There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to naturist holidays. Although it sometimes still looks like we’re trying to achieve that. Until not too long ago, the organization of many naturist resorts looked pretty much the same. They had the same facilities, the same kinds of accommodations (campsites basically), and organized the same activities.
When someone started a new resort, most of the time they would just copy the blueprint of an existing one. No matter where you went, you could be sure that there would be a petanque tournament and a communal dinner during your stay. It was a general perception that these are the things that the naturist traveler wanted to do.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you probably already know that we don’t believe in this one-size-fits-all concept. That we believe that everyone can be a naturist and that every naturist can have different likes and preferences.
The commercial naturist
A major evolution started with the uprise of “commercial naturism”. In the past, naturist places were strictly organized in the form of clubs and federations. Every resort had its own club which was associated with a federation. If you wanted to visit the resort, you needed to become a member. Being a member had certain perks, like a magazine and discounts. But membership also came with responsibility, and in many cases, you were asked to join the volunteer system.
With the uprise of naturist tourism, there was a demand for an alternative system. More and more naturists wanted to spend their vacations at a naturist resort in a foreign country but didn’t feel much for going to the local club. Nor for doing chores on sunny Saturday afternoons. They didn’t mind paying a little extra if this meant that they could skip the membership part.
Today, many resorts around the world still have their own club, but membership isn’t mandatory anymore. You get the choice: If you want to become part of the organization, great, but if you don’t, you can also visit without any further obligations from your side.
24/7 naturists vs occasional naturists
The mantra “dressed when practical, nude when possible” has probably existed since the uprise of naturism. Being naked was the central idea of naturism and naturists would take every opportunity to get undressed. With naturist resorts becoming more widely available and much easier to access, a whole new range of naturist travelers appeared.
You can easily see this in the so-called Naturist Villages, huge resorts that cater to thousands of guests. Everyone who goes there has the intention to spend at least some of their time without clothes. But definitely not all guests go for the “nude when possible” idea. Some will spend their whole vacation without clothes, others will just get naked when sunbathing on the beach or for a skinny dip in the pool.
Not everyone enjoys this sudden textile uprise. We have experienced being the only naked people at the restaurant of the naturist resort and we have to admit that it does feel kinda weird. Is this something we’ll need to learn to get used to? Or will we see a growing distinction between places with strict nudity rules and more clothing-optional places?
The naturist tourist
A common misunderstanding about naturist vacations is that we spend every minute of our time inside a resort. Some definitely do. Others use the naturist resort mostly as a place to sleep and spend a big part of their time exploring the surroundings.
We noticed that the majority of the naturist travelers balance somewhere in between. In our experience, the average naturist traveler really takes their time to enjoy the resort, but also likes to get a taste of the local culture, nature, and gastronomy and doesn’t mind putting on some clothes for that.
The comfortable naturist
One of the biggest changes during the last years, in our opinion, is that more and more naturists like to have some level of comfort. The old stigma that naturists set up camp deep in the woods, in places without wifi, electricity, or hot water, is almost completely gone. Many naturist resorts offer the same facilities as any textile resort would and camping is definitely not the only option anymore. Today, there are naturist hotels, bed and breakfasts, and even cruises.
Also on the campsites, there is a growing variety of rental accommodations that still give you the sense of camping in nature, but with a real bed, a private bathroom, and much more space. Many resorts these days have spa and massage facilities and are much more focusing on relaxing and rewinding than on the “back to nature” idea.
What kind of naturist traveler are you?
No matter how you like to spend your vacation, if you like to spend some of it without clothes it’s quite likely that there will be a number of naturist resorts that you will enjoy. Personally, we are 24/7 naturists when inside the resort and when the weather permits it. But we’re also naturist tourists, and we definitely don’t spend all our time inside the resort. And even though we love camping, we notice that over the years we’re also becoming more and more comfortable naturists who prefer a good bed over a thin air mattress.
And we’re curious, what kind of naturist traveler are you? Can you find yourself in any of the above categories or do you experience your naturist vacations in an even different way?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
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Maybe you could argue that I’m not a naturist traveler at all, but here’s my needs and preferences. I’m a naturist but my wife and son are not. That means that a naturist resort is out for me, which is a pity but you live within the constraints of life. What I need when considering holiday destinations is the opportunity to easily be able to enjoy some time nude. Often that means finding somewhere with a naturist beach close by. A long enough walk that we can go to the beach without being in the naturist area, but close enough that I can take a few hours of me time and get to the beach without spending more time getting there that actually being there.
