2020.07.31 Unilad
At 23 years old, the topic of naturism has only ever been something of an enigma to me, but one young couple are keen to educate more people about what it really means to enjoy life in your birthday suit.
Of course, I’m familiar with what naturism is; I’ve seen the no-clothes-allowed beaches abroad, read about the bare-all resorts online, and joked about giving up clothes altogether when struggling to find an outfit for a night out, but I’ve never really thought about the people behind those concepts.
The reason for this lack of consideration is pretty simple: why would I? I understand that naturists enjoy being naked, but as I’ve never planned on living the nudist life, it’s just not something I’ve ever had to spend much time thinking about.
Nick and Lins, from Ghent, Belgium, understand that a lot of young people are in the same position as me, but through their blog Naked Wanderings, they’re hoping to change the way people think about naturism.
The couple are both in their 30s, and after first trying out social nudity 12 years ago they now work full-time as naturist travel bloggers, sharing their experiences and letting the world see ‘what naturism is all about through the eyes of two 30-somethings.’
Obviously, you can’t decide to become a nudist and just start walking around in public with no clothes on, so one of the biggest questions regarding the practice is, how do you get into it? For Nick and Lins, it began when Lins received a voucher for a day at a wellness centre, and the couple discovered the nicest locations all had no-clothing policies.
Reflecting on the experience, the couple told UNILAD:
- It was either [abide by the policy] or go to a rather crappy centre, just to be able to keep our bathing suits on.
- We couldn’t find much information or testimonials about what goes on at these places, so we had no idea what to expect. When we parked our car, there were about 50 other cars.
- We realised that we were about to see more naked people that day than we had seen in our whole lives. And that more people than ever would see us naked. It’s a scary thought.
With no idea what to expect, the pair started letting their imaginations run wild, wondering: ‘What if we end up in a sex club? How awkward would that be? What if everyone is looking at us? What if it’s just really uncomfortable? What if we do something wrong or stupid? What if we trip and fall?’
They’re questions I’m sure anyone who’s ever thought about naturism will have considered, but despite their worries Nick and Lins decided to bite the bullet and go for it. Within minutes, they realised their fears were unnecessary – nobody looked at them, it wasn’t weird, and it wasn’t sexual; it was just a great experience that left them keen to learn more.
The pair started regularly visiting wellness centres, and after a couple of years they decided to experiment further with naturist camping in Luxembourg. Though they had a few mishaps, they explained ‘naturism comes with a learning curve’, and their embarrassing moments made for fond memories.
Nick and Lins explained:
- The naturist camping was a whole other experience. When we arrived, we decided to take a spot away from most other campers. This would give us some welcome privacy and the chance to take things at our own pace. What we didn’t realise was that the other campers were near the shower block and we were far away. So in order to get a shower, we actually had to walk by pretty much everyone else. Without clothes of course.
- Another time, we arrived around mid-day and everyone else was nude of course. To avoid falling out of tone, we took off our clothes as soon as we got out of the car. But then we had to set up the tent. Not an easy thing to do without giving half of the other campers a full moon. When we were finally set up, a couple arrived at the pitch next to us, set up their tent and then took off their clothes.
- You run into some awkward situations when you don’t know the etiquette. But those are funny stories to tell.
To help them avoid any unnecessary faux pas, the couple attempted to do more research on naturism, but what they found online was ‘either incredibly boring or very patronising’.
Not wanting others to be discouraged by the content, they set up
Naked Wanderings to show that naturism ‘is not just something for hippies and grannies but a lifestyle that can be enjoyed by anyone.’
The pair combined their passions of naturism and travel and set out on the road, all the while updating their blog with tales of their experiences and helpful
guides for naturist travel.
Their favourite thing about the practice is the comfort, both physical and mental, as they explained:
- It’s just so easy to not wear clothes… [and] it’s just so relaxing not having to think what to wear, or if our butt looks good in these pants.
- If this doesn’t drag you over the line, there’s one thing nobody can deny: bathing suits have no purpose at all.
- Skinny dipping is so liberating, in fact, we never go in a pool again if we’re not allowed to swim nude. And it’s not just the swimming itself, once you get out, you’re dry within minutes.
As naturist travel bloggers, the pair understandably spend much of their time in the nude, but their lives don’t revolve around being naked. They don’t hate clothes, or strip off for the sake of it while hanging out at home, but if there’s no reason to be dressed, they simply won’t be dressed.
Throughout their journey, Nick and Lins have discovered how naturism varies across the globe, realising that social nudity is more often practised by older generations in the USA and Europe, while in South America the couple were ‘often the older generation’.
Nick and Lins recognise naturism could be lost if younger generations don’t continue the practice, explaining they’ve known resorts and clubs disappear because they can’t attract younger members, but they noted an increasing number of organisations are seeing opportunities in the younger generations and arranging events that are actually attractive to them.
Since starting their blog, Nick and Lins have started to see messages and emails from other people their age thanking them for helping introduce them to naturism.
They explained:
- Such a step out of your comfort zone is just easier if someone else takes it first and provides you with some blueprint. First time naturists who read our blog know that they can first set up their tent before taking off their clothes.
While doing research would certainly help you prepare for the experience, jumping head-first into naturism is easier said than done. However, the bloggers pointed out that naturism isn’t like quitting your job or getting a face tattoo. If you don’t like it, you can just ‘put your pants back on and off you go.’
Nick and Lins said:
- We live in a world in which we work hard and play hard. We’re talking about experiences, bucket lists and getting out of our comfort zones. Well, naturism has all three of them. It’s an experience that’ll take you completely out of your comfort zone, the perfect bucket list item.
- If you’re one of the few that doesn’t like it… at least you’ve tried it and you know what it’s all about.
You might have risked a naked dash from the bathroom when you forgot your towel, or enjoyed freeing the nipple on a beach, but if you’ve ever thought about going a few steps further then the bloggers’
guide for first-time nudists will provide all the answers. The only thing standing in your way is your wardrobe.
