regulars seemed to keep guard of the place and kept it safe and comfortable. Later, they would clean the litter left by the more careless.

We also visited the other end of the beach north of the sandy area. The northern part is rocky (see second to last picture here) and when the tide is high, there’s not much room. Finding a soft spot in the sand without having a rock in your back is challenging.

The northern rocky area also has a lot less people. Being less crowded means that it lacks the protection you have when surrounded by many fellow nudists. We just didn’t feel comfortable with the rocks or some of the people who seemed suspicious or staring (not a nudist behavior).

The main beach is so much better and returning there for the evening turned out to be a great experience.

If you are ever in Vancouver, a great tourist destination in itself, be sure to visit Wreck Beach if the weather is nice.

----

Wreck Beach is a direct result of the ongoing efforts of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society and other supporters. They prove that when like-minded people get together, great things can be accomplished in the face of adversity.

(Photo credit: Wreck Beach Preservation Society)

Nudists Need the Internet and Food

2007-07-20T19:47:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a great trip that had the famous clothing-optional beach in Vancouver, Wreck Beach, on the itinerary (trip report coming soon). While traveling, I missed my chance to participate in the latest "Great Naked Debate" on Nudist Day. I lacked a good Internet connection.

The debate was entitled "What can be done to attract younger people to the nudist lifestyle?". Check it out. You may not agree with every last detail, but the contributors covered a lot of angles.

Some similar viewpoints were in "What are the Real Problems with Young People and Nudist Resorts?" here where some readers chimed in with more good feedback on this important topic.

The answer seems to boil down to one central idea:

creating something worthwhile that satisfies the needs of the customers.

Potential nudist destination customers in the younger age groups have a million ways to have their entertainment needs met. Any tourist/travel destination, be it clothed or nudist, free beach or paid resort, competes with the many forms of entertainment. To win the competition, the destination must meet the needs of customers.

A tourist destination has to be more worthwhile than such things as:

watching TV
surfing the Internet
going to concerts
going to the movies
...and all the other things people do for fun

Think about it. A clothed hotel becomes worthwhile to you when it has a good location, a pool, restaurant and has the other amenities you want for the right price.

Food

Now, try to find breakfast at a nudist resort or campground. Not many serve breakfast. Some serve lunch or dinner. Very few serve 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. So you either need to bring food or leave. Either way, your basic human need for food is not met.

This is bad because Americans love food.

The ones that serve lots of food, like Caliente and Paradise Lakes, the 2 big resorts in Tampa, offer a destination that is a complete experience. You don't have to leave if you are hungry. In my last trip report about Sun Ridge Resort, I mentioned how I did leave because my food needs were not met.

The Internet

One other way clothed hotels have adjusted to modern customer needs is by proving some form of Internet connection. Most do. What about nudist destinations? Not so.

I'm in the under-35 age bracket and I want my Internet no matter where I am. Is that so much to ask? This is a more common statement of my generation but slowly becoming typical of all generations (see Internet age trends). Even baby-boomers are spending a lot more time online nowadays too.

Why aren't most nudist resorts adapting to something so basic as an Internet connection?

The Internet and food are among the lifelines of today's potential nudist customer.

If you are at a nudist destination that doesn't meet these needs, speak up and make your opinion known.

A Naked Day at Sun Ridge Nudist Resort

2007-06-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Sun Ridge Nudist Resort in 43 words:

Sun Ridge is like being at a family picnic at your new neighbor’s house. You don’t know anyone, but everyone is friendly. You have a good time. However, unlike your neighbor’s house, the people at Sun Ridge have a distinct absence of clothing.

The more complete story:

The fun of nude recreation is going new places that you know very few people in the world get to visit.

Located in Sterling, CT on the Rhode Island border, Sun Ridge Nudist Resort is a simple place to spend the day clothes free.

Sun Ridge lacks the elaborate architecture, fancy dining and entertainment facilities of other nudist destinations. Still, the nudist campground makes for a fun day trip or a good, laid back weekend in a rented trailer. Some people even spend the whole summer there every year, while others make this their first-time experience with nude recreation.

Sometimes all you need is a well kept but rustic nudist campground with a friendly atmosphere. That’s what Sun Ridge provides.

Trip report:

We visited on a June weekend on a day when the weather forecast was not so favorable. This also meant a lot less day guests. Luckily, the forecasted afternoon thunderstorms never materialized and we had a good day of nude recreation.

As day guests, we arrived knowing that Sun Ridge does not have any dining options except for special events. This was just an average weekend so we brought lunch with us.

You can sit down with your picnic lunch by the pool area where there’s a rec hall with picnic tables inside and outside. There are a few picnic tables by the tennis courts too, a short walk from the pool area.

We ate inside the recreation hall, a rustic structure that houses a billiards table and the aforementioned picnic tables. Some Saturday nights the place transforms into a dance area. And for some events, the rec hall has a kitchen area where food is prepared.

Afterwards we played at the billiards table for a while. Then, we spent a few hours in the pool area with trips from the cool pool to the heated conversation pool.

A little later we wandered to the tennis courts. If we had wanted to play tennis, the courts were open and well maintained.

We got dressed and left around dinnertime and headed to a casino for dinner. About 45 minutes away are 2 of the world’s largest casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Both places have many dining options to choose from.

While pretty laid back places compared to Vegas, going to a casino after relaxing all day at Sun Ridge is a contrasting experience. It’s at the casino where you start to reminisce about the friendly and respectful people at Sun Ridge.

Sun Ridge is within a few hours of anywhere in Southern New England. Give it a try!

Redneck nudists taking over Florida?

2007-06-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: To readers new to nudism, nudists are normal people y'all.

Contrary to the title of this article, nudists come from all walks of life. AANR-affiliated nudist resorts focus on providing good, clean fun for all kinds of people - the most fun you can have without your clothes on, in a safe, non-sexual (but not sterile) environment.

Alright, let's git-r-done y'all. Redneck Weekend is coming and it's gooder than grits.

Founded in 1964, Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida regularly organizes themed events for nudist residents and guests. Redneck Weekend is amongst the more unique.

Redneck Weekend is planned for June 22-24. The redneck-themed, clothing-optional activities at the popular nudist resort event include Hillbilly Games, the Good Ol' Boys parade, a redneck costume contest and, of course, an old fashioned hoedown. Yeeeee-hawww!!!

From the Cypress Cove website:

"It’s that time once again for a party weekend you won’t soon forget! Y’all get ready because REDNECK WEEKEND RETURNS!

It all starts off Friday afternoon with a right good pool party with DJ Xavier spinning all the redneck music you can handle That night keeps the good times rollin with a good old fashioned Redneck Karaoke Party with Regis in the Lakeside Lounge. Sing all your countrified favorites or come down and sing any song as long as you come and sing.

Saturday has yet another pool party with Xavier, a Good Ol’ Boys Parade, and the now legendary Hillbilly Games on Lakeside Lawn. Saturday night, Snafu, will take the stage at Lakeside Restaurant for a big hoedown with all your friends. It all builds up to our Redneck Costume Contest where you can win a free night stay in our beautiful Villas. I hope to see y’all here real soon."

Besides the themed weekends, Cypress Cove grounds and facilities are quite nice. The 300 acre property has a 20 acre recreation area, 50 acre lake and 130 acres of wetlands. There are two restaurants, bike rental, paddle boats, petanque, tennis courts, and other activities.

Now you git yourself on down there, you hear.

Debate: Would you ride nude in the World Naked Bike Ride?

2007-06-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

See my answer and those of 6 other nudist bloggers in 'The Great Naked Debate' on Nudist Day.

The debate is a fun way to learn about nudist topics and puts a bunch of great people together who have written a lot about nudism.

Other Fun Nude Activities:

If World Naked Bike Ride is not right for you, consider participating in nude runs which are usually within the gates of an AANR-affiliated clothing-optional resort or campground - no crowds, no people taking pictures.
Better yet, participate in the first-ever clothing-optional triathlon to be held at Bar S Ranch on August 11, 2007.
If you want to slow it down a bit, consider nude hiking. Nudist Day recommends "Top 5 Places for Hiking Nude...Legally."

Top 10 Nude Beaches in USA Today and Beyond

2007-06-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

(View article)

USA TODAY interviewed John Kinman, the President of AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) about nude beaches. Kinman recommended what he considers as the Top 10 clothing-optional beaches.

Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii
Wreck Beach, Vancouver, Canada
Cap d'Agde, France
Hawksbill Bay, Antigua
Haulover Beach, Miami
Gunnison Beach, New Jersey
Collins Beach/Rooster Rock, Oregon
Orient Bay, St. Martin
Samurai Beach, Australia
Black's Beach, San Diego, California

A good list. Of course, the list is subjective. What makes a great beach? A great nude beach is a beach that meets your needs or that you have great memories about.

Many other nude beaches are worth considering. Here's some others where memories have been made:

Adriatic Coast, Croatia - the coastline is dotted with all kinds of nudist beaches and campgrounds (Valalta near Rovinj, Croatia, pictured at right)
La Jenny, France - a nice, family-friendly beach and nudist campground/resort
Barcelona, Spain - topless everywhere, there's a section near the east end that's legally nude (signs posted). There's a beach cafe but nothing fancy. Barcelona is a great place to visit and this nude beach is a great place to lounge after seeing the tourist sites.
Sorobon Beach, Bonaire, Caribbean - At Sorobon Beach Nudist Resort reviewed here.
Many more...

To me, Cap d'Agde is the best, not just because of the beach but because of the facilities and activities in the village. Shopping nude at the many small stores dining out in nude restaurants in the naturist village is great fun.

Nude Beaches on the Comic's Mind

2007-06-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Pearls Before Swine comic makes light of the age old cliche: "Why are the people who go to nude beaches the only people you don't want to see nude?".

Truth is, nudists are human and represent people from all walks of life. They come in all shapes and sizes. For most people, being at a nude beach is simply about enjoying a beach, not the people. It's the beach without the constraints of a bathing suit. It's being naked as you are in a safe, private environment.

Who cares how other people look?

[Sorry, picture no longer available. Guess you'll have to imagine something really, really cool.]

This comic strip implies that anyone can go to a nude beach. The awareness created is a good thing.

Here's another blog post about the nude beach myth.

New Nudist Fun: First-Ever Clothing-Optional Triathlon!

2007-05-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Bar S Ranch Clothing Free Resort and Country Club awaits on its vast 380-acre wooded, hilled grounds in Reidsville, N.C.

On a normal day, Bar-S nudist resort gives visitors and members the chance to be one with nature, to enjoy peace and solitude. If you like the outdoors, Bar-S-Ranch has miles of trails, Lake Wanda with swimming and fishing, plenty of camping, a swimming pool, and the Cow Pasture Golf Course (watch your step). Bar-S is the only nudist resort I recall whose website lists “reading” as one of the popular pastimes, a reminder that social nudism is not always about socializing - reading a book is fine too.

“Come enjoy our dream. Leave the stresses and pressures of life behind while you relax in the tranquility, security and privacy you will find at the Bar S Ranch,” says the Bar S Ranch website. This is an escape from the world of cell phones, text messaging, big box retailers and traffic jams.

That’s a normal day.

A less than normal day will be Saturday, August 11, 2007. On that day, Bar-S-Ranch tries to take nudist recreation to new heights with the first-ever clothing optional sprint triathlon. Offering nudists and the courageous a completely novel experience, the event makes the most of Bar-S-Ranch’s trails and lake. Participants will do a 500-meter lake swim, a 20-kilometer (12.4 mile) bike ride and a 5K run.

Clothing? Only a helmet is needed for the bike ride, a cross-country fusion of hilly terrain, wide golf cart paths, gravel road and single tracks. (A cushioned bike seat may come in handy too.)

Keeping in the theme of “clothing optional on your own terms” while encouraging participation, the triathlon event is not open to general spectators except that each participant can bring a guest. Resort members and volunteers will be there too.

To a lot of people, this level of privacy is desirable. This is a contrast to World Naked Bike Ride which involves riding through the streets naked amongst clothed people and an exceptional comfort level with being nude in public.

So think about the triathlon and the rare, historical opportunity it presents. You could be one of the first participants in the first-ever clothing optional triathlon in the United States. More on the event and registration here.

If the Clothing Optional Sprint Triathlon is too much for you, take pride in your hide! That’s right, the “Take Pride in Your Hide 5K Walk & Run” is planned for Saturday, July 28^th, 2007 at 9:00 AM at Bar-S-Ranch Nudist Resort.

Or, just visit on a normal day. As the map at right shows, the grounds hold plenty of opportunity for outdoor nude recreation.

--Nudist Footnote--

When it comes to nudist fitness and sporting events, Pete Williams’ Fitness Buff Radio Show seems to know what’s best. If you want to stay in the know, subscribe to their e-newsletter (fill out form on the Fitness Buff Radio Show website). That’s how I first learned about the Clothing Optional Sprint Triathlon at Bar-S-Ranch Nudist Resort. Host Pete Williams plans to participate in the event. Go Pete!

More Nudists in France: "La Jenny"

2007-05-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

What well-regarded nudist destination has a nude beach, pool, nude golf, biking, hiking and more in a family-friendly environment in the Bordeaux region of France?

By the title of the article, the answer is easy: La Jenny.

While France's famous naturist village of Cap d'Agde has been reviewed here before, besides culinary delights, France serves a plate full of nudist destinations. France also provides La Jenny, Euronat and many other destinations.

The other naturist village, La Jenny, lies on the Atlantic Ocean on northwest side of France and offers a low-key, relaxing place to be naked.

La Jenny is a large, family-friendly nudist campground, a very different experience from the larger, more commercial Cap d'Agde.

La Jenny's centerpiece is an incredible grouping of 4 swimming pools kept at 77 degrees to provide a week of enjoyment.

And if the pool is not enough for you, take a walk down to the Atlantic Ocean. Lifeguards are on hand in the main section. When the conditions are right and waves high enough, surfing naked is the way to spend the day. Most people would rather just catch some sun on the nude beach.

Naked golf...real naked golf is a rarity. La Jenny's course is only 4 holes, but is probably the best 4 holes of nudist golf around.

To get around, ride a bike. Bikes are available for rental for riding around through the extensive grounds. Ride from your rented chalet down to the beach to play naked beach volleyball in the sand. Then ride back and have a nude dinner at the clothing-optional restaurant.

Accommodations at La Jenny include chalets/cabins and a campground. The chalets come in many sizes and prices, in peak season from around $70 to $200 a night. The typically include a refrigerator and hotplates for cooking. Some have ovens, dishwashers and other conveniences.
La Jenny even has a small grocery store where visitors can shop in the buff for food to bring back to the chalet. Having shopped at stores like this in Cap d'Agde, I am sure this is a fun experience at La Jenny too.
Learn more about La Jenny at their website.

What are the Real Problems with Young People and Nudist Resorts?

2007-05-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

An article was published yesterday in the Hartford Courant titled “Aging Nudists Have Trouble Attracting Young” by Cara Rubinsky. According to the author, “No one is quite sure why nudity, at least the organized version promoted by the AANR and similar groups, is such a tough sell for younger people.” Since it appears the closest the author probably got to a nudist resort was through a phone connection, I can offer some different opinions.

I’m no expert. I am just a casual nudist participant who would like to see more young people in the under-35 generation like myself participate so that it all doesn’t go away when the baby boomers, well, die off.

If nudism in the US is going to stay, nudist business owners need to understand the market. It is Business 101 that markets change over time and that baby boomers differ from gen X, Y and the millennials.

Why?

Well, the world has changed and become more complicated over the years. The younger generation has different needs from baby boomers. Each individual in the younger generation has to decide such things as “Is nude recreation where I want to spend my time and money as compared to other things like text messaging, cell phone bills and running up credit card debt?” The baby boomers didn’t have this complexity when they grew up.

If you want to understand the difference in complexity, just start listing the issues: the US educational system, US healthcare, culture, religion, economics, law, media, technology, immigration, globalization, etc. It gets complicated fast. In all areas, the younger generation is experiencing a different world. They have different needs. The market has changed.

Business owners need to adapt the business model. You can’t sell a horse carriage to a racecar driver. Many US nudist resorts have failed to adapt or even adjust the business model.

I like Berkshire Vista in Massachusetts as a nice nudist campground that has basic accommodations, sizeable grounds and a good pool and hot tubs. As a member of the younger generation, I do not feel that they cater to me in any way. Their ad in AANR’s The Bulletin monthly newspaper has been the same for years, much like the facility. Sorry, the younger generation wants new, unique and hip.

If you are young and want entertainment at Berkshire Vista, forget it. The DJ Dance is, well, not like going to a night club with techo music. Instead, think classics.

