Traveling naked

More and more, people going on vacation are looking to lighten the load in their suitcases. They don’t do this by exercising self-control and refusing to buy tons of touristy junk to pass out at Christmas. Instead, they’re opting to leave some clothes behind and take a vacation that’s a little more risqué.  The phenomenon of the naked journey is becoming popular, especially among the American crowd, who, if surveys are to be believed, come in at 50 percent willing to take a trip to a destination that is clothing optional.

Nude beaches are nothing new, but some of these places are more than just an excuse to strip down.  Many destinations are truly remarkable and beautiful and, best of all, less crowded than the clothing-required places.  And it’s not just beaches anymore.  Plenty of other locations are available for people that want to get naked while they travel, including entire resorts dedicated to nude relaxation.

I’ve put together a list of some of the best and most well-known, but this is by far only a small sampling of the hundreds of places and options that one can find by doing a simple search online.

The nude beach is most traditional place to take your clothes off in front of other people, and one of the best beaches is Orient Beach in St. Martin.  The beach is connected to a resort and, if you choose to stay there, you have all the options that any high-class resort would provide, from massages to sporting activities to clothing-optional restaurants.  All this in the amazingly beautiful landscape of the Caribbean.

If you’re heading to Europe for vacation, La Jenny in France is a naked resort that caters to people who want to do pretty much everything without their clothes.  There’s even a golf course if that happens to be your thing.  Or if you’re looking for something even more immersive, Costa Natura in Spain is an entire village devoted to the clothing-optional lifestyle.  Though people actually live there, many rent their apartments to tourists who want to come and stay a while in their little town.

Spas have always been a popular place to take your clothes off and there is hardly a place on Earth more engrossed in the public bathing tradition than Japan. Spa World, in Osaka, is a grand bathing facility - one of the biggest in the country, in fact.  With multiple levels, there are baths for those of a more modest nature as well.

And finally comes the cruise. Cruise lines are a very popular way of vacationing today and so it was only natural that there would eventually spring up a cruise service that was designed to accommodate the nude traveler.  Bare Necessities is perhaps the best known of these cruises, offering a variety of destinations and a chance to experience the entire trip sans clothing.

As I’ve already said, there are plenty more places to be if you want to be clothing free. All you need to do is figure out where you want to vacation and just check the Internet to see what places in that country are nudist-friendly.

How about you, fair readers?  Anyone out there have any great spots that the rest of the world may not be aware of yet?

Image courtesy of Obakeneko