Other than that a location where I can be nude at our accommodation but it’s not a requirement to be nude. So a villa which is remote enough or with high enough fences that I can strip off in the garden without disturbing the neighbours. We went to a hotel in Fuerteventura that was ideal. It had a very large, very private balcony that I could use nude and it was also a relatively short walk from the nude beach. That’s my ideal holiday.
In your case, private accommodations are probably the best way. There are some resorts in Europe that are known to not care much about clothed visitors, most often these are the very large ones like Euronat, for example. But in water facilities, nudity will almost always be expected.
Damn! This time YOU got there first! 😉
I think this is an intriguing development in the naturist world, and one that will likely define the future of social nudity. I find it interesting that you left out a distinctly European option, and that’s a visit to the mega-spa where nudity is common, but most people there don’t consider themselves naturists. Just naked people!
The closest equivalent in the US would be hot springs found in California, Oregon, and Colorado. We’ve found that the people who visit the spas in Germany and the hot springs in the US reflect a broader cross-section of the population than at most naturist/nudist places. I suspect more people get naked in a single weekend at Therme Erding (near Munich) than an entire year at even the biggest resorts in the US.
Love this post! We’re definitely at a turning point in the social nudity-sphere! 😎
Yep, the spa is also a very interesting concept just because it’s very popular among people who don’t call themselves naturist but do get naked among others. On one hand, it’s a welcome source of more young people and more women into naturism, because (just like ourselves years ago) some will explore more of what the naked world has to offer and end up on nude beaches and at naturist resorts. It’s not a coincidence that countries with a thriving spa culture often have a great age and gender balance among naturists too.
But there’s another side to the medal. In these spas, nudity is obligatory inside the pool, hot tub, sauna,… But bathrobes are allowed (and sometimes even encouraged) in between the facilities. Which creates a very clothing-optional atmosphere that is also finding its way into the naturist resorts. And not every naturist is very happy with this uprise of the sarong.
Agreed. In fact, our favorite place near Munich actually has a specific line in their guide that says “We are not a nudist place. Please wear a robe when not in the sauna or the pool. (Though many ignore that rule! 😜) At a really hip place in Berlin, our young female friends got scolded by staff for being too naked outside the sauna. Go figure.
Such a dichotomy! On one hand, breaking down so many barriers, but on the other, creating more confusion about “how to be naked” 🤷♂️
I consider myself a ‘born naturist’, and would happily do everything nude if I could, so I love the term ‘naturist traveler’ and I am glad to say I have not only achieved my ambition of becoming one, but turned my wife into one too!
Naturism often comes back to a burning issue – which has already been brought up here – which is about keen (usually male) naturists whose partners are not only reluctant to join them, but often reluctant to even give it a try.
Often I don’t blame them because the offering (or the impression given) is a boring couple of weeks that involves not much more than sitting on a nudist beach, rather than a unique clothes-free experience, which staying in a naturist resort can be.
I speak from experience because although my wife and I have enjoyed holidays at several naturist resorts, she never considered herself a naturist, and still wouldn’t say she is one, even now.
The key has been to plan holidays that allow me to enjoy everything that a ‘naturist village’ has to offer, but also make sure there is plenty to appeal to my wife.
So I choose a good location that is close to places and attractions that we can both enjoy together (clothed), and I make sure the resort has good facilities/accommodation. Because if you ask someone to step into naturism, you shouldn’t be asking them to take a step down.
Another important aspect is not pressurising her to be naked at times when she might choose not to be – although none of the places we have been to do that.
In fact, as the post hints, there are some so-called naturist resorts where there is a surprisingly high proportion of clothed people, which some naturists are unhappy about.
Fortunately, this really doesn’t bother me. As long as I can be naked, I don’t care what other people are wearing. It does not detract from the boost/buzz it gives me. In fact, one evening in a naturist resort I looked around the restaurant and realised I was the only one still naked – and felt proud!