Berkshire Vista does have a ping-pong table in a small rec room, however the rec room is intended for kids. When we visited on a day kids were not in the campground, the rec room door was locked and we were told we couldn’t use the rec room. “Nice! Well, I guess we will leave early then.”

That’s no way to adapt to the market Berkshire Vista. But don’t you worry, I will be back someday as the rest of the place is suitable for nude recreation - but I hope some changes are tested to try to make the place better and attract more people.

The Hartford Courant article mentions Solair Recreation League, called a “nudist camp” by the author, located in northeastern Connecticut. The author interviews Gordon Adams at Solair, probably by phone:

‘"We don't want the place to turn into a gated assisted living facility," said Gordon Adams, membership director at Solair Recreation League, a nudist camp in northeast Connecticut that recently invited students from dozens of New England schools to a college day in hopes of piquing their interest.’ (Source: Hartford Courant, May 14, 2007)

I actually visited Solair once last year and can speak with limited authority, though more than the Hartford Courant author. Solair is a well-kept facility worth a summer weekend visit, but in my experience, the membership policy and first 30 to 60 minutes inside the gate could be considered awkward by first-timers, especially younger ones.

As my wife and I understood it, Solair is a membership club and we could visit Solair 4 times. After the forth time, we’d need a membership. We’re not ready for that kind of commitment. There are 270 AANR affiliated destinations. We want to try them all and not be locked in.

Additionally, during each of the first 4 visits, we were supposed to seek out a person with a yellow hat. The yellow hat people do memberships and tell you about the place. After they do that, they’re supposed to sign your membership sheet.

Nice idea and I’m sure some people love it, but not us. We just went to Solair wanting to relax and get away from the complications of life for a day. We did not want to talk to yellow hat people. Understand the market: Not everyone who goes to a nudist resort wants to socialize every single time, so don't force them or they will not be happy. Then, the younger ones will gets blogs like me and soapbox for the whole world not to read.

OK, so we got through all the paperwork at the front desk (FYI, younger people really hate paperwork and expect everything to be computerized and completed instantly) and then we got back in our car and followed an older naked guy in a 4-seater golf cart to the main parking area.

We were asked to take off our clothes, while the guy waited, and then we got in the back of the golf cart (with our towels) for a tour around the place. To us who have visited several destinations, this was fine, but to a younger first-timer it may be extremely awkward, sorry to say. The tour was nice, but should have been optional. Give me a map. Let me walk around and do it my way...just like the internet...click, click, click... The younger generation likes options and customization.

Solair can do what they want for whatever reasons they want, but they seem to be over-complicating the experience. By comparison, Berkshire Vista and most other places we've visited take only a few minutes at the gate if you show an AANR membership card. Then, you are in and enjoying the place.

Once you get through Solair’s initial steps, the rest is better. Solair's facility is well-kept and spread out with a lot of activities. The pool, though smaller, is is good for lounging and playing water volleyball. A lot of people were swimming in the lake too.

Next to the pool, in the recreation building, there was a hot tub and a unisex, multi-stalled bathroom (which is unique in my limited experience). On the first floor of the recreation room there was an ice cream stand, lounge, ping-pong table and pool table. (The pool table was not free though. Grrrrrr.) There are other nudist facilities on site and recreation options, but I will save that for another post that will cover all of the good things about Solair.

Streaking Nude a Hit

2007-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Recent nude runs at nudist resorts have had a positive turn-out from participants of all ages. Lake Como had over 100 participants and Paradise Lakes about 80. Many more nude runs are planned this year at various AANR-affiliated nudist resorts in the United States. Streaking is in.

According to the Fitness Buff Radio Show (nude radio show) e-Newsletter:

"More than 100 runners turned out for the 15th annual "Dare to Go Bare 5K" at the Lake Como Resort on Sunday, May 6. Fitness Buff host Pete Williams finished in 22:06. Co-host Sabrina Vizzari, who lives nearby and created the race in 1993, did not get out of bed in time."

I'll bet Pete now makes fun of Sabrina regularly on the Fitness Buff radio show they do together.

The inaugural Cotton Tail 5K Fun Run at Paradise Lakes was held a few weeks before on April 21st. The race results show almost 80 participants. Not bad for the inaugural event. According to the Paradise Lakes website:

"The inaugural Cotton Tail 5K Fun Run was a BLAST. And, it appears Streaking may have improved some runners times! See how clothes can weigh you down? Thank you for everyone who helped make this fun event happen. We had lots of positive comments and the participants are looking forward to the Sneaker Streaker 5k September 22 at 8:00 a.m."

Upcoming nude runs:

On June 2, Turtle Lake Resort, a nudist resort in Union City, Michigan, will be hosting the annual 2007 Turtle Lake Resort 5K. According to their website:

"If you love to run or walk, the Annual TLR 5K is a must. For those of you who have never participated in this event before, Turtle Lake offers you the new experience of a Run/Walk in the nude. This is, however, a clothing optional event, so nudity is not required for the Run/Walk. All participants will receive a 5K Run T-shirt. Prizes will also be available to the winners. There are several categories in which prizes are given, so there are many opportunities to take home an award."

The event will be followed by a nude minigolf tournament, horseshoe tournament and DJ dance, making for a fun-filled day of activities. Learn more on Turtle Lake's calendar.

For a list of other nude fun runs, there's a good list here.

Try nude running out. I will someday. It's still on my "nude TO DO" list.

AANR-East (American Association for Nude Recreation) Seeks to Enhance Government Affairs and Community Awareness Programs - Volunteers Needed

2007-05-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Received this in my inbox from AANR's East coast division and thought it worth passing on. One of the major benefits of nudist organizations like AANR is their efforts to preserve nudist freedoms. Here's an opportunity to participate:

AANR East Government Affairs Training

Invitation from AANR East President - Susan Weaver

AANR-East Member:

As President of AANR-East I am concerned that the Government Affairs and Community Awareness Programs in the region are not as robust as they could be. The first step to address this concern was to recruit a volunteer leader to be the AANR-East Government Affairs Training Coordinator. Ms. Audrey Weber, a resident of Northern Virginia and a member of Avalon has agreed to accept this challenge. Our next step is to recruit volunteers from each state in the region.

Now, we need a Government Affairs Coordinator for each state in the region. The full responsibilities of the position will evolve as the program develops, however we envision that the State Coordinator will identify state and local legislative initiatives and community actions that have the potential to impact nudism negatively in the region. The State Coordinator will also be expected to establish a network of volunteers within the state to assist with that mission. We also would like for the State Coordinator to provide training and awareness of the Government Affairs/Community Awareness Program at the clubs within the state. It is anticipated that there will be bi-monthly or quarterly teleconferences with the other State Coordinators and Audrey.

A Government Affairs and Community Awareness Training session is scheduled for June 16-17, 2007, at Avalon in Paw Paw, WV. We are very fortunate that many of the people on the AANR National Government Affairs staff will be in the Washington, DC area and have agreed to spend a few extra days to work with us. The trainers are Alonzo and Debra Sue Stevens, Shirley Gauthier and Patricia Orner. The agenda will include how to start a Community Awareness and Government Affairs program in each state, the difference between the two, and the importance of both. The training will provide the tools that we need to jump start the AANR-EAST Government Affairs and Community Awareness Program.

You are being contacted about this opportunity to serve nudism because you are one of the people in AANR-East who have expressed an interest in Government Affairs training or are registered as a club liaison for Government Affairs. If you are interested in being the State Coordinator or involved in the reconstituted Government Affairs Program, please contact Audrey Weber (fkkfrau[nospam]ATverizon[nospam].net or 703-425-1644) before May 14, 2007. The June training will be provided at no cost to the State Coordinators and open to anyone else who would like to attend, on a space available basis.

Sincerely,

Susan Weaver
AANR-East President

Wreck Beach: Pictures of Vancouver's Clothing Optional Beach

2007-05-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Wreck Beach, Vancouver's famous clothing optional beach, are hard to find. ~~Like every nudist destination I know of, photos are not allowed of nudists.~~ Correction: After recently visiting, I did not notice any signs prohibiting cameras, though the regulars would probably toss a camera in the water if they saw someone trying to take pictures of others without getting the consent of the subjects first. So no need to worry. This preserves the privacy rights of clothes free beach goers.

Fortunately, travelers have taken photos of Wreck Beach taken during the off-season and when the weather is too cool for naked people to be around.

On a warm summer weekend afternoon, the place is surely packed and much nicer to look at.

Leaving the beach:

FedEx Delivers to Nudist Resorts

2007-05-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

“Who are the people in the nudist resort neighborhood? The people that you meet, walking down the street, each day…” (Sing like Mr Rogers)

You may see FedEx and UPS making deliveries to nudist resort residences.

Pictured (via MS maps) is a FedEx truck stopped in front of residences within the Paradise Lakes nudist resort complex. Can you see the truck?

Yes, the person answering the door could have been naked, though may have covered up out of courtesy to the FedEx delivery person.

Especially at larger nudist destinations, here’s other people you may see:

- Restaurant workers
- Clerks
- Cable companies and utilities workers
- Electricians and plumbers
- Emergency and police services
- And many more.

In France at Cap d’Agde naturist village, lots of people do business within the gated naked city. Some were nudists wearing clothes because of the job. Others were accepting of nudists and chose to work in this environment.

The most uncomfortable part for me being naked and buying groceries in a Cap d'Agde store is that the clothed clerk does not speak English very well and I am equally bad with French.

After recently staying at Paradise Lakes Resort and Caliente Resort in Florida, I became more comfortable.

As my wife and I casually walked naked from the pool area to our room at Paradise Lakes Nudist Resort, we were passed by a man driving a garbage truck.

"Hey, did you realize a garbage truck just passed us and we are completely naked?", I asked.

During our first year of nudism we would have been embarrassed. Now, after some years, we understand that the garbage man is just doing his job. He’s probably been to the place many times and has acclimated. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We are free to enjoy nudism.

I'll bet the man driving the truck wishes he was off from work that day so he could swim in the pool with the nudists.

Later, we saw construction workers building a new house at Caliente. They did not even pay attention to us.

Yes, a nudist resort is the one place where even the “plumber’s butt crack” is not noticeable. Everyone can do there own thing, whatever that is.

Nude and Free: Skinny Dipping at Paradise Lakes Nudist Resort

2007-04-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

Swimming nude is a great reason to try nude recreation. (If you are new to the idea of wholesome nude recreation, the American Association for Nude Recreation provides an FAQ). Whether skinny dipping in a pool or lounging in a hot tub, I have yet to hear a person say they like bathing suits better – no matter what age, size, or color the person is.

The Florida nudist resort trip report continues with a look at swimming naked at Paradise Lakes Nudist Resort. The resort provides a variety of ways to be comfortably naked in the water in a safe and accepting environment.

On Thursday afternoon with perfect weather, sunny and in the 80s, the pool had a scattering of nudists. We enjoyed clothes-free, wet-bathing-suit-free freedom in the main pool area.

Paradise Lakes has a uniquely shaped swimming pool (pictured). It’s more of a lounge pool than a swimming pool. When we returned on a warm Friday afternoon and again on Saturday, the whole pool area was jammed with people.

One part of the pool goes 6 feet deep, allowing for swimming, but most of the pool is 3 to 5 feet deep – nice for standing around, chatting and having a drink. A kind waitress brings beer, mixed drinks or whatever.

The pool meanders from the deep section to the shallow section and then a water volleyball section starts. In addition to the main pool volleyball area, Paradise Lakes has a separate water volleyball pool.

Nude water volleyball is a popular social nudist activity at Paradise Lakes. Games are frequent and can be almost non-stop in both pools on Friday, Saturday and Sunday when the conditions are right (time of year, weather).

To get away from it all, head towards the lake. Next to it, another pool and hot tub area provide a hidden oasis within the oasis of Paradise Lakes.

The residents and guests staying in this section of the resort property use this pool often. It’s convenient and nearby other nude recreation activities. The hot tub was being worked on during my stay, but the pool was nice and had room for swimming the way swimming was meant to be: clothes-free.

I close with these 2 important words: "waterproof sunscreen"

Vancouver's Famous Nude Beach: Wreck Beach

2007-04-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

With a bunch of trip report updates in rough drafts, I need a break! It is hard to return to work after a nudist vacation!

Comfort is found in the thoughts of upcoming trips. One upcoming destination will beWreck Beach in Vancouver. As I learn more, I will share.

Though not a resort, the people of Wreck Beach organize fun events and are dedicated to keeping nudist history alive for future generations.

Though the 2007 calendar is in the works, the Wreck Beach Bare Buns Run/Walk is already planned:

Wreck Beach Bare Buns Run/Walk: Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 11:30 am Sharp! Registration opens at 9:00 am at the bottom of Wreck Beach Trail No. 6 in Pacific Spirit Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Email beachgirl@look.ca for details.

During the cold winters, the Wreck Beach Swim Club organizes indoor events. Learn more about upcoming events and Wreck Beach at www.WreckBeach.org.

Nude runs, nude runs, nude runs

2007-04-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Interested in a naked run somewhere near you?

A commenter pointed this website out:

www.NudeRuns.com

Put out by the Western Association for Nude Recreation (WANR), the site contains lots of good info about upcoming events. If you have ever wanted to try naked running, 2007 is your chance.

Speaking of nude runs, Pete Williams writes in the Fitness Buff Radio Show newsletter about tomorrow's Cotton Tail 5K Run. Should be great weather in Tampa/Lutz, Florida! Partly cloudy and high of 80 at Paradise Lakes.

Pete Williams: "Remember that scene in the movie "Old School" where Juliette Lewis informs recent streaker Will Ferrall that she's gotten into body painting? Our own Sabrina Vizzari will be body painted on Friday afternoon - possible coverage on the 6 o'clock news - to promote the Paradise Lakes Body Art Festival and Cotton Tail 5K run on Saturday, April 21. The race is at 6 p.m. and is a perfect recovery run for anyone looking for a run between the Escape from Ft. Desoto and St. Anthony's triathlons. C'mon Everybody! We're Streaking...We're Streaking! Through the quad to the gymnasium. C'mon, Snoop!"

Learn more about the run and body art festival.

Adventures in the "Florida Nudist Corridor"

2007-04-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

My wife and I just returned from an adventurous weekend at 2 of the biggest nudist resorts in North America: Paradise Lakes Nudist Resort and Caliente Nudist Resort.

They are in an area north of Tampa, Florida I call the “Florida Nudist Corridor” with Paradise Lakes and Lake Como Family Nudist Resort next to each other and Caliente Nudist Resort just 4 miles north. All are about 30 minutes from Tampa Airport. All are important in American nudist history and to the people who experience them.

I met one nudist gentleman, nearing retirement, who was fortunate enough to live nearby. He recalled frequenting Lake Como Nudist Resort in his younger years. The resort opened in the 1950s and was one of the biggest nudist facilities in its day. Due to life events, he took a break from social nude recreation years ago when a place called Paradise Lakes was only an idea waiting to open in 1981.

He soon grew to miss the nudist experience. He was re-married more recently and broached the subject of nude recreation with his new wife. She said she'd try it and now they enjoy nude recreation together, making their own nudist history.

He and his new wife have a membership at Paradise Lakes and visit other resorts frequently, including Caliente Nudist Resort, opened in 2004, where I conversed with the gentleman a few days ago.

For my wife and I, this was our second time at Paradise Lakes and first at Caliente. Our first time at the Paradise Lakes was only a handful of years ago and it was our first time visiting a nudist resort.

Over the next several days, I'll be recounting our story, our experiences at these two Florida Nudist Corridor nudist resorts.

I'll look at what to expect, how much to pay, what to do when the weather is great, and how to make the best of rainy weather that rains out a big event. (In our case, the event was Caliente's Bare Bods and Hot Rods Car Show which has been rescheduled for April 29th.)

Reader opinions might be heard too to expand upon my limited experience.

Nudist Travel Guide Blog's Best Of Recent Nudist Posts

2007-04-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

I hope this blog has provided good nudist travel insights. I will be taking a break this weekend to enjoy a nudist vacation. In the meantime, take a look at some of the better recent posts here and by other nudist blogs.

Nudist Fitness Expert / Radio Show Host Offers Nude 5K Race Tips

Inside "Bare Bods and Hot Rods" Nude Car Show

Nudists gather on the Mexico border

Nude Cruise traveler Mike reported from aboard the cruise ship and gave a true account of the experience here. Highlights from his daily trip reports:

Nudists break "On Deck for the Cure" record on nude cruise

Nudist Cruise: How do cruise staff react to nudists? Positively!

