With summer coming up, most people are starting to plan their vacations. For some, this includes planning a trip to a place where you only initially need the clothes on your back, a toothbrush and a few other personal items.
No, it is not a vacation at home or a local hotel. It is one of the many nude vacation resorts.
Clothing will not hold nudists back. They want to enjoy their vacation as true naturalists, just as they came into the world, butt-naked.
According to a New York Times article titled, “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Worries,” certain search engines are adding a separate category for “nudist spa vacations” due to an increase in people searching for them. On some websites, the searches for “nude vacations” are even higher than those for “pet-friendly spas.”
I usually imagine them being somewhere in Europe. But there are some right here in California, as well as in other places around the U.S. Nudists vacation anywhere from nude beaches and campgrounds to nude resorts and hotels. One may even choose between resorts that cater to adults only or ones that are family-friendly.
Initially, I thought a nude resort might make me more self-conscious than I already am. It turns out the opposite could be true. Being without clothes actually may help you become more confident about your body and breakdown psychological barriers. The American Association of Nude Recreation writes on its website, “Self-esteem is enhanced in the nudist world, where body acceptance is the norm.”
Not only may these bareback resorts be a fun getaway (offering many of the same services as a clothing-only resort), they could possibly help with self-image issues. The AANR also boasts that a single day of being clothes-free relaxes people more than spending a fully-clothed weekend somewhere else.
Should you decide to vacation with someone who would prefer not to bare it all, there are resorts that are clothing optional. Of course, you might not fit in very well with the nudist crowd if you decide to go to lunch wearing a cocktail dress or tuxedo.
While I’m still not too sure if an all-nude vacation is for me, I won’t completely rule it out. I mean, who wouldn’t like going on a vacation where you wouldn’t have to worry about luggage and what to wear everyday?
So, for your next vacation, maybe think about baring it all. Not only would you save time on packing, but it also seems like a great way to feel free and comfortable with the person under your skin. It could be relaxing not to have to worry about how you look. The added benefit? No tan lines.
Erin Zwygart is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
