NOBODY (that has tried it) can deny the pleasure of basking naked in the sun, or skinny dipping on a deserted beach. Yet many people today still recoil at the idea of a nudist holiday, associating it with lewd old men or mistaking it for the 'adult-only' swingers' scene.
'Our members come from all walks of life, all levels of education and financial levels,' says Barbara Hadley, a committee member of the International Naturist Federation (INF), founded in 1953. 'We are a family-oriented organisation.' Hadley co-owns a nudist resort in Florida. 'My husband's parents opened Cypress Cove Nudist Resort and Spa in 1964, and today our son Ted is the general manager.'
At a meeting of naturists you could be having a conversation with a person that is a brain surgeon, a clerk or a street sweep; and never know, says Bruce Kendall, a Naturist Association of Thailand (NAT) organiser, advertising and design veteran, and naturist for more than 30 years. 'What makes this interesting is you have a conversation with another human without the trappings of status that a clothed society puts on us.'
Most 'first-timers' balk at the prospect of baring themselves in front of strangers, but naturists insist that once they try it, they discover that it's far more relaxing than a regular holiday. 'When you shed your clothes you let you go of your stress,' says Carolyn Hawkins, public-relations coordinator for the American Association for Nude Recreation.
According to the NAT, naturism is an untapped but growing market in Thailand, and the fastest-growing recreational market in America, where there are 'clothing-optional' resorts, dinners, beaches, flights, clubs, and cruises. 'Family-friendly naturist holidays are just beginning in Southeast Asia,' says Kendall. 'The United States and Europe have had this type of holiday for decades.'
Gregers Moller, a 56-year-old journalist and publisher, founded the NAT with his wife three years ago. 'Initially we met with a small group. We had dinners in my backyard and made a few outings to deserted beaches and other places,' he says. 'Now we are 300, and meet monthly in Bangkok, and have been told that a private resort owner is about to build a resort specifically for naturists in the Pattaya area.'