What really happens on nude cruises? Insider Report

Of course, I cannot forget the other nudist bloggers out there. Here are good recent posts from some of them:

Do Naked Ladies Turn Men On? (Gymnophiliac.com)

New Australian Nudist Magazine (NudistDay.com)

New study shows sunbathing makes you happy - I bet nude sunbathers are even happier! (TerraCottaInn.blogspot.com)

Nudist Politician Loss Due To Smear Campaign (USAnudist.com)

Late March Nude Snowshoeing (NudeHiker.blogspot.com)

Baby Steps (NothingToDread.com) [a first time report]

Peep! NakedJenBay! (NakedJen.blogs.com)

Nude Bicycling: World Naked Bike Ride 2007

2007-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

The World Naked Bike Ride event claims to be "the worlds largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity." The mission is to "stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies! Naked Bicycle People Power!" First introduced in 2004, plans for 2007 are taking shape.

The World Naked Bike Ride event has received plenty of media coverage worldwide in 2006 as can be seen on this list. The event has been mentioned before on Nudist Travel Guide Blog and Tom Mulhall of Terra Cotta Inn has some posts on it too.

The event is not specifically a social nudism event, but may be of interest to nudists who are not afraid to be out in front of the picture taking public for a cause. The cause is centered on the promotion of cycling. In doing so, the event promotes environment awareness, body image acceptance, nude acceptance, and community building.

Washington D.C. has a big event planned for June 9 2007. The group has a permit for the event and everything is going smoothly with their plan "To ride through the United States capital to promote the use of alternatives to oil".

Though a final Seattle date is still being worked out, Miami had 2 rides planned this year. One was for March and the second Miami event is supposed to happen June 9.

London and Paris are also scheduled for June 9th and Manchester, England for June 8th. Here's video from a past London event:

5 Days Nude in Florida, No Turning Back

2007-04-01T17:44:00.000-07:00

Plane tickets. Check. Nudist resort reservations. Check. Rental car. Check.

I am ready for a long weekend in central Florida in 2 weeks. Time will be spent relaxing at a few of the nudist resorts - this time Paradise Lakes and Caliente.

Like most people, the money tree is bare (a "nudist money tree") so my travel budget is a concern. Spending money properly allows me to relax at a nudist resort or nude beach instead of worrying about how I’m going to pay for it all.

If you are a frugal nudist vacationer, it's worth looking at rental car options to save some money.

Orbtiz, Travelocity and Kayak are good for comparison. Priceline and Hotwire have the lowest prices. All are worth looking at.

The low price ones come with less choice though. With Hotwire, the car will come from a pool of national or major car rental companies at your destination of choice. Only upon booking is the rental car agency revealed. Once booked, there are no refunds or changes allowed.

Still, my best deal was through Hotwire for $166 for 5 days (including taxes and fees).

The car agency ended up being Hertz. I went to Hertz’s website to see what everyone else pays: $228 (including taxes and fees) for the same period.

I saved $62 - enough to pay for dinner. I may even get a few $2 bills and go buy a bottle of sunscreen at a local store.

I hope the car is cool looking. Would it be wrong to enter a rental car in the Bare Bods and Hot Rods Car Show at Caliente that weekend (April 15th)?

Even still, as long as the radio works, I can listen to the Fitness Buff radio show and Pete Williams who I interviewed on Friday at 5pm on the Tampa area's WTAN AM 1340.

Nudist Fitness Expert / Radio Show Host Offers Nude 5K Race Tips

2007-03-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pete Williams knows fitness and nudism well.

On his average Friday afternoon, Pete Williams hosts the longest-running nude broadcast in radio history.

The Fitness Buff radio show airs on the WTAN Tan Talk radio network in Tampa Bay, Florida. The radio show is broadcast live (and online) and in the buff with co-host Sabrina Vizzari and sidekick Shannon Pankow at Paradise Lakes nudist resort in Land O Lakes, FL. The nude radio show has focused on helping its listeners live longer, live fitter and live better since its inception in 2005.

Pete Williams writes about sports and fitness topics regularly and has appeared in Men’s Health, USA Today and many other publications. Pete is also a staff writer for the Bulletin, the American Association for Nude Recreation’s (AANR) monthly newspaper for its 50,000+ members.

Pete is also co-author of the popular Core Performance fitness book series written with legendary trainer Mark Verstegen. Pete even finds time to keep active and recently competed in a duathlon running and bicycling event.

Today, Pete answers questions for my Nudist Travel blog audience about the inaugural Cotton Tail 5K Fun Run to be held Saturday, April 21st, 2007 at 6PM at Paradise Lakes Clothing-Optional Resort. The event traverses through the gated 72-acre resort and provides an ideal environment for running clothes-free.

John:

The inaugural Cotton Tail 5K Fun Run expands upon Paradise Lake’s 12 successful years with the Sneaker Streaker 5K. Ages ranged from 18 to 79 in the 2006 Sneaker Streaker. Times ranged from 17 to 41 minutes. Is the new Cotton Tail 5K likewise an event for all ages and skill levels?

Pete:

Absolutely! We welcome people of all ages and skill levels and, it should be noted, in all stages of undress. We've found with the Sneaker Streaker that most people go nude for these clothing-optional 5K races since that's the attraction. Many people do it on a dare or to be able to say they did it at one point in their lives. Others find they enjoy it so much that they do it every year - or become avid nudists, even joining Paradise Lakes. With the success of the Sneaker Streaker 5K, which will take place on Sept. 22, 2007, we thought it only made sense to have a spring event.

John:

Food. You’re an upcoming tri-athlete. What do you eat prior to competitive events? Should Fun Run participants worry about nutrition?

Pete:

Great question. You never want to compete on an empty stomach. Nutrition before a 5K race isn't as big a concern as, say, a longer run or triathlon, but you definitely want to eat something with carbs and a little protein. Examples would be toast with peanut butter, one-half of an energy bar, or a 16-ounce sports drink. Be sure to drink 16 to 20 ounces of fluid (if you didn't opt for the sports drink) in the hour before the race. After the race, you want to consume a mix of carbs and protein as quickly as possible. Thankfully, we'll have plenty of refreshments available. Incidentally, if you're interested in learning more about pre- and post-race nutrition, check out my new book CORE PERFORMANCE ENDURANCE, the third book in the CORE PERFORMANCE series I've written with prominent trainer Mark Verstegen.

John:

To keep the Fun Run "fun", beer and water stations will be along the course. I can understand beer, but why water? :)

Pete:

"Fun" run will mean different things to different people. For some, just the idea of going nude is what makes it fun. This event takes place the weekend between two prominent triathlons in the Tampa Bay area, so some athletes are looking at it as a "recovery" race or true fun run, not something that's going to have them focusing on their finish time. Though we provide beer on the course, I'm not sure how many people are going to take us up on it during the race unless they're going at a very slow pace or even walking. Water is a must for hydration, whether you're drinking beer along the course or not.

John:

Modern sports clothing makers have made believers in sports bras for women and jock straps for men. Yet, ancient Greek Olympians played games nude. Who’s more reasonable, Nike and Reebok or the Greeks? I've always wondered, is running nude without support safe for men and women?

Pete:

The Greeks deserve credit for creating the idea of competing while nude. Running nude without support is safe for men and women. Jock straps and protective cups were created primarily for sports where contact is a concern, and that's not the case with a 5K run. And people who have competed in nude races and nude volleyball, even at a competitive level, have found that it's completely safe. Of course, nudity is not required in this race and athletes can wear whatever makes them comfortable.

John:

Thank you Pete. The event sounds perfect for anyone thinking about trying nude recreation for the first-time. Of course, regular nudists looking to get some exercise might want to mark the date on their calendars. I hope we can talk again in the future.

Resources:

Learn more about Pete Williams at his official website.

Listen to the Fitness Buff radio show on Fridays in the Tampa area or online. Recordings of notable guest interviews on the show are available here.

Learn more about the Paradise Lakes Cotton Tail 5K Fun Run. The event is held in conjunction with the inaugural Body Art Fest on that weekend. The Body Art Fest has the making of an exciting event and is drawing attention from PBS and TLC’s Miami Ink who will cover the event.

$2 Bill - A Sign You've Met a Nudist?

2007-03-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

If you are a clerk in the Tampa, Florida area and a customer hands you a $2 bill, you might have just met a nudist.

From March 15 to April 15, Tampa-area nudist/clothing-optional resorts have a campaign to let local businesses know that nudists bring revenue.

Visitors at the area's nudist/clothing-optional resorts, namely Lake Como Family Nudist Resort, Caliente Resort and Spa and Paradise Lakes Clothing Optional Resort, can exchange currency at the resorts to easily get $2 bills for spending in town.

Here's an idea for added impact: Write "I am a nudist" on the $2 bill or "try nudism" or "Proud AANR Member" or something fun like that.
The story has brought press attention. Two area newspapers covered the story:

St. Petersberg Times Nudists show their clout behind blanket of $2 bills
Tampa Tribune Deuces Wild In Land O' Lakes

Andrew Skerritt, of St. Petersberg Times, says in his article "Paradise Lakes, Lake Como and Caliente, all in central Pasco [County, Florida], generate more than $2-million in annual property tax revenues. That's one million $2 bills."

Trip Report: A Good Old-Fashioned Nudist Campground - Juniper Woods

2007-03-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

Though many exciting nudist travel topics have been covered here lately, from nudist resort car shows to nude cruises to nude swimming in the Antarctica, now is a perfect time to talk about a good old-fashioned nudist campground.

Juniper Woods is such a place. Juniper Woods is a clothing-optional, family-friendly 65-acre campground in rural Catskill, New York. We visited on 4th of July weekend a few years ago - just for a day.

The atmosphere was uncomplicated and peaceful. A BBQ was set-up for the holiday. The friendly staff was busy grilling up hot dogs and hamburgers for the nudist guests. The petanque court was active. Families were about. Some people played Frisbee in the meadow.

We went for a dip in the pool. Even though the pool is not deep or huge, there was still plenty of space. We then went into the relaxing hot tub/conversation pool. We dried off by sitting on the nearby rocking swing.

We later took a casual walk around the spacious grounds. The dam that controls the water to the two lakes had broke so the water level was down. It’s probably fixed by now. Other than that, the grounds were well maintained.

By the large number of RVs and campers on landscaped sites, a lot of people call Juniper Woods their summer home away from home. Some even have small cabins with immaculate landscaping – flowers, groomed bushes and lawn ornaments.

Several tents were up in the large meadow that day. I noticed a lot of free space in the wooded campsite area. If you like camping in solitude, the wooded camping area is away from the RV area, has trees between sites, and allows for campfires.

Keeping in mind that this is a campground and not an entertainment complex, I recommend bringing some books or maybe some board games. The rec hall and pavilion had ping-pong, foosball and a few other games. Dinners and dances are held here too.

Nudist destinations come in many flavors. If you are looking a charming, secluded clothing-option campground with lots of space and a friendly atmosphere, Juniper Woods makes a nice escape.

Juniper Woods is 45 minutes from Albany, NY and a reasonable 2 hours drive north from New York City.

On June 9, 2007, Juniper Woods will be having an open house and first time visitors get in free. There will be sports events, vendors, a potluck dinner and DJ dance. Many other events are planned on weekends throughout the year.

Inside "Bare Bods and Hot Rods" Nude Car Show

2007-03-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

Update: As of March 23, there are already almost 60 cars pre-registered for the show. At the car show, the date for the 2007 Bare Buns Biker Blast at Caliente will be officially announced.

(Postponed to April 29th due to rain)

As mentioned in “2007 Nude Car Shows: Chevy. Ford. Mopar. Nudists.”, I will be attending one of the upcoming nudist resort car shows and providing a report afterwards. Being eager to learn more about the show ahead of time, I interviewed Deb Bowen, the show coordinator. Deb was nice enough to answer questions about the day’s events at Caliente.

Let’s find out what the Bare Bods and Hot Rods Car Show (April 15th) at Caliente Clothing-Optional Resort and Spa in Lutz, Florida is all about.

John: Having 138 cars in last year's car show is impressive for a clothing-optional resort that opened only in 2004. Could you tell me a little more about last year's car show?

Deb: Let's see. Last year was our first show, but I have worked at other nudist resorts coordinating car shows, so I have a good base to start with. I have also recruited "The Rat Pack Car Club" into the nudist world and have worked with them for years! They go to every car show and event in the state and pass out the flyers/applications! It’s all about getting the word out! And we certainly do!

John: Were the car owners nudists or new to nudism? What has the car owners' response been?

Deb: According to the Rat Pack, the Caliente Car Show has been the talk of the "car show" world since last year! The car owners may or may not be nudists, but for the ones that aren't when they arrive, many of them are by the time they leave! I always sell a few new memberships at the show! It’s a great way to introduce nudism and Caliente to the general public! As you probably know, car collectors are generally an older crowd so it gives them a reason to come to Caliente for the first time (which many of them have stated they were looking for!!!)

John: The April 15, 2007 car show looks like an exciting day at Caliente. There will be vendors, a charity raffle, live music, a BBQ, and a sock hop. Could you tell me a little more about these? Where on the 120-acre resort will these events be held?

Deb: The car show is held in the "over-flow" parking area just beyond the main entrance! It holds about 225 cars and is actually a PERFECT place for the show! Many of Caliente’s members like to stand on the balcony overlooking the car show for a "birds eye view" so to speak, but the folks that are not nudists do not have to go into the lobby at all. Although I can tell you that they have ALL wanted to check it out. I don't remember any case of a non-nudist at any of my car shows that refused to take a look around! And they are completely blown away by Caliente, so I always encourage them to take a tour of the resort before they leave!

We raffle off great prizes and the proceeds go to charities so it’s definitely a win-win for everyone! Last year we raffled off the Nose Cone from and INDY 500 Race Car, signed!

The Live music will be a short show during the daytime by Blonde Ambition, a two-girl team that really rocks! They sing all your favorites from the fifties! They are very entertaining! Then they will put on a show at the sock hop in the nightclub that evening! But there will be either live music or a doo-wop DJ at the car show all day!

We also have a full BBQ at the car show with delicious food available so you don't have to leave your car to go find food! Car owners do NOT want to leave their cars for anything, so I make it easy! Not only do we have a BBQ, but will have fun food vendors (like kettle korn or cotton candy) and we will also have the "beer cart" driving around the lot selling beer, water, soda, wine, etc. We come to YOU!

John: Caliente has a calendar of big events. What goes into making the car show happen?

Deb: PROMOTION PROMOTION PROMOTION! You can't have a successful event if you don't let people know. I have listed the show on MANY car web sites, I have listed the event in local papers, I write about it in my newsletter, I send an invitation to all the car entrants from last year, I tell everyone I know, etc!!! And the Rat Pack always does such a great job handing out the flyer/applications to everyone at all the other shows they attend (which is 3-5 a week!)

The car show is one of my favorite events and draws the BEST people from all over!

John: Thank you, Deb, for giving the inside scoop about the event. I look forward to the car show and visiting Caliente. I hope this post on Nudist Travel Blog helps in the promotion efforts. When it comes to promoting nudist travel destinations and events, I know the challenges and there can never be enough promotion. This seems like a great event.

Additional resources:

Caliente Clothing Optional Resort and Spa - official website
RatRack Car Club
American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) - Caliente is an American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) affiliated resort.
“2007 Nude Car Shows: Chevy. Ford. Mopar. Nudists.”

2007 Nude Car Shows: Chevy. Ford. Mopar. Nudists.

2007-03-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you mix auto enthusiasts with nudists? Nude car shows!

Nudist Travel Guide Blog (NudistTravel.blogspot.com) provides an overview
of 2007's nude car show calendar. This looks to be the year of nude car shows across the United States – at least 8 and probably more.

Is this a good sign for both nude recreation and car enthusiasts? Yes.

The 170-acre nudist Turtle Lake Resort in Union City, Michigan, has their Annual Antique and Classic Car Show planned for Saturday, June 9^th 2007. The day will be packed fun nudist events including: nude golf cart rodeo, nude drive-in movie, an oldies dance and all kinds of prizes.

Turtle Lake also has an Annual Motorcycle Show (August 25^th, 2007) that will have competitions and a nude motorcycle parade.

Following its successful 2006 show with 138 cars, Caliente Clothing Optional Resort and Spa in Lutz, Florida has its Bare Bods and Hot Rods Car Show planned for April 15^th, 2007 (Postponed to April 29th due to rain). A charity raffle, live music, BBQ, and sock hop will be among the day’s events.

It just so happens that I, John Henry, will be in Tampa during this time and plan to go to hit the Caliente car show. I will provide a full report afterwards.

Laguna Del Sol nudist resort in Wilton, California has the Rockets & Sprockets Car and Motorcycle Show planned for July 20-21, 2007. Pictures of their happening 2005 show are on their website here.

Lake Como Family Nudist Resort in Lutz, Florida has an annual car show. Keep an eye on their website for the official date. Their website gallery shows pictures from the successful 2006 car show.

