Travel tips for planning a trip or vacation on a nude beach.
Tourists considering their first trip to a nude beach should be first applauded for their daring. It is undeniable that prancing around without even the forgiving, stretchy fabric of a bathing suit to hold you in place is an intimidating prospect even for the best-looking among us. However, keeping in mind a few tips will make the transition from publicly clothed to public exposed an easy and simple one.
First of all, it cannot be stressed enough: wear sunscreen. It sounds trivial, but the trouble with nude beach-going in general is not only that it exposes more of you to the sun's rays, but it also exposes the most sensitive parts of your body. Getting sunburned on your leg will be quite a different experience than getting sunburnt on your breasts or pubic region. So, apply sunscreen and apply it often. The higher the SPF rating, the better off you will be.
Also, be sure to do your research. While there are nude beaches in abundance across the world (decidedly a higher percentage in Europe than in the United States, interestingly), you don't want to make the mistake of stripping down at a beach that does not cater to nudists. The Internet provides many lists of nudist beaches and, sometimes, the best times of year to visit particular beaches (I suggest late summer or early fall for thinning crowds and sultry temperatures). If you're interested, you might even be able to unearth a list of "beginner" beaches that attract the first-time nudist.
If you're feeling a little apprehensive about taking your clothes off in front of strangers for the first time, consider bringing a small item of clothing to cover yourself if the situation becomes unbearable. This article of clothing can be skimpy bikin bottoms or even a ventilated, diaphonous over-shirt. Other nudists on the beach shouldn't discriminate against you for putting on a little clothing, as long as it doesn't seem that you are there only to stare at them and not to even attempt to take part in the nudist element yourself. Ideally, you'll begin to feel comfortable once you get to the beach, and you won't even need this article of clothing. Should panic arise, however, it has already been accounted for.
The most important thing to keep in mind when considering nude beaches is that not every nudist sunbather is going to be a supermodel. The erroneous assumption is that the only men and women who are willing to flaunt their bodies publicly do so because they are perfectly formed and have nothing to hide. You will actually find a "little of everything" on a nudist beach; there will be the fat and the skinny, the hairy and the shaven, the tall and the short. The concept of visiting a nudist beach, in fact, is not to observe other people or to compare your body to theirs. It's to feel free and natural, and to indulge in the unique sensation of sun rays beaming on every part of your (sunscreened) body. For the experienced nudist, there's no better sensation.