The irony is that my non-naturist wife has become so accustomed to being a ‘naturist traveler’ that nudity has become quite normal, and she has even accompanied me on nude hikes outside the safety of naturist resorts – something she swore she would never do!
So there is a way that a naturist and a textile can combine to become ‘naturist travelers’.
I’m more the deep woods type, or since I’m in Colorado, the high-mountain type. Oh, it’s fun to be pampered sometimes, but I prefer getting back to Nature. And since I live in downtown Denver, I welcome any chance to get out of the city and clothes.
If you live in great nature, there isn’t really much that can beat that 🙂
Hi Guys ….. this rings sooooo true with us also both in our personal lives and on our website as well. So glad to see it written elsewhere. Here’s how we put it:
“You don’t have to enjoy camping to go on a naturist holiday. Let’s dispel that myth right away. OK, many naturists do, but if you’re the sort of person that would rather not share a sink in a shower block there are lots of other options. Hotel class accommodation without clothes – or even sometimes with clothes – is what we chose to list.”
We do feel that there’s always going to be a place all the many kinds of naked activity but we do see a growing interest in ‘commercial naturism’ with millennials in particular and interestingly in the over 65’s.
Today, you can find every type of vacation for naturists/nudists as well. From camping to bnb, to all-inclusive resorts and cruises. This only emphasizes that everyone can be a naturist, no matter what your level of comfort is.
What kind of naturist traveler am I? The kind who only reluctantly puts his clothes back on at the end of a nakation. But seriously, we’re definitely in the “comfortable naturist” category. To give you an idea of our preferences, our favorite naturist venue was Club Orient (rest in peace) at Orient Beach on St. Martin until it was destroyed by a hurricane in 2017. We’ve been to SM one time since the hurricane. We stayed at Club Fantastico, a B&B up the hill from Orient Beach, and had a wonderful time. If you haven’t been to Club Fantastico, you should try it. I think you’ll like it.
RR
Hi Robert, Club F was on our itinerary for the spring of 2020, but covid got in the way. We definitely hope to get there one day soon!
I’m a free range traveler. I drive naked, and go to public lands. I don’t pay-to-play naked. The whole concept that “naturism” means PAYING to stay at a resort is just silly.
While many naturists would rather stay at a clothing optional hotel or resort instead of a clothe required hotel, (on the rare occasions that we travel), our “naked when possible” applies to our daily lives.
Naturism is NOT about pay-for-play commercial venues. Real naturism is about being naked in our REAL LIVES.
I am much the same, Bob. If I had to choose a category, I’d say I’m an Every-Day-Life Naturist. To me, being naked is just another convenient and comfortable dress code, which I use any day when convenient. Holidays and days-off mean hiking in the forests and wetlands, or a day at the beach or cycle ride or any one of a thousand other activities that can be enjoyed without clothes.
I am not a naturist traveler but I would like to be. I like the idea of a blend similar to the way nick and Lins put in their post. On the resort but also around the resort clothed.
I’m definitely not a naked traveler but that’s mainly because I can’t afford it. Also don’t want to go alone. Everyone respects my lifestyle but to do it with me… that’s a nono. But in my mind I think naked and I live naked at home 24/7 when weather permits it. Unfortunately don’t have a garden, only a small balcony. Many times I hate putting on clothes because society demands it. If I only had the money… (and the company)
But when I will have the luck of going on a naked trip I want to go to a place where everybody is naked when the weather permits it. I don’t like clothing optional places. If most of the people have clothes on, I don’t feel comfortable naked. I don’t like people that go to naked places because ‘its so clean’ and ‘it’s so
quiet’ but stay clothed. Textile people have far more options for vacation than naked people. Don’t ruin our places. If I went on holiday I wood like to go on naked hikings or boat trips or even cycling sounds like fun. Sadly I only have the hiking experience in Holland. Sitting together with people who also love to be naked, having a drink and talk to each other, until the sun comes down, is one of my dreams.
I’m aligned with what you described about yourselves in the last paragraph. I need a decent night’s sleep. No a/c , no problem, but I appreciate air circulation so I don’t wake up all sweaty. I don’t understand people dressed at nude venues. Except for a hat, I’m in just my skin as much as possible and enjoy games and exploring the open countryside if possible. The beach is my favorite! I want to walk out of my habitation and walk into the sea.