Valley View Recreation Club of Cambridge, WI has been a fixture in the nude car show world. Old Cars Weekly editor Brad Bowling recalls covering their first show in 1991 for Old Cars Weekly in his blog. The 2007 date for the 18th Annual Valley View Recreation Club Nude Car Show will be announced soon.

Cypress Cove Nudist Resort and Spa near Orlando, Florida has an Open House and Car Show planned for July 15^th. The Open House at the same time is a good idea. Nude car shows are a way to have a good time and get new people to the resort.

Empire Haven Nudist Resort in Moravia, NY has its Annual Car Show planned for August 18^th this year. The show runs from 9 am to 5 pm with a chicken BBQ from 3-5 pm followed by a DJ Dance from 8:30 to 11:30pm.

Avalon Nudist Resort in Paw Paw, WV had its first Annual Car and Truck Show in 2006. Avalon’s event calendar is coming soon and will reveal what 2007 has in store for West Virginia nude recreation.

Know of other nude car shows this year? Post a comment.

If this “nude thing” is all new to you, check out these resources:

Nudist Beginnings - My intro to nudism blog

American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR)
- The resorts above are wholesome nudist destinations according to AANR. Read AANR’s Frequently Asked Questions about Nude Recreation

And when you try nudism for the first time and say it is the best thing ever, come back to this blog and report in.

Swimming Nude in Antarctica

2007-03-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Would you try nude swimming in Antarctica?

The crew and guests aboard the 24-day "Dive Antarctica" voyage had the opportunity. The trip's purpose was to explore the Antarctic undersea world and the above-ground landscape.

Calling this a 'vacation' is not the right word. The excursion seems more of a 'quest', an adventure into lands few have seen. The intense and physically challenging Antarctic diving required that the guests be highly trained and experienced divers. They were rewarded with incredible sights throughout the trip.

Between spectacular diving sessions, the travelers had a little downtime. Some tried swimming in the cold waters. After shedding clothing, a few on the excursion took the opportunity to swim naked - the ultimate nude Polar Bear swim.

Here's footage of a man and woman from the Dive Antarctica excursion skinnydipping in the Antarctic Sea:

(YouTube)

During the trip, the team discovered some pollution in the waters, some from tourism and more at a research station. In a noble effort to keep the environment pristine, Dive Antarctica is proposing to return in 2007 to do a clean-up mission.

Nudists gather on the Mexico border

2007-02-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

"California's Largest Clothing-Optional Resort" lies about 2 miles north of the Mexico border - with the small village of Jacumba, CA in between (aerial view).

Nudists gather daily at the 500-acre DeAnza Springs Resort, a mere hour east of San Diego.

Nudists also go hiking in this unique Southern California desert setting. While the resort has plenty of space to walk around, the adjacent Anza-Borrego Desert State Park also offers miles of nude hiking opportunities.

After hiking, nudists gather around in the 7,500 square foot clubhouse, which has a restaurant, bar, dance hall, game room and fitness center. Other activities include a hot tub spa, tennis courts, volleyball and shuffleboard courts, bocce ball, horseshoe pits, and a kid’s jungle gym area.

And when the weather gets hot, plenty of nudists gather around the outdoor pool. A big year-round indoor pool provides a nice place to soak during winter months and cool evenings.

Hiking is good throughout the year. Average daily temperatures make hiking in the afternoon comfortable in the winter months and morning hiking in the summer months.

There are over 300 RV sites, lots of camping sites and motel rooms ($55) and rental units ($60-70) available. Throw in the grounds fee and a night here is less than $100, which is a cheap way to be naked.

Read about a few other Southern California nudist travel destinations here and here.

Naked money now! A fun way to find money for nudist travel

2007-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

You want to be naked in the great outdoors. You want to visit a clothes-free resort or do a nude cruise. Or maybe you want to spend a weekend at a good nude beach.

But, alas, you have no money. Read on and you'll find some.

OK, lets look at a rewarding way to find money for getting naked.

Finding money starts with managing money. No, managing money is not an exciting topic. Some people would rather eat anchovies for a week than talk about money.

All it takes is 3 minutes a day. AND, the reward is great if you like nude recreation.

You will be a happier nudist in the long run through the financial freedom gained by taking this first step.

The first step is to understand your budget, to understand what you have and who gets it.

Finding out is easy.

(photo courtesy of aanr.com)

Get a little pocket-sized notepad. In the very last page, write down some of the nude resorts, nude cruises and nude beaches you want to experience someday. A few have been mentioned in my previous posts here on Nudist Travel Guide Blog or try the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) for a good list of North America destinations.

Now, put the notepad wherever you keep your keys. At the end of each day, when you turn in your keys, write down what you spent that day.

Gas - $15
Coffee - $4
Lunch - $10
Snacks - $2

Easy.

Not so fast. Give yourself a little reward. Keep some gum by your new notepad. To get the gum, you must make your entries in the notepad. If you spend nothing all day, you can have 2 pieces. No cheating.

Challenge yourself to 10 days of writing everything down. After that, challenge yourself to another 20 days. That will give you 30 days of numbers to work with.

Then, look at the numbers, slowly, and start asking questions:

Are you spending money needlessly every week? How much are you spending on food and drinks? Could you spend less? What about entertainment?

Say you spent $4 on coffee, $10 on breakfast or lunch and $2 on snacks 200 times a year. Multiply $16 by 200. That's $3,200 a year!!! If you brownbag your lunch, buy snacks in bulk, and make cheaper coffee, you could get that down to a little over a thousand, freeing up enough money for nude recreation.

Is there anything else you can cut out or cut down? What changes do you have to make to afford your nude travel goals in the back of the notepad?

Could you buy cheaper shoes? Less electronics? Less books? Would you give up movie theaters for nude recreation? Spend less on weekends? Could you buy non-perishable groceries in bulk? Do you use coupons to save money when grocery shopping? Could you get a cheaper cell phone plan?

How much money did you give to credit card companies this month in the form of interest? Is that money better spent being naked? Could you cut out other things to get credit card debt down? Could you transfer your balance to a 0% or low interest credit card? Most of the major credit card companies have balance transfer offers for new customers whether nudist or not. Find yourself a new credit card company.

That wasn't so hard, was it? Worth the effort? Definitely.

Do this exercise. Repeat it. Get yourself to the places you listed in the back of your notepad. I am.

Nude for the price of a bottle of wine

2007-02-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

This article in Slate magazine calls spending $700 on a bottle of wine a bargain for a rare 1996 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne, which can fetch up to $3,500 at retail or auction.

Forget that! $700 is enough money to buy 2 plane tickets from somewhere cold to somewhere warm with a nudist resort.

Example Trip: Someone living in cold and rainy Seattle, Washington could go to warm and sunny Palm Springs, California to visit a good first-timers resort like Terra Cotta Inn.

I put the numbers into Orbitz for a Monday arrival and Friday departure in May. Alaska Airlines has direct flights for less than $300 a person. Weekday nude resort rates are cheaper than the weekends plus it is a getaway from work. Now that's a bargain!!

How much would it cost you to fly to a nude destination? Could you fly for less than the price of a bottle of expensive wine?

Use Orbitz, Expedia or Kayak to get the best prices. You may be amazed how little it costs to fly from wherever you live to somewhere warmer, better and 'nuder'.

Nudist Cruise Report: The Best for Last

2007-02-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

On his final day aboard the Bare Necessities nude cruise in the Caribbean, Mike writes about Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island paradise turned nudist paradise.

Mike has provided daily nude cruise reports since the first day of the trip. For anyone considering a nude cruise or even just learning about nudism for the first time, Mike's well-written trip reports are a great read.

Report:

West of Half Moon Cay, near Cat Island, Bahamas, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 12, 2007) -- They saved the best for last.

After the Maasdam's visit today to Half Moon Cay, Holland America's "private island" in the Bahamas, many aboard our ship are wondering why we bothered to visit any other ports, sail more than 1,800 miles, or literally go anywhere else besides this idyllic slice of paradise.

We anchored off the island early this morning and tendering operations began with the large and fast island tender ships shuttling Maasdam passengers and crew to the island. Using large island tenders instead of the smaller and slower ship-borne tenders/lifeboats Maasdam carries with her, everyone was able to get ashore quickly, also thanks to the very elaborate channel cut harbor Holland America made for this incredible destination. Passengers loaded and unloaded easily from the tenders using a drop-down boarding ramp, directly onto the large pier-side landing.

Half Moon Cay Map - today home of full-moons

Once ashore, everyone was astounded by the scope and the quality of Half Moon Cay. Its most prominent feature was the absolutely immaculate, mile-long beach of pure, fine white sand, unspoiled by even a single boulder, seashell, reef, weed or rock outcropping. Many among us agreed that is was the finest beach we have ever seen, including the famous beaches of Orient Bay, Runaway Bay, Seven Mile Beach, and even the famous white sand beaches of Tortola and St. John's.

Strewn along this fabulous and breathtaking expanse of beach were hundreds of comfortable lounge chairs, canvas beach shelters, fresh-water showers, restrooms, shade huts, and fully-equipped cabanas. Behind the row of beachside improvements, there were three fully-equipped bars, a shopping market with vendors and gift and craft stalls, and a fabulous and efficient food pavilion and shady eating areas. It was spectacular, and every comfort was provided for us for the day.

Best of all, of course, and nearly beyond belief for all of us aboard the Maasdam, was that all this beauty and comfort was our to enjoy exclusively for the day, nude. Think of it as our own personal Club Orient, and you can get an idea of the size, quality and beauty of Half Moon Cay, then add the fact that we were all able to enjoy it in Nature's own bathing costume, and you can imagine how delighted were all were to be here on this glorious day.

All too soon, it was time to tender back to the Maasdam for our final night aboard, which should be great as well. We have encore performances on tap from all of the wonderful guest performers that have entertained us during the past ten days, including Elton John tribute artist Joel Mason, comedienne Julie Barr, and juggler Max Winfrey. All of that is just the warm-up for the obligatory Passenger Talent Show, which is always a must-see cavalcade of hilarity.

Tonight we pack our bags and place them outside our cabin doors, to be removed overnight to the ship's hold, and by 10:30 Tuesday morning, Maasdam will be rid of us...but we suspect the crew and officers aboard will remember us for some time to come, as we all certainly will remember them. This has been the best cruise, by far, of the 10 nude cruises we've done with Bare Necessities over the past 15 years, and we doubt any future cruise could improve upon it very much. The ship and crew were fantastic, the ports and weather were great, and we sailed with some of the nicest and most fun-loving folks there are.

As Nancy Tiemann said as she accepted our Captain's farewell gift yesterday on the Rembrandt Theater stage, "We've sailed on bigger ships; we've sailed on longer trips; but we've never been treated better." Agreed.

Two more notes before signing off from the Maasdam:

- This was Cruise Director David Martin's second-ever cruise as a cruise director. He did an amazing job, and his tireless efforts won the praise of every Maasdam passenger. His debarkation talk was amazing as well -- touching, genuine, and unforgettable.

- The final total for the "On Deck for the Cure" benefit walk for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation was 789 walkers, with over $15,000 donated to the foundation. That broke the old HAL record by more than double. (More about this accomplishment)

Thanks Mike for giving us an honest glimpse inside what a Bare Necessities nudist cruise is all about. When a vacation is a journey, you have truly traveled.

I'm hoping to package the whole nude cruise trip report series into a single PDF for easy reading. The PDF would be a nice resource for future visitors to this nudist travel blog. Stay tuned for more.

Update: Nudists raise over $15,000 for breast cancer research

2007-02-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

We first learned yesterday that nudists aboard the Bare Necessities nude cruise on Holland America's Maasdam broke the participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

The final numbers ended up even better.

The final total for the "On Deck for the Cure" benefit walk for the
Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation was ~~789~~ 801 walkers,
with over $15,000 donated to the foundation. That broke the old Holland America Line (HAL) record by more than double.

The all-time HAL record for participation had been 370 walkers.

Go nudists!!

This is incredibly positive news for nudists and shows the world that nudists are real caring people like everyone else. The only difference is that they are clothes-free and proud.

The nude cruisers took time out of their vacation to raise money for an important cause - for the benefit of all people. $15,000 is a lot of money.

Nudists break "On Deck for the Cure" record on nude cruise

2007-02-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

The nude cruise report series continues as Mike explains how the nudists aboard the Maasdam broke Holland America Line's participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

Holland America launched "On Deck for the Cure" on April 1, 2006 and targeted about 500 On Deck for the Cure walks over the next year. With that 1-year campaign nearing completion, a group of nudists on one of the smaller ships in Holland America's 13-ship fleet beat the odds today - at the same time showing the world that nudists are good people too.

Read on about this record breaking event and other good times about the nude cruise:

In The Caribbean Sea, 20.11 North, 68.17 West, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 11, 2007) -- Our luxurious, floating nudist resort has just two more days left in our itinerary until this fabulous 10-day nude cruise comes to an all-too-early conclusion. We have been treated to life aboard a beautiful and comfortable ship, a gracious and accommodating crew, a passenger complement of 1,200 fun and friendly nudists, and weather that has been absolutely perfect for our clothes-free enjoyment of every day during our trip. I think everyone who leaves this ship on Tuesday morning will always carry very fond memories of the M/S Maasdam and the wonderful time we have all spent together.

One remarkable event that has been taking place aboard our cruise is worth reporting here. I'm sure this news will also make it into the AANR Bulletin in a few months, and perhaps elsewhere onto the Internet, because it is exciting and very newsworthy.

During every Holland America cruise, on every ship in the fleet, the passengers are invited to join in a non-competitive 5K walk around the Promenade Deck of the ship, to benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation. It's called, "On Deck for the Cure," and passengers donate $20 or more per person to participate. Before our cruise, the all-time Holland America Line (HAL) record for participation was 370 walkers. As of this morning, with a few hours left to go before the walk at 1:30 today, 627 of our fellow nude cruisers have signed up to be in the walk! That totally blows away the old record by nearly double, and represents a much higher percentage of participation than any other walk in HAL history.

Our Cruise Director David Martin is arranging a special group photo for all of us, which he says will have to run alongside the story about this great achievement in the HAL corporate newsletter! This is a really cool feather in the cap of the nudist community, and one that should get lots of positive press for this cruise and social nudism in general. Speaking for my wife and all the other breast cancer survivors on board the ship, congratulations to all our fellow cruisers.

Yesterday's highlight was the nude catamaran sail-and-snorkel tour that about 80 of us lucky Maasdam passengers took. Special arrangements by Bare Necessities with the tour operator allowed us the freedom and fun we enjoy so much, even when in St. Thomas, as US possession and with the strict anti-nudity customs common everywhere in US waters.

Our tour departed from the pier just a minute's walk from Maasdam's gangway, and as we have had all throughout our trip, the weather was perfect: temperatures in the low 80's and sunny skies with puffy white clouds. Our catamaran The Castaway Girl, along with her twin sister ship The Castaway Girl II, held about 100 of us in total, and after a clothed 45-minute sail over to Buck Island bird sanctuary just outside St. Thomas, we were permitted to enjoy the rest of our afternoon clothes-free.

Skinnydipping under the bright Caribbean sun, snorkeling the beautiful reefs of St. Thomas, and then enjoying a wonderful, warm and sunny 90-minute nude sail back to our ship while relaxing in the sun with friendly folks and frosty cold adult beverages is certainly one of life's rarest luxuries. We have been lucky enough to enjoy this indulgence many times in many sunny ports over the years, since we always try to sign up for the nude "booze cruise" catamaran tours whenever they are offered. Those three hours yesterday aboard the Castaway Girl are the ones we will treasure most fondly among all the many wonderful time spent on this amazing cruise.

Today is our last day at sea with complete freedom from textiles until we arrive at Half Moon Cay early Monday morning for the day at HAL's "private island." We are all hoping it is very private, and that it is available for the exclusive use of Maasdam's passengers, so that we may fully enjoy it in the most pleasant way possible. Monday night will be our last night aboard this wonderful ship, and the evening's entertainment features the always amazing passenger talent show. Then Tuesday morning we must say goodbye to the Maasdam and all these great nudist friends until we see them again on another trip sometime soon.

This is awesome news! It is amazing what a group of nudists can accomplish when they get together.

To learn more about this cruise, read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Nudist Cruise: How do cruise staff react to nudists? Positively!

2007-02-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

Today, nudist traveler Mike reflects on the positive responses to nudists by clothed entertainers and staff members aboard the M/S Holland America Maasdam’s special nude Caribbean cruise.

First time here? Be sure to read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI / Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 10, 2007) -- It's not just us.

We're not the only ones who think nudists are a fun, fun bunch of people to be with. It seems that everyone who steps onto the stage of the M/S Maasdam offers that opinion as well, from our Cruise Director David Martin to each of the featured guest performers who have come aboard to entertain us in the Rembrandt Theater stage.

Last night, we had two outstanding guest entertainers. The first was Joel Mason, who did a hilarious and musically great Elton John tribute show, and got 90% naked on stage himself with a great break- away Elton-esque white suit costume, and then high-fived many in the audience as he ran around the seating area in his boxers. "I love you people, and I love this philosophy!" he said more than once, and everyone could tell he was really enjoying performing for our fun- loving and appreciative group...all the more so since he did it all with a mild case of bronchitis.

Next up, for the "Adults Only" late-night comedy show at 11:15 was Julie Barr, who totally killed for nearly an hour. She jousted with the audience like the best of the pros do, evoking comparisons to Paula Poundstone and Robin Williams and their superlative improv styles. But the biggest among many huge laughs were for her "blue material," jokes she can't use with other audiences but which were very much appropriate for we open-minded and hard-to-offend nudists (none of which can I repeat here for this G-rated blog posting). Suffice it to say, Julie had a blast working for us, and said as much several times during her show. She even said, "If this is the last show I ever work for Holland America, it's worth it." Wow.

All of which brings to mind the idea that we nudists have found something special. We have discovered a way of life, a way of relaxing, a way of making new friends, a way of having fun that sadly too few others will ever find or try. We are regular people in every other way, except for this one very special part of our lives, which we love so much and want to share with as many others as we can...yet doing so is impossible for most of us because of the misplaced societal taboos and small-minded prudery that has so far kept nudism as a tiny niche lifestyle.

In fact, during Julie's set last night, she posed a question to the standing-room-only crowd in the Rembrandt Theater: "How many of you are on this cruise without your family knowing about it?" There was a loud round of applause...and she immediately followed up with, "How many are on this cruise without your family knowing about it--and you just don't care?" -- which was answered by an even stronger response.

On Thursday, we both had massages in the ship's spa. Spontaneously and without being asked, both of our young massage therapists offered their opinion that without any question, our group has been by far the most fun, the most friendly, the smartest (!) and the most easy-going charter they have ever had aboard. None of that surprises me except the comment about smartness...all certainly reasonable as we have found nudists to be a thoughtful, well-traveled and well-educated group on the whole...but it's still nice to hear comments like that from folks who are having their first-ever exposure to social nudism thrust upon them during our cruise.

Today we are looking forward to a clothing-optional afternoon catamaran sail-and-snorkel trip here in St. Thomas. Our boat captain will have to take extra measures to serve our special needs of privacy so as not to offend any other boaters or swimmers along our route or at our destination, but we plan to make it worth his while to do so. Tomorrow's report will be a recap of how that excursion went, and what our day at Half Moon Cay, the "private island" owned by Holland America's parent company Carnival, is like.

Just three more days of naked fun left...it has gone by so quickly!

Thanks Mike. I wonder who was entertained more, the entertainers or the audience?

Nude Cruise Report: Nudist Costume Contest and Rainforest River Tubing

2007-02-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

Today we hear about a nudist costume contest followed by river tubing in Dominica. These nudist cruisers sure know how to have a good, wholesome clothes-free time.

For those just joining us, 1,200 nudists (a.k.a. naturists) are aboard a Bare Necessities Nude Cruise for a February 3 to 13 Caribbean tour. Using an onboard wireless Internet connection, nudist traveler Mike has been able to provide a look inside the nude cruise.

Be sure to read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Report:

Roseau, Dominica, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 9, 2007) -- Nobody knows how to dress up better than a shipload of nudists.

Proof positive of that fact was in spectacular evidence last night aboard our floating city of nudists for the gala "Under The Sea" costume contest / parade, and no one on the ship who saw the hundreds of simply amazing costumes cooked up by the nudists will ever forget the evening.

On a typical cruise, on a theme night, there might be a half-dozen passengers in costume or dressing up in accordance with the announced "theme" for the night: i.e., Country & Western Night, Mardi Gras Night, etc. On our nude cruise, being a bunch of people who haven't forgotten how to have fun without any hang-ups or pretension, we had well over 300 people in costume last night. And the costumes were spectacular.

There was a very strong invertebrate category, with many variations of jellyfish costumes and even some elaborate electrified outfits for an electro-luminescent look. We had sharks, sea sponges, many types of lobsters, wharf rats, some amazing sea anemones, fishermen and their catches, and a good assortment of King Neptune and mermaids / sea maidens. We all assembled on the aft pool deck at 10:00 PM for prelim judging, and it was just amazing to walk around and see so many of our fellow Maasdam passengers in their elaborate costumes, each one more inventive, original and fun than the next.

The photos I am sending for John to post don't begin to do justice to the immense variety and novelty of the great costumes on board last night. Some are simply inexplicable, and no one who wasn't there last night will ever know how amazing they were. The ship's photographers were trying to capture it all on film, and we'll be able to see our photos tonight in the ship's photo gallery. Of course, many onlookers and contestants as well also took their own photos (with the permission of their subjects, of course), and so I am attaching a few to give a small glimpse of the hilarity and imaginativeness of the various creations.

Mermaid on stage with David the emcee

Electro-luminescent jellyfish having fun

A couple in jellyfish costumes

Wearing crazy sea anemone costume

Our favorite was the SCUBA diver and mermaid couple. He was dressed in a full wet-suit, with mask, snorkel, SCUBA BCD vest, and he carried the mermaid over his shoulder...she was his wife, topless of course and with long blonde hair, strewn with seaweed and seashells, and with an impeccable set of mermaid fins covering her from the waist down. So dressed, she couldn't very well walk anywhere, but she did crawl, hop and beg to be carried around the festivities, even "making a break for it" once as they neared the aft pool. Once on stage, she crawled across the stage to our Cruise Director David Martin, the emcee for the contest, and managed to distract him endlessly during the proceedings. The shot I'm sending was taken from onstage and shows her sprawled on the floor making for David's leg gives an idea of the scene. They were fabulous, and neither one ever "broke character" -- he had to be dying of heat inside that wet suit, but it earned them one of the three Honorable Mention awards!

The kind of fun we all had last night is simply indescribable to anyone who hasn't been there themselves. The costume contest is always one of the highlights of the nude cruise, and last night's ranks among the best we've ever seen. It is so amazing to be among so many fun, happy, carefree people who just like to have fun, playing as children do and enjoying just being human. As I say, it's inexplicable, but inimitable and certainly unimaginable to all the textile-compulsive folks out in the rest of the world.

Dominica Layou River Valley
Today we arrived in Dominica, the green rainforest island, which has 10 volcanoes, 365 rivers, dozens of freshwater lakes, and a lush and gorgeous ecosystem of palms, ferns and every other kind of green, living thing. If you didn't know better, you'd say you were on Maui -- except Dominica is even more densely forested and with a more diverse climate. Many people from our ship went river tubing down the island's longest river, the Layou, while others took island bus tours. We did the 12-mile downhill bike ride through the rainforest, stopping for a cool dip in the Layou (with a skinnydip in the adjoining hot spring as well!) before arriving back at the beach. Our 3-hour ride took us down 2,200 feet in elevation through the beautiful and lush Layou rainforest valley. Spectacular.

Shortly Maasdam will push off the pier and head on to St. Thomas, where we will be in port Saturday until late afternoon. Tonight we'll enjoy another great clothes-free night of fun aboard the Maasdam, which seems to be gaining the acclaim of many of our fellow cruisers as the best ship and crew ever chartered by Bare Necessities.

I don't know about you, the reader, but hearing about all of this fun is getting me thinking about my own vacation plans for this year!

Nude Cruise Report: A Wonderful Return to Clothes-free Freedom

2007-02-08T20:07:00.000-08:00

Most people I know where born without clothing. Today presents a fond story of a group of 1,200 travelers turning a regular cruise-ship into a nude cruise, a cruise without the constraint of clothing.

The nudist travelers have taken over the M/S Holland America's Maasdam cruise ship, with the help of Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, who have chartered over 40 clothing-optional cruises since 1991.

Mike reports today from aboard the ship to tell us more about the cruise.

Report:

Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 8, 2007) – After two days in ports, forced to wear all those silly clothes from morning until night, we 1,200 nudists aboard this magnificent ship showed our appreciation for a return to blissful nudity during this full day at sea. Breakfast this morning at the casual indoor/outdoor Lido buffet restaurant on pool deck 11 this morning was attended by an overwhelmingly unclothed crowd, with everyone more than ready to get back to clothes freedom for another glorious day of sailing.

Promenade deck 6 was a popular place as well this morning, where many Maasdam passengers enjoyed a beautiful morning walk around the open deck, which encircles the ship. Few things in this world can compare with the bright morning sun and warm breeze against the skin, walking the length of a beautiful ship on the open sea, surrounded by and dressed in Nature's own splendor.

The surest way for a pretty woman to attract attention around the pool of the Maasdam is to show up wearing a bikini or thong. She'll get plenty of looks, not because we're all thrilled by her skimpy bathing costume, but because she is bothering to wear one at all during a cruise for which we all paid a premium in order to be able to dispense with such distractions. Likewise, gentlemen who arrive poolside in a thong or Speedo will find themselves distinctly out of place and very much overdressed, since the whole point of this wonderful 10-day cruise was to be unencumbered by those restrictive, clingy and wholly unnecessary adornments.

Thankfully and quite typically for nude cruises like this one, folks wearing bathing suits around the two pools of the Maasdam are the rare exception, and those that do usually dispense with whatever they are wearing once they find a lounger or table at which to situate themselves. We have had the company of some of the ship's production show dancers and other entertainers around the pools throughout the week, and slowly we are seeing the females enjoying top-freedom, although the males have so far remained in their swimsuits while sunning and swimming along with us.

Tonight we look forward to the big "Under The Sea" costume ball, with several hundred entrants expected to be in the parade and contest around the ship. My wife and I will be among them, dressed as King Neptune and a Mermaid...wish us luck. Last time we wore these rented costumes, during the Nude Millennium Cruise on New Year's Eve 1999, we took first place!

Here's some of Mike's pictures from yesterday in Willemstad, Curacao - clothes had to be worn while the ship was in port, due to regulations.

Willemstad Harbor looks as good at night as it does during the day.

A steel drummer entertains guests on the ship.

A BBQ dinner buffet.

View of the pool during the day with Willemstad port in Curacao in the background.

View of the pool at night.

Thanks Mike. Good luck in the contest and have fun!

For those just joining us, be sure to read the previous nude cruise reports to learn more about clothes-free nudist cruises: February 4, 5, 6, and 7.

And of course, if you have your own story to tell or questions to ask, please feel free to leave comments.

Nude Cruise Report: Nude SCUBA diving and other fun

2007-02-07T17:22:00.000-08:00

Nudist traveler Mike reports today from aboard a special nude cruise on Holland America's Maasdam. The ship is docked in Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the main city of the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Today is a clothed day for his nudist shipmates.

View of Maasdam (foreground) and Royal Caribbean
Adventure of The Seas (background) at port in Curacao,
taken from the towering St. Anna's Bridge.

Tomorrow, the historic nude cruise continues forward. I say historic because the cruise represents the nudist community moving forward. It is yet another piece in the short human history of clothes-free cruises and bodes well for the future of nudist travel.

For those just joining us, be sure to read the previous day's nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, and 6.

Read on as Mike tells us more about Curacao and reflects upon what he and fellow nudists did yesterday while on the island of Bonaire.

Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 7, 2007) -- Who let all these funny-looking clothed people onto our ship?

For the second day in a row, Maasdam is in port from early morning until midnight, obliging all 1,200-plus of us nudist vacationers to remain clothed on our ship, even when in her interior spaces or on the high open decks out of the sight of anyone on any ship around, much less anyone shoreside. Although we are all just as friendly and the faces are all as familiar as when textiles are not mandatory, there is certainly less of a feeling of freedom and relaxation since we all have to bother with dressing, changing clothes for various functions, and of course those nasty tan lines!

Yesterday we were in Bonaire for the day, and many of us took advantage of the excellent SCUBA diving available there. Others strolled the small downtown area, shopped, ate and drank at the small bars and restaurants, or otherwise did what there was to do on that small, arid island. A good many Maasdam passengers signed up for the day trip by bus over to Sorobon, the small naturist beach resort on the eastern side of Bonaire.

Photo of Dive Inn SCUBA shop sign in Bonaire
Those of us who did not were lucky to be able to get nude during one of the shore excursions arranged by BNT&T or by our fellow passengers. I was one of them, joining in with 11 other SCUBA divers who chartered a small dive boat for the afternoon, for an excellent one-tank nude (or 'buff') dive. From where Maasdam was tied up, we could nearly fall off the ship and land at the Dive Inn Bonaire, directly across the road from the south town pier where Maasdam was alongside. Harry, the owner, was very friendly and accommodating, offering to rent us his divemaster, his boat captain, his dive boat and all our tanks, weights, and other gear for a nude one-tank boat dive trip on a splendidly warm afternoon.

Being a Dutch possession and with mostly Dutch or Dutch-educated natives, naturism is not unknown among most Bonaire residents, especially with Sorobon bringing many hundreds of tourists to the island every year. Our divemaster, Babs, was totally cool and took extra steps to bring us to a dive site on the far side of Klein Bonaire for our dive, well away from other dive boats and other snorkel/sail excursions as well.

The water temperature and visibility was excellent for our dive, and the 12 of us spent most of an hour below the surface taking in the magnificent coral and sea life that brings divers to Bonaire from all over the world. Five of our party elected to buff dive, myself included, and we were glad for the luxury of it, especially after climbing back onto the boat and not having the chill of a soggy bathing costume bothering us in the brilliant afternoon sun.

From Bonaire on Tuesday, Maasdam made the short run to Curacao overnight, arriving well before dawn after the 60-nm voyage. Again here in Curacao, many of our fellow passengers are ashore all day taking in the local sights, food and drink, but alas there were no clothing-optional tours made available through the charterer.

Tonight the Maasdam is featuring a poolside luau dinner around the main pool, as well as the usual live show in the main theater, the current movie "The Queen" playing in the cinema, and live music at various lounges around the ship. The casino onboard must remain closed while we are in port, and of course we all must remain clothed, so tonight will pass more slowly for many of us than the glorious nights underway at sea when the whole ship is ours to enjoy nude if we wish.

So far, we have not found a single shipmate who has anything but praise for the Maasdam, her crew, or the splendid weather we have had so far. Tomorrow (Thursday) has us at sea again for the whole day and so we can again enjoy the freedom and comfort which we have all paid for on this special cruise, as well as a fabulous costume contest tomorrow night with a theme of "Under The Sea."

Blessedly, today is our last day spent in port with textiles mandatory from morning until night. Friday we visit Dominica from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, then St. Thomas during the day on Saturday, then to Holland America's 'private island' of Half Moon Cay for the day on Monday. We are hopeful that we will be the only Carnival-branded ship visiting Half Moon Cay that day, giving us the possibility of enjoying the whole island nude...we shall see.

Thanks for the report! What a unique travel experience.

Nude Cruise Report Day 3: Nudism, a brief encounter with clothing, more nudism, perfect!

2007-02-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

During the 3rd day aboard the Bare Necessities Nude Cruise, a ship carrying over 1,200 nudists for a February 3 to 13 Caribbean tour, the ship makes its first stop at the port in Bonaire.

Mike, a nudist aboard the ship, was able to snap a few pictures from the cruise and tell us more about the day's events.

(View Large)
Mike's view of the 720 feet long and 101 feet wide Maasdam docked at the South town pier in Kralendjik on the island of Bonaire. Doesn't that green ocean water look nice?

The report:

Kralendjik, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 6, 2007) -- We have reached our first port call on this 10-day nude cruise. Bonaire has a population slightly smaller than the complement of passengers and crew aboard the Maasdam (1,600 or so on our ship versus the 1,200 or so on the whole 125 sq. mile island), so when a ship even as modestly-sized as ours (by today's megaship standards) pulls alongside, the island's capacity to entertain, feed and escort us on tours is at its limit.

We are tied up all day at the South town pier in Kralendjik, the only town of any size on the island. Many of our shipmates scattered off to various landside tours this morning, with many making the short walk into town for shopping, lunch and the all-important Internet cafe visit. Maasdam leaves at midnight for Curacao, with the gangway retracted and all aboard by 11:00 PM, and since we are within view of shore and other boats and ships along the harbour, we are obliged to remain clothed aboard the ship all day.

Those are about the only nudity restrictions during the nude cruises: we may be nude anywhere on the ship except in the formal dining room and the Captain's reception cocktail party, and at all times except when we are in port, within sight of other ships when at anchor, or at the Captain's orders at other times, for example if we are boarded by local officials. Essentially, that means we can be as dressed or undressed as we care to be at all times when we are underway, every night as we sail toward our next port, and for all meals taken in the casual Lido buffet restaurant, all the ship's lounges and bars, anywhere on the outer decks and pools--basically, anywhere on the ship.

There are few pleasures as rare and as exquisite as waking for the day while at sea, stepping out of a warm morning shower in your cruise ship stateroom, and knowing you are as dressed as you need to be for a day of fun and relaxation. AANR has graciously provided neat little neck lanyards with watertight plastic pouches, perfectly sized to hold our cabin door key and shipboard charge card -- so with just that around your neck, you need to wear very little else, if anything, as you enjoy the ship. Plus, Maasdam's crew has provided an endless supply of thick, large pool towels for us everywhere throughout the ship, so we are never at a loss for a towel to sit on or to dry off with.

With the warm air temperatures outside while making our way here from Florida, and the ship's engineers keeping the indoor temperatures warmer than usual for us, we are able to enjoy comfortable nudity day and night without a chill as we have had at times on other ships. Many, many, many of the passengers are taking full advantage of this luxury, remaining nude all day and evening, and so the casual indoor- outdoor (and nude-permitted) Lido restaurant on pool deck 11 is getting steady business for all four meals each day. (As with all cruises, food is available somewhere on the ship for something like 18 of the 24 hours each day.)

A special treat during our day at sea yesterday was around the main pool, which was filled not with cold seawater as is typical for cruise ship swimming pools, but with warm fresh water. Partially covered by a glass-and-steel retractable canopy to keep the winds down, it was the place to be for sunning and refreshing dips during the long daylight hours. Especially fun was in the afternoon, when Maasdam was pitching and falling slightly with the seas, making the main pool into a wave pool, with the tens of thousands of gallons of water in it sloshing back and forth on a regular interval -- delightful!

The plate inside the ship shows the date and the yard which built the ship -- in this case, the famous Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, in 1993 -- the 5,882nd new ship built by them since 1907.

Another great report from Mike. Everyone reading this is wishing they were on board right now!

Having towels available everywhere is a nice touch and must be greatly appreciated by the nudists on board. Part of the nudist way is to always sit on a towel. Another is to always shower before going into the swimming pool. When living clothes-free, towels come in handy.

What really happens on nude cruises? Insider Report

2007-02-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today brings more news from the Bare Necessities Nude Cruise, a ship carrying over 1,200 nudists for a February 3 to 13 Caribbean tour.

Thanks to a wireless Internet connection aboard the ship, nudist traveler Mike has been able to share news about the vacation of a lifetime. Yesterday Mike told us about the first day on the cruise as hundreds of nudists watched the Superbowl together.

Mike and fellow nudists continue to have a great time. Mike bestows upon us insights as to what the atmosphere is like, how friendships are made, how nudists come in all shapes and sizes (the requirement of having a perfect body is a myth about nudism), and how the day's activities are going.

Read on:

"Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam - in the Caribbean Sea 180nm south of Haiti (February 5, 2007) -- An hour of Sunday morning was spent waiting in line with dozens of our shipmates on the M/S Maasdam queuing to book our cabins for the next large-ship mid-winter cruise chartered by Bare Necessities. The M/S Carnival Legend will sail February 8-15, 2009, from and to Tampa, FL, with ports of call at Key West, FL, Montego Bay, Jamaica and our favorite, Cozumel, Mexico. Legend was the largest nude ship charter ever when BNT&T took her out in February, 2005, and the 2009 cruise has been dubbed the Homecoming Cruise--BNT&T hoping to attract as many former clients for that 16th annual mid-winter cruise as possible.

During the wait in line, it was easy to strike up conversations with our future fellow Legend shipmates. The Maasdam is our tenth nude cruise in the past 13 years, and so we have actually spent many weeks aboard various ships with many of our Maasdam shipmates -- more time together, indeed, than we've spent with our own relatives! And as is usual among nudists, names and hometowns are quickly exchanged, faces recognized from past vacations together, and friendships made and recalled from all our shared weeks afloat.

Claiming a repeat passenger rate of 70%-plus on this cruise like many other nude charters, Bare Necessities owners Tom and Nancy have certainly made millions by catering to an under-served and upscale clientele. The attraction of nude cruising is obvious for anyone who has tried it: carefree days at sea without the bother of clammy bathing costumes; warm sun by day and plenty of indoor activities by night among hundreds or thousands of other like-minded, easy-going folks aboard a floating, mobile city of comfort and entertainment.

Nudity without shame or pretension, with people from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, all stages of fitness and infirmity, all sharing their mutual love of freedom and body acceptance.

It's equally easy to meet and make friends with a physicist, a firefighter, a schoolteacher or a SCUBA instructor on a nude cruise. That is one of the most pleasant attributes we have found within nudism: it is the great leveler of background, income, education and other usually stratifying markers of social life, all of which fall off with the clothes. You meet and enjoy people for their person- hood, not their wealth or social standing.

We make our push to Bonaire today and tonight at a steady 19 knots, arriving in Kralendijk early on Tuesday morning for a day at port on this tropical desert island. Bonaire boasts some of the finest SCUBA diving sites in the hemisphere, and we are part of a "buff diving" group of 14 Maasdam passengers who have chartered a one-tank afternoon nude SCUBA dive on Klein Bonaire, the small deserted out-island a short boat ride from the downtown pier.

Before then, we are enjoying another glorious day at sea with warm temperatures, sunny skies and a fabulous ship to enjoy. Dinner for us tonight is in the fancy Pinnacle restaurant, a birthday gift to us from friends who are sailing along with us from Dallas. We shall dress for dinner, the first time we have not been nude since after our first dinner aboard Saturday night just after leaving Florida. A few changes of clothes go a long way on a nude cruise!"

Wow! Sounds like a great time! The 70% repeat visitor rate boasts well for the future of nudist cruises. I hope this is a growing trend.

Packing a suitcase for a vacation like this must be different. I can picture the headlines now: "Nudist suitcase full of sunscreen causes airport security delay."

Speaking of Bonaire... For those nudist travelers who are unable to do a nudist cruise, in a bay on the eastern side of Bonaire is Sorobon Beach Naturist Resort. This charming place is perfect for people happy to have a lot of quiet time while on vacation in the warm Caribbean.

World's Biggest Nudist Cruise Ship Superbowl Party Ever

2007-02-04T13:48:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you put 1,200 nudists on a cruise ship in the Caribbean during the SuperBowl? Simple. The World's biggest nudist SuperBowl party.

Chicago Bears? No. Chicago Bares.

I just received this dispatch from Mike who's aboard the The M/S Holland America Maasdam right now. This M/S Holland America Maasdam cruise is one of the big nude cruises I mentioned during my post about 2007 nude cruises. Here's the scoop:

Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam - Somewhere east of Cuba (February 4, 2007) -- Our first day at sea was fine with warm, sunny weather, slight seas and a beautiful ship to call our home for the next ten days. Setting out from Port Everglades on Saturday evening, our ship slid past other giants of the sea, no doubt setting out on their own Caribbean vacation adventures. But ours alone carried a passenger compliment of some 1,200 nudists and naturists from all over the world, on the latest mid-Winter nude cruise chartered by Bare Necessities Tour and Travel of Austin Texas.

This is our tenth nude cruise with BNT&T, and the "smallest large ship" we've been on in a while. Although the Maasdam is considered 'old' by modern cruise ship standards at just 13 years, she is very, very comfortable, fast, and luxuruious. The staff, crew and officers so far have been wonderfully accomodating, both enjoying our charter and adapting to what could be a huge shock for what is normally a ship patronized by the older and definitely more textile-compulsive set.

Being a 10-day cruise, setting out just a month after the Christmas and New Year's holidays, our shipmates are skewing a little older than usual for a BNT&T mid-winter cruise. Many younger people can't get away for nearly two full weeks at a time owing to job and family responsibilities, so we are meeting many older (retired and nearly retired) cruisers enjoying the Maasdam with us. That matters little to our enjoyment of the fun, which is hard not to have when surrounded by so many free-spirited and unpretentious folks.

Tonight is the big SuperBowl Party, with the main show lounge turned into a giant sports bar for the game, and a crowd expected to number in the many hundreds of nude sports fans enjoying the big-screen telecast. Other bars and lounges on the ship will have their TVs set to the game as well, and we expect a very fun and spirited evening of football madness. We'll be wearing our Chicago Bears jerseys (and nothing else!) for the game -- GO BEARS!

This dispatch is courtesy of the very reliable and easy-to-use Wi-Fi network aboard the ship. We expect to have daily e-mail access while on the trip, so if all goes well, our trusty Apple Powerbook G4 and the Maasdam's satellite Intenet link will bring (hopefully) daily reports as the cruise progresses.

Thanks Mike for thinking of the Nudist Travel Guide blog. I wish I was there. Instead, I'm up north in 30 degree weather.

California Nudist Resorts and Beaches Part 2: Glen Eden Sun Club

2007-02-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Glen Eden Sun Club (website) is a family-oriented nudist club on 150-acres in Corona, California, a short-drive from Anaheim and Los Angeles. This nudist resort is provides a mixture of recreation and relaxation - whereas Part 1 of this series covered Terra Cotta Inn, a destination focused on relaxation for couples.

For outdoor nudist recreation, the club has a pool outside, a spa, 6 tennis courts, nude volleyball, nice shuffleboard, horseshoe and petanque courts, and more.

The clubhouse also has an indoor pool, a dance floor, 3 billiards tables, ping-pong tables, a café, a sauna and more. A gym has weights, treadmills, and assorted machines. So when the weather is off, there are plenty of nude activities to do indoors.

To keep things fun for guests, the resort has regular nude karaoke nights, DJ dances, and competitive activities. Of course, the weekends are the busiest and organized recreational activities go on throughout the day.

According to Glen Eden's activity calendar, a typical weekend usually includes organized hiking, some water volleyball tournaments, cribbage tournaments, bridge games, pool tournaments, dance lessons, a DJ dance, karaoke, nude tennis and more.

There are many theme weekends throughout the year, whether celebrating a holiday or the annual "Nude Attitude" car show. The club will also be host to the AANR West Summer Festival June 8-10, 2007.

The park has plenty of RV units available for rental at reasonable prices. There are also RV hook-up sites and camping sites.

Check this out. This is an aerial view of Glen Eden Sun Club showing the nice grounds. See the tennis courts, nude swimming pool and all of the RVs.

Glen Eden nudist resort pictures: View.

California Nudist Resorts and Beaches Part 1: Terra Cotta Inn

2007-01-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

California provides an eclectic mix of nudist resorts, inns, campgrounds and nude beaches. Through a series of posts, we'll look at some of the nude recreation options.

A good place to start is with a cozy but reputable nudist inn, Terra Cotta Inn in Southern California.

The Terra Cotta Inn Clothing Optional Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, California provides guests a quiet sanctuary with poolside breakfast and spa services. Think of Terra Cotta Inn as a friendly nudist hotel ideal for couples.

The 17 single-story guest rooms form a rectangle around the pool area, hot tub area and landscaped grounds. From within this private area, visitors have a view of the mountains surrounding Palm Springs - a tourist destination in its own right.

The atmosphere is laid-back and visitors go to Terra Cotta Inn with relaxation in mind.

Terra Cotta's coziness makes it an ideal first-time experience. Tom Mulhall, who owns the inn with his wife, says that Terra Cotta Inn is "perfect for couples trying nude sunbathing for the first time" (while commenting on a previous post here). Being clothing optional also helps first timers feel comfortable.

Tom also says "there is no sunnier, warmer location for nude sunbathing in the world than Palm Springs." Who can argue with average daytime highs of 72 degrees in January?

Tom is one of the only resort owners to have an active blog about all kinds of nudist topics. The blog shows his commitment to nude recreation. Check it out at: http://terracottainn.blogspot.com

From reading many forum posts and nudist trip reports (example), it is clear that first-time and experienced nudists have been happy visiting the inn.

The inn has received high ratings from several media outlets as well and is a place to book in advance.

Back and ready to talk nudist travel

2007-01-26T18:32:00.000-08:00

After a brief down period due to a Blogger issue, I'm back and ready to provide more nudist travel info.

I recently posted an nudist travel article about a new South African Nude Safari on my "Nudist Beginnings" intro to nudism blog. I would have put it here, but posting ability was turned off for a few weeks.

Nude Cruises 2007

2007-01-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

2007 offers a good selection of nude cruises and boat ride if you look around. Let's look at some of the choices.

Bare Necessities Tour & Travel has put together many nice nudist cruises in the past and 2007 continues the trend.

Their first cruise is February 3 - 13 aboard Holland America's Maasdam, a ship with a 1,250 person capacity. The ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale and makes stops at Bonaire, Curacao, Dominica, St. Thomas and Bahamas.

Their second cruise ship tours the far east March 10-24 on the Star Flyer. The boat visits Singapore and makes several stops on Thailand and Malaysia.

Their third cruise is named the "Fire & Ice" tour and runs July 20-27. The cruise ship tours Alaska and the inside passage, leaving from Seattle and stopping in Juneau, Glacier Bay, Victoria B.C. and other places.

Besides the "big boat" cruise, there are other options. If a chartered yacht or sailboat is more your style, a previous post discusses the options. Here's an updated list with few more:

A Dutch couple (speak english too) offer chartered naturist and clothed sailing on the 45 foot catamaran "Zeevonk". Their 2007 calendar shows many of the "naturistisch" (naturist) cruises offered, such as one going from Martinique to Grenadines to Grenada in the Caribbean.

For something small, try an all inclusive private nude Caribbean sailing cruise on the sailing yacht "Billy Jean". This is a small charter for up to 5 people and the itinerary appears to be up to you. "Have it your way" - except this isn't Burger King, this is nudists in a boat...slightly different.

As mentioned in the article about Sorobon's nude resort, there's a 3 hours boat ride every Monday from the resort. The boat takes nudists to good nude snorkeling spots.

If those boats are just too big for you, Lake Como Family Nudist Resort, just north of Tampa, Florida, has its own private lake where nudists can ride paddleboats.

"Nudist Beginnings" for first time nudists

2007-01-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

As a compliment to this website, a new, more specialized website "blog" has been created called "Nudist Beginnings". The purpose of Nudist Beginnings is to introduce potential nudists to the topic of nudism.

The blog focuses on providing quality resources about nudism for potential first timer nudists.

If you have ever thought of being naked outside of the shower, this is the place for you. Visit the new Nudist Beginnings.

“Nude” Year’s Resolution Better Than New Year’s Resolution

2006-12-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

Now is the time to make a “Nude” Year's Resolution. A Nude Year’s Resolution is different from a New Year’s Resolution and much more fun. In this article we’ll look at how to create a successful Nude Year’s Resolution.

As defined in Wikipedia, “A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous.” Applying that to being nudist, a Nude Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to fun nudist lifestyle activities.

Why nudism? Why should anyone create a Resolution relating to the nudist lifestyle? The 50,000-member American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) explains that nudism “embraces the joy of living and experiencing nature in the most natural way possible. To relax and be nude is to let yourself be totally free…Our own self-esteem is enhanced by our ability to accept ourselves as we really are. We find it easy to accept others regardless of physical size, shape, or body condition. Moreover, social class distinctions, often indicated by clothing, disappear.”

Making a Nude Year’s Resolution is easy. Just follow some examples of good Nude Year’s Resolutions:

1) Spend an afternoon at a nudist resort, campground or beach

If you’ve never tried nudism outside of your home - or even the shower - there’s no better time than 2007 to get outside. How? Find a resort or campground or beach nearby and go there for an afternoon. Many resorts even give clothed guided tours to first-times. Get started learning the facts here. Make a commitment to try nude recreation, to spend a warm afternoon at a nudist campground or resort at least once during 2007.

2) Make a stay at a nudist resort part of your vacation

Spend a night at an American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) affiliated nudist or clothing-optional resort or campground. Find one here. AANR takes affiliation seriously and require member clubs to provide a wholesome and friendly environment. If you haven’t tried nudist recreation before, one of these clubs is a good place to start. Maybe you’ll be lucky and live near a few. If not, there are plenty nearby to popular U.S. tourist destinations from southern California to central Florida to New Jersey, New York and New England. Try something new.

3) Spend a long weekend with your significant other at a nudist resort or clothing optional resort

Spending quality time with your significant other is important. A nudist resort allows both of you to get away from the distractions of everyday life. Maybe plan the long weekend around an event, such as an anniversary or birthday. Of course, if you and your partner are new to nude recreation, talk about it first.

Alright, so those are 3 easy to do Nude Year’s Resolutions to think about. Here’s a few bad resolutions that should be avoided.

A bad resolution: “I want to get into perfect shape first before I go to a nudist resort”

This is a bad Nude Year’s resolution because no one cares how you look. Real people of all shapes, sizes, scars and ages go. A better resolution would be to use nude recreation as a way to live healthier this year. A healthy life means more nude recreation. Many nudist resorts and campgrounds have pools and recreational activities. Exercising nude is much more fun.

Another bad resolution: “I want go to a nudist resort even if I have to put it on credit cards.”

A common New Year’s Resolution is trying to get out of debt. A Nude Year’s Resolution that creates debt is not a good one. A better resolution is to plan out your budget and save up some money before taking any kind of vacation. A nudist weekend or vacation can be cheaper than a clothed one if planned properly. At the very least, there’s no need to buy vacation clothes!

A lot of people break New Year’s resolutions, but Nude Year’s Resolutions are more fun and easier to set and follow. Try it. A Nude Year’s Resolution may even help motivate you to keep a separate New Year’s Resolution, such as relaxing more, vacationing more, or having more fun in 2007.

Caribbean Nudist Resort is Hot This Winter

2006-12-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Literally. The temperature is in the 80s. During January, February and March, the temperature will stay in the 80s with a very slight chance of rain. That is the forecast.

On the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean is Sorobon Beach Naturist Resort, a small family-oriented nudist resort and a nice place to escape from the cold winter weather of North America.

This is a place where you can sit on a quiet beach and just lounge around naked all day in the warm sun...maybe read a book or two. The laid-back atmosphere of the resort reflects the tiny island of Bonaire, an island with no traffic lights.

Between lounging sessions, naturists can keep busy with other activities not typically found in United States resorts.

There’s nude snorkeling in the crystal clear water of the 4-foot deep bay the resort is on. Watch the fish and even sea turtles swim by. Snorkeling equipment is available at the resort.

On Mondays, a trimaran sailboat named the “Woodwind” takes visitors on a nude cruise. The boat takes passengers out to another snorkeling area during a 3-hour trip. According to the resort's website, “all you need is a towel, sun-cream and a smile.”

If you’d rather be captain of your own ship, the resort has kayaks available for use. Nude kayaking sounds like fun and a perfect way to see nature.

Twice a week, yoga classes are held on the beach. The small beachfront restaurant also has a bar. And if you just cannot get away from the Internet, the resort has wireless access.

For accommodations, the resort has about 40 one and two bedroom chalets for visitors to stay in and every chalet is within 50 yards of the sea. For a 1-room chalet, rates are about $150 a night during low season and just above $250 a night during peak season (winter).

Here’s an aerial photo of the resort using Google Maps aerial photo. The resort's website only has a limited aerial photo but this Google Maps view does a better job at showing how secluded the resort is. Zoom out and the small size of the island of Bonaire is clear.

First-Time Nudist Reports to Overcome Jitters

2006-12-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

Being nude in public for the first time is a scary thought for many people. The thought keeps a lot of would-be nudist travelers from trying nudism.

Nudist resorts and campgrounds go out of their way to make it easy. Many even give a clothed guided tour to newbies.

If it still sounds scary, NetNude.com's first-time reports section is now up to 64 first-time reports. This is worth a read if you are new to nudism.

There's nothing to worry about. Give nudism a try.

What do nudists do in winter? Plan for warm weather Florida!

2006-12-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

There are two clear facts about the weather in North America. First, December is cold just about everywhere. Second, the south warms up quicker than the north.

If you are a Canadian or from northern United States, there’s no better time than now to start thinking about warm weather nude recreation. This is the only way to get through the dreary winter!

Since outdoor nude recreation is best when the weather is warm and since Florida gets warmest first, with April likely to have some nice weather days, let’s look at the nudist resorts travel choices in Florida.

Cypress Cove is in Kissimmee and not far from Disney or the Orlando airport. There are hotel rooms available and plenty of activities including swimming pool, whirlpool, tennis, volleyball, recreation hall, a 50-acre freshwater lake, and 300 acres of wilderness. They also have regular exercise classes, dances and other activities. There’s no Mickey Mouse, but then again, Mickey Mouse was not a nudist...or was he?

Paradise Lakes is a nudist resort in Land O’Lakes north of Tampa and has lots of water activities on a big site. There are 2 water volleyball areas, 3 pools, 2 hot tubs, a lake and a 72 foot jet pool/whirlpool. There are also saunas, a piano bar, a nightclub, a restaurant, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, a gym, and assorted recreational activities. And if your hair is shaggy, they also have a salon.

Lake Como Resort is in Lutz, Florida, also just north of Tampa. The family nudist resort has a lake, a pool and a huge hot tub. There is a bar/restaurant, dance hall, tennis, volleyball, petanque and other activities. They even have a golf driving range.

Caliente Resort is among the fancier nudist resort settings in Florida. There are 2 water volleyball pools and 2 sand volleyball courts and regular tournaments. There are a lot of things to do to keep busy including is a swimming pool, hot tub, spa, a fitness center, fitness classes, restaurant, cantina, clubhouse, tennis courts, lakes, beach area, and a hotel.

Hidden River in Hudson is a charming naturist resort on 88 acres. It offers a pool, hot tub, camping, volleyball, canoeing, bicycling, petanque and trail riding.

Riviera Resorts in Pace, Florida is a quaint campground where nudists can get away from it all and get back to nature.

Sunburst is a charming 20-acre campground near Pensacola. They have 2 pools, tennis, volleyball, and other recreation.

Gulf Coast in Hudson, Florida is an 80-acre family nudist resort. There’s a pool, hot tub, pool bar, picnic areas, petanque, volleyball, and lots a space.

Edun Lake in Naples, Florida is another charming get-away-from-it-all 20-acre club. It has a pool, lake, camping, a bar, and a pavilion for activities.

Sunnier Palms near Fort Pierce, Florida has a 12-acre nature preserve, camping, pool, hot tub, volleyball, and petanque. The campground, according to their website, offers visitors “peaceful, country naturism”.

Florida also offers nude beaches. Haulover Beach near Miami is popular.

Nudist Resorts Offer Unique Experiences

2006-11-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

A little secret. Experienced nudist travelers know that every nudist resort is different. Each destination has its own character, culture and charm and the variety keeps nudist travel fun.

Here's some unique features of popular destinations:

· California’s Desert Shadows Inn has a nude pedestrian bridge called the 'Bridge of Thighs’ that goes over a public road and connects two sections of the resort.

· Avalon in West Virginia has a four seasons indoor aquatic health and fitness center with a heated pool, two spas, and a sauna. This makes for a unique winter weekend getaway for anyone in the Washington, D.C. area.

· Members at Paradise Lakes Resort near Tampa, Florida formed the world’s first nudist Lions Club and have raised tens of thousands of dollars to help those in need.

· Also near Tampa, Caliente Resort offers Chinese Aerobics classes, Yoga classes and meditation sessions. For the football fan, Caliente’s sports bar is packed on Sundays while NFL games play on the big screen TVs.

· At the rustic and remote Berkshire Vista, visitors view the surrounding Berkshires, a tree-covered mountain range in western Massachusetts, while swimming in the large pool or sitting in one of the two whirlpools.

· Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, Florida is host to the American Nudist Research Library – probably the world’s largest nudist literature collection with books, magazines and nudist lifestyle movies.

There are many, many more destinations throughout the United States and more abroad. Try one out.

Inform Your Partner with 3 Free Nudist Lifestyle Gifts

2006-11-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

You have a relationship challenge. Your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend does not have the same feelings about nudism as you do. This causes conflict. You want your lifestyle to be accepted and you want your partner to be a part of it. What to do? What to do?

You are not alone. This is a common challenge. American culture, conservative organizations and popular media have created a lot of false stereotypes about the nudist lifestyle. There may be an answer.

Ask your partner to at least hear the other side of the story from people who know nudism well. If your partner agrees, Nudist Travel Guide Blog has compiled a list of 3 free gifts to introduce your partner to the nudist lifestyle.

1. First, introduce the topic. “Honey, look what I found on Wikipedia.” Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, provides an extensive, fact-oriented definition about naturism: "The terms naturism, nudism and social nudity are generally defined as the practice of going nude, especially in a mixed social setting. The terms naturism and nudism generally also mean that the activities are done in non-sexualized, family-friendly contexts." Visit Wikipedia Naturism definition and print it out and have your partner read it.

2. Second, give your partner a printout out of the free classic “205 Arguments and Observations In Support of Naturism”compiled by K. Bacher. Part of the Bacher’s introduction spells out the document's importance: “More than ever, Naturists need powerful arguments to defend their chosen lifestyle against those who cannot see beyond their own misconceptions and preconceived notions. We need evidence and testimony to encourage others to give Naturism a try.” Bacher understands exactly. Download the free“205 arguments”PDF. This comes from The Naturist Society (TNS), one of the leading naturist organizations who's slogan is "Body Acceptance is the Idea, Nude Recreation is the Way."

3. Third, give your partner a free MP3 file about nudism that he or she can play on the computer or MP3 player or iPod. This free MP3 is a 30-minute audio compilation of stories told by experienced naturists. This will help your partner learn what nudism is really about. Hearing the voices of other people really helps create an understanding. It is put out by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation show Street Stories. Directly download 30-Minute MP3 file (14 MB).

I hope these tools are educational to your partner. You may even learn a few things too.

Daring to Eat Bare: Naked Restaurants in Nudist Village Reviewed

2006-11-23T18:11:00.000-08:00

The Nudist Travel Guide Blog introduced the Naked Must Do List series to provide a resource about Cap d’Agde Naturist Quarter in France, the world's largest naturist village. In this post, Part 3 of the Naked Must Do List, the restaurant options will be further explored (see last post for an introduction to nude dining).

Lunch is the best time for nude dining as this is when most people are nude throughout the Naturist Village. In the evening, more people wear some sort of cover-up.

So let’s say that all you have is a towel on which to sit and you are ready to head for a restaurant. Where to go? The restaurants in the Cap d’Agde’s Naturist Quarter are located mostly in the 4 commercial complexes adjacent to the residential complexes (see picture).

Heliopolis, the large and distinguished circular building seen in the aerial photo of Cap d’Agde, has a complex of shops and restaurants in the center and a few more beachside. Le Lagon Bleu and Le Pointu offer French cuisine. L’Espadon and La Villa Romaine (clothing required) serve fine seafood selections. There’s the Pizzeria Le Ghymnos, an Italian style restaurant/grill, or for Creole-style fair, try La Case Creole.

The beachfront terrace restaurant Le Buvette de Marseillan is a short walk up the beach from the Heliopolis complex and has a great view.

Port Nature is the large, long holiday apartment building and has two restaurant areas: one on the beach and the other inland at the other end of the building. On the beachfront side of Port Nature can be found a few good restaurants. The Mississippi (Le Mississippi) is one of them. They have several types of savory crepes filled with hams and seafood and topped with assorted cheeses.

The inland side of Port Nature has restaurants that seem more focused on the nighttime bar and club scene catering to the more erotic-oriented vacationer than the typical naturist. During the daytime, it is a quiet area.

The semi-circular Port Ambonne complex is north of Port Nature and has a few restaurants in it too including the seafood restaurant La Poissonnerie Chez Maxime and La Bleue. There are also a few restaurants in the small complex across the street, next to the Port Soleil building.

The focus of this article has been the Naturist Quarter, but it would be a shame not to mention other great places to eat nearby. Though clothes are required, the trade-off for higher quality food may be worthwhile.

For more distinguished eating and scenery, the restaurants lining the canal of the fishing village of Sète are about a 30-minute drive from the Naturist Quarter. Restaurants here are known for their fresh seafood dishes and the atmosphere here is unique and should not be missed.

Even a 15-minute drive will get you to the “Centre Port” harbor area of the clothed town of Cap d’Agde. Though somewhat touristy, there is a nice promenade where you can take a strong along the harbor and pick from a large selection of eateries.

Whether eating in the Naturist Quarter or outside of it, some restaurants have French only menus. Before visiting, studying the French language a little is recommended or at least bring a travel dictionary.

Naked Must Do List for World's Largest Naturist Village Part 2: Dining Out

2006-11-17T20:19:00.000-08:00

The Nudist Travel Guide Blog introduced the Naked 'Must Do' List series to provide a resource about Cap d’Agde Naturist Quarter in France, the world's largest naturist village.

The Naked Must Do List series explores the best activities Cap d’Agde vacationers can enjoy without clothes. Part 1 talked about nude grocery shopping. In this Part 2 of the Naked Must Do List, the essential activity of dining out au natural is the focus.

Dining while nude is a liberating and fun experience in the Naturist Quarter. There are 30 or 40 different places to dine during the main tourist season from May to October.

The Nudist Travel Guide Blog author has eaten at a handful of the inexpensive, outdoor terrace-style restaurants in the Naturist Quarter - a return trip will be necessary to try the other restaurants. All restaurants so far were enjoyable and being naked made for a unique dining experience hard to duplicate anywhere else in the world.

Clothing is OK too. People tend to wear some form of covering in the evening and at least one fancy restaurant even requires patrons to wear nice clothing.

Even on the beachfront terrace cafes during a hot summer day, some of the patrons will wear clothing. Maybe they just prefer to be nude on the beach or maybe they are novices. At Cap d’Agde, it doesn’t matter if you wear nothing at all or dress like an Eskimo. Everybody blends in and it is a very tolerant culture.

In his more sexually-focused than naturist-focused book on Cap d’Agde, “The Naked Truth about Cap d’Agde”, Ross Velton briefly discusses restaurants and makes the point that Cap d’Agde “lacks the consistently fine dining opportunities found elsewhere in the country” and also says that non-fussy eaters will have no problem with the selection of foods. His opinion seems correct.

There are no 5 star gourmet restaurants in the Naturist Quarter but the selection of foods is vast and varied enough to keep everyone happy.

On many of the menus can be found dishes like mussels with Roquefort, grilled shellfish, shrimp, squid and octopus, goat and sheep cheeses, fish soups, and beef dishes. Some menus include Italian pizza and pasta dishes while other include more exotic dishes.

So bring your towel to sit on and head for one of the commercial areas in the Naturist Quarter for a selection of restaurants to be discussed in Part 3.

Have you dined at Cap d’Agde? What was your experience? Comments welcome.

Curious About Nudist Travel? Take the "30 Minutes of Nudist Audio Challenge"

2006-11-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

What is being without clothing at a nudist resort is really like? What is the true naturist experience?

Take the Nudist Travel Guide Blog's "30 Minutes of Nudist Audio Challenge." The challenge is to listen to 30 minutes of real life stories as told by naturists of all ages and learn what nudism is really about. This challenge will provide participants with a more accurate understanding of naturism and help dispel myths and misconceptions.

The 30-minute audio piece was created by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio National's Street Stories - the same quality as NPR (National Public Radio) in the United States. Great job by Kevin Klehr of Street Stories!

Here's part of the description from the Street Stories website:

"In this program producer Kevin Klehr goes 'Swimming with Nudists' and invites listeners to grab a towel and learn about the extraordinary rules nudists must abide by in their quest to feel free. Whether nude bushwalking, playing frisbee or attending an inner-city dinner party, you must never forget the Code of the Nudist."

This insightful, high-quality audio collage of naturist stories is an essential listen for anyone curious about the nudist travel experience: Listen to the 'Swimming with Nudists' audio MP3 file here (ABC Radio National's website)

After listening to the audio, listeners should reflect on it. If what the naturists in the audio are saying is try, is nude recreation worth a try?

Study shows Americans open to nude sunbathing more than ever

2006-10-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

Good news for nudist travel. According to a 2006 study by the Naturist Education Foundation/Roper Poll, 54% of Americans support having public land set aside for nude sunbathing. In 2000, 48% said yes, and in 1983 only 39% said yes.

Those under the age of 35 show even stronger support with 65% saying yes to nude sunbathing. (View entire study.)

Now, people need to get out and try nude sunbathing, whether it be at Sandy Hook Beach in New Jersey or Haulover Beach in Miami or at many of the other clothing-optional beaches throughout the United States. There are also many campgrounds and resorts (for example, Cypress Cove - see past review) that offer more seclusion and ammenities.

Naked 'Must Do' List for World's Largest Naturist Village - Part 1

2006-10-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

The "Naturist Quarter" in the beach town of Cap D'Agde in France is the site of the world's largest naturist village. Measuring over 1 mile along the shore and then approaching a half-mile inland at its deepest, the Naturist Quarter covers a lot of ground. Cap d'Agde offers the freedom to do lots of activities without the requirement of clothes - making for a great nudist travel destination.

In this series, the Nudist Travel Guide blog looks at the 'must do' activities with a few 'do not do' ones thrown in for good measure. Let's get started with the topic of buying food.

If you are staying at Cap d'Agde for a few days or a week, most humans are going to need food. Getting food in the nude is fun.

Whether staying at a rented apartment/condo or "the" hotel (Hotel Eve is the only hotel in the Naturist Quarter), you can walk to one of the 4 or 5 grocery stores in the nude and do your grocery shopping au natural. These little grocery shops are similar, but they are worth exploring.

The stores have a selection of the perishable foodstuffs like milk and cheese, the necessities like paper towels and common items you'd expect in a grocery store. The stores have snacks, cereals, breads, drinks, canned goods, and lots more.

There are a few fresh fruit stands and several meat shops scattered throughout the shopping centers in the Naturist Quarter. Of course there are a few bread shops and wine shops in the Naturist Quarter too - this is France after all!

On the 'do not do' list for Cap d'Agde is bringing lots of clothes. Sure, most people put on some form of covering at night, but more clothes means more laundry. While there is a laudry mat or two onsite, doing laundry is still a chore. Who needs chores on vacation?

This is part 1 in a series. Return to http://nudisttravel.blogspot.com soon for more of the Naked 'Must Do' List for the World's Largest Naturist Village!

Nudist hiking in northwest Canada - "privacy and stunning terrain"

2006-10-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hiking is good for you and excercises the body and the mind. Hiking is quiet time away from day-to-day life. Naturist hiking offers more freedom from day-to-day life and gets you even more in tune with the earth.

If you've ever wondered where to hike in the nude among the most pristine settings on earth, northwest Canada may be the answer. In a really good article about nudist hiking in northwest Canada, George Walker says that "The [Canadian] North, more than anywhere else on the continent, offers what naturists most desire: guaranteed privacy and stunning terrain."

Check out the article. It is entertaining and informative: "The Great Wide Open" (UpHere Magazine - Explore Canada's Far North). Just watch out for grizzly bears.

Ride a Bike in the Nude and Support a Cause

2006-10-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR)? This is a unique nudist travel option with an activist twist.

This current message on the official WNBR website is the easiest way to explain it: "On March 10th and June 9th and 30th, 2007 cities across the world will experience the naked joy of the world's largest naked protest against oil dependency and car culture in the history of humanity. It is time to stop indecent exposure to automobile emissions and to celebrate the power and individuality of our bodies! Naked Bicycle People Power!"

If you are looking for something worthwhile to do in 2007, this could be it. The current locations for 2007 include London, Miami, Seattle and Washington, DC but more locations will likely be added as the event nears, according to the website. Updates on locations and more info is available on the official WNBR wiki.

I found this quote from Conrad Schmidt, founder of World Naked Bike Ride: "Our message to the world is one of simplification, human harmony and love. For a future to exist for tomorrows generations, we have to stop wasting the life blood energy of the Earth, stop fighting and killing in the name of consumerist wealth accumulation and learn to love and respect all life on this planet." How could any person disagree with that message? Sounds like an event worth traveling to.

The events around the world are clothing optional. So if you want to show your support, but aren't ready to be naked, you can still participate...though that would defeat the purpose. You can register for the event on the WNBR website.

A post by Suncatcher on the www.nudist-resorts.org forum gets at the impact of WNBR and its importance to nudism: "I believe onlookers are first intrigued by the casual non-conformity and the novelty, but the lasting impression is one of harmless fun that motivates them to wonder why society is so hung up on simple nudity. Who exactly is served and protected by an ordinance that criminalizes simple non-sexual nudity? When the population majority realizes that only people with an unhealthy self-image are served by such ordinances, then maybe we will begin to see the dismantling of anti-nudity legislation" (source).

That is a day pure nudists and naturists look forward to - and it would certainly open the doors for nudist travel, a freedom so very limited. I encourage you to learn more about World Naked Bike Ride.

How nudist singles can meet others locally or when traveling

2006-10-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

While browsing through some naturist links, the name Nudist Passions stood out as worth sharing with nudist travelers looking to meet singles or make penpals. Nudist Passions is a free personals website with a nudist/naturist theme.

The site is similar to the local personals sections found in the back of newspapers, except the personals are all from nudists around the world - nearly 11,000 of them. The personals appear friendly and mostly well-mannered. The visitors to the site regulate each personal though a voting tool and this improves the quality. Some of the personals are dating oriented, but others are just people looking to casually meet other nudist people locally or when traveling.

Unlike a paper newspaper, there are many ways to skim through these online personals: browse all personals, browse by group/interests, browse by state, or search by keywords, relationship type or age range.

Clicking "browse by group/interests" reveals 19 different categories under which a personal could be listed. There are 4 nudist travel related categories: clothing optional vacations, naturist campgrounds, nude beaches and nudist resorts. Other categories range the gamut from nude activism to seniors to smoothies. Everyone is different.

There are many other cool features to this website including on online dating safety page worth reading to understand the risks of online dating. Visit Nudist Passions : Free Nudist & Naturist Dating & Personals (may contain nudity).

Top 10 Nudist Travel Activities

2006-10-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder what goes on at the true nudist and clothing-optional campgrounds and resorts? The family-friendly places that meet the standards set out by AANR and other bodies are much like textile (clothed) campgrounds and resorts. Based on experience, this list shows some of the most common nudist recreation activities.

1. Lounging on the beach or by a pool

2. Swimming / skinny-dipping

3. Picnics at nudist campgrounds and dining at resort restaurants

4. Hiking naked

5. Camping au naturel

6. Nude petanque

7. Nude volleyball

8. Nude ping-pong

9. Nude tennis

10. Dancing at dance night at a nudist campground

Nudist Travel Guide Celebrates 1 Year

2006-10-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

The blog 'Nudist Travel Guide' celebrates 1 year of clothing-optional and nude travel-related postings. Nudist Travel Guide is an educational guide to the world of nude travel and features reviews of nudist destinations and accommodations, current events, and naturist resources.

While creating awareness of nudist organizations like the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), the largest, most long-established organization of its kind in North America, the guide has reviewed destinations including Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Florida and Cap d’Agde in France.

Nudist Travel Guide was the first to point out there are 2.4 Million nude telecommuters in the US workforce. Though organizations like AANR, Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN), International Naturists Association and The Naturist Society (TNS) are seeing membership growth, AANR, one of the largest, only has 50,000 members.

There is a disparity between the number of telecommuters and the number of nudist organization members. This presents an opportunity for future membership growth, especially since telecommuters only respresent 12% of the workforce. These organizations all offer a wide array of membership benefits.

The blog is a Blogger success and is accessible at:
Nudist Travel Guide - nudisttravel.blogspot.com

Nudist Cruises in All Shapes and Sizes - the New Modern Travel Alternative

2006-10-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Though a relatively new to the travel scene, there are now many clothing-optional sailing options, from large cruise ships with a thousand people to more personal chartered yachts with you, your mate, and maybe a handful of others. Whatever the choice, clothing-optional boating offers an escape from the complexities of modern life and an alternative to one-size-fits-all travel options.

Larger nudist cruises sail in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. Expect all of the accomodations and friendliness but without the clothing (except when going to shore). Among the options are: Bare Necessities Cruises and Caliente Resort's Windjammer.

Chartered yachts are more intimate. Many offer easy access to the water for ocean skinny dipping, naked snorkeling or even nude scuba diving. Here's few chartered yachts/sailboats options for naked cruises in the Caribbean: Caribbean Nude Sailing, Nude Crewz, and Boat In The Buff.

Just don't use the phrase "Nice dinghy!" or you may get thrown off the ship.

The only solution to terrorism is a good one for nudist travelers

2006-10-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

This picture shows the future of airline travel. The only thing that wouldn't be fun is being a skinny person sandwiched in the middle of two very large people. This isn't fun clothed or naked.

(Credit: Just_jane, Source: Flickr)

Back in 2003, some Southwest Airlines pilots actually tried being nude in the cockpit, but it didn't work out for them (Story). The pilots picked the wrong airline to work for. As mentioned in a previous post, Naked-air is probably the place to work.

Silly Brits at it Again - First Monty Python, now the Full Monty

2006-10-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Though in a strange foreign language called British English, hours of work with dictionary in hand allowed the understanding of a BBC UK article about football players playing nude.

Synopsis: 'Though using a soccer ball instead of a football, a group of 6 nude footballers were videotaped playing a game of soccer while in an empty stadium. The video ended up on Youtube for a short time before being removed because of terms of service violations. Though authorities were not impressed, the scolding was minor.'

In the US, when two groups of players scrimage one another and neither has team shirts, one team wears shirts and the other wears skins. Appearantly, in the UK "shirts versus skins" is a whole different ballgame altogether.

There is one thing sport playing US nudists have in common with UK nudists and other nudists around the world: Petanque. Petanque is common at naturist campgrounds and resorts around the world. Wherever your nudist travel takes you, be assured that petanque will probably be there.

Where do real nudists talk online?

2006-10-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

When they aren't searching for cheap plane tickets to a naturist destination such as the central Florida nudist resorts, some nudist travelers spend time on online forums. Here's 4 of the top quality "authentic" nudist discussion forums online with active members and good moderation. These are good places to ask questions and learn:

Nudist-Resorts.org forum - Very active with good members

Go Bare - British naturist forum that is good to investigate is planning a trip to the UK area.

Clothes Free - Very active on US and international nudist travel topics. Good place to get advice.

Net Nude - Kind of an old-school forum, but it is active. Requires that you login before viewing.

This brings me to another important question: Where do nudists trampoline online? Surprisingly there is an answer.

2.4 Million Nude Telecommuters

2006-10-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

When you can’t travel nude, working at home nude is the next best thing. The AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) and others have recently made known the results of a survey conducted by SonicWALL, a network security provider. According to the survey of people who work at home: “Out of 941 workers surveyed, 12% of males and 7% of females reveal that they work in the nude.” That’s about 10%. How many people do you know who work just at home? Probably not a lot, but 1 in 10 work naked.

Do you know that 12% of corporate employees telecommute? A January 2006 article on telecommuting mentioned findings that 24 million corporate employees (12%) now telecommute at least part of the time (source: TheWeek).

Do the math. 10% of 24 million is 2.4 million. Yes, 2.4 million telecommuters work at home in the nude.

Here’s where the math doesn’t add up. There’s 2,400,000 telecommuters working at home in the nude, yet there are only 50,000 members in AANR, an organization whose mission is to "Promote, enhance, and protect in appropriate settings, nude recreation and nude living in the Americas."

Since AANR members come from all walks of life, from telecommuters to blue collar workers to Digg.com fanatics to retirees, one would have to assume that there are millions of people not afraid to be nude outside of their showers. Yet, these people are still afraid to step outside their doors nude.

These naked people should be reading educational websites like this one and thinking about becoming AANR members or joining other similar organizations worldwide.

There's a huge world of nude opportunities outside the home, from campgrounds to beaches to resorts and events.

Selected Naturist Organization Links

2006-01-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Some recommended sites for learning about naturist travel:

NetNude has a good collection of nudist vacation trip reports

Euronat is a family-oriented naturist camping area on the Atlantic Ocean side of France

British Naturism Organization provides a guide to naturist beaches and clubs in the UK

Cheef.com has popular naturist forums

Quick Guide to Cypress Cove Nudist Resort

2005-12-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

Cypress Cove Nudist Resort and Spa, an AANR member clothing optional resort, is a place where you truly come as you are. Bask in the sun of their spacious lawns or sandy beach or relax in the shade of a magnificent oak or tall cypress. In this setting of natural Florida beauty and tranquility, you’ll find it easier than ever before to put aside the worries and cares of the everyday world. Crystal clear pools and whirlpool spas are only but a few of the facilities. Enjoy tennis, petanque and golf. Pamper yourself with a massage or a visit to the hair and nail salon. Dine at the Lakeside Restaurant and Lounge or choose a meal or drink in Cheeks Bar & Grill. Cypress Cove has all the amenities a clothes-free resort should have.

There are hotel rooms and villas for accomodations and even some campsites for camping. And being that it is located in the heart of Central Florida, area attractions are nearby, though you may not want to leave. Cypress Cove is only 30 minutes away from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom and Epcot, Universal Orlando, Sea World and Gatorland.

Visit the Cypress Cove website: Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa

American Association for Nude Recreation worth joining

2005-11-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

The United States and Canada are well served by AANR - The American Association for Nude Recreation. Their mission is to "Promote, enhance, and protect in appropriate settings, nude recreation and nude living in the Americas."

With over 50,000 members, AANR is the largest, most long-established organization of its kind in North America.

Since 1931, AANR has been a trusted source for nudist information, on such topics as what to expect in a nudist club, a nudist resort, or even from a skinny dipping experience. Nude recreation is growing in popularity. Over 18% of all Americans would find a visit to a nudist club, or other clothes free experience a highly desirable part of a vacation according to the results of a survey reported in USA Today. So, if you and/or your family have considered giving skinny dipping a try, see yourself as a longtime nudist, or would like to join a nudist club or visit a resort you're not alone.

The American Association for Nude Recreation website will help you learn more. One of the FAQ questions asks "Why do people choose nude recreation?" The answer:

"Nude recreation embraces the joy of living and experiencing nature in the most natural way possible. To relax and be nude is to let yourself be totally free. Although we enjoy clothing-free activities in appropriate settings, we also choose to wear clothes when practical. Nudists respect each other's individuality. Our own self-esteem is enhanced by our ability to accept ourselves as we really are. We find it easy to accept others regardless of physical size, shape, or body condition. Moreover, social class distinctions, often indicated by clothing, disappear. Relaxation, stress relief, positive body image, and increasing self-esteem are just a few of the reasons people choose the nudist lifestyle."

Visit AANR's website to learn more

Nudist Travel Books

2005-11-19T05:32:00.000-08:00

Recommended nudist travel books:

The Naked Truth About Cap d'Agde - is the only english book that covers Cap D'Agde in France thoroughly. Cap d'Agde is a family-friendly place though this book does talk a bit about the swinger-oriented aspects, which are usually behind closed doors. Other than that, the book does a good job of covering the many facets of Agde. Written in 2003, it should be a while before it is outdated.

The Naked Truth About Hedonism II - considered more of an adults-only place

Adults Only Travel: The Ultimate Guide to Romantic and Erotic Destinations, Second Edition (Paperback) - is a good guide, though places and destinations change often, so it is worth finding out the latest facts on any place before visiting.

Naturist Quarter map

2005-11-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

This page offers a good Map of Cap d'Agde Naturist Quarter:

view map

Flying Nude by Plane

2005-10-23T18:18:00.000-07:00

Flying naked can actually be done through special destination packages. Check out Naked Air for example.

Unfortunately, most of us will have to take a more common airline. Luckily, there's a way to make your average clothed flight a little better. All you need to do is choose a good seat.

A website called SeatGuru.com is a free service that tells what seats are the best on different airlines and planes. It's a handy guide if you want a window seat that has a window or a seat that actually goes back.

SeatGuru currently lists the following airlines: American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines, US Airways, Northwest, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, KLM, Air France, Air Canada, Independence Air, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, America West, AirTran and a few smaller airlines.

Cap d'Agde is a naturist destination for singles, couples, families, gays, lesbians and all nationalities

2005-10-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Cap d'Agde is the nudist adventure of a lifetime. Cap d'Agde is a naturist destination for singles, couples, families, gays, lesbians and all nationalities. Heck, you can even bring your dog. Some people do. There isn't the dog doo madness of Paris, but do watch where you step.

There are over 40,000 visitors annually of all types and nationalities, but there is plenty of space to walk around. With a 2 kilometer beach, you can take a nude walk till your tired, then pull up a seat and do some people watching.

The main visiting season runs June, July & August when there's lots of visitors, but the weather is the best. Sometimes there is some wind off the Mediterranean, but hey, if you are naked and on vacation on the Mediterranean, it is hard to complain.

On trip report on another website by the president of an Indian naturist federation put it well: "Every naturist who’s been to Cap (for short) longs to go back there; many do, year after year, for a week or two every year, maybe more if they’re retired. And every naturist who hasn’t been there wants to go there some time."

He goes on to say that Cap d'Agde "is a city, with pools, cafes, restaurants, bookshops, clothes shops, bars, snack-bars, laundries, post-office, estate agents’ offices, marina, bank, supermarket, bread and pastry shops, wine shops, fruit and veg shops, petrol pump, everything a city needs. The beautiful clean beach and the enchantingly blue Mediterranean sea are a bonus. And you have the legal right to be nude anywhere any time of the day. (The nightclubs want you dressed though). This is what the world would be like if it were CO (clothes optional)."

Offsite things to do when visiting Cap d'Agde

2005-10-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Cap d'Agde is certainly fun, but if you've travelled all the way to France, be sure to see some of the clothed sites in the area.

About an hour away is the magnificant castle of Carcassonne. Here's a link to learn more:
Carcassonne Castle

It seems like a cool site to see.