Sam and I often get a kick out of the site stats that tell us what search engine terms get people to the blog. People have landed here by searching “soccer and beer,” “If a guy says you are not fat but fluffy,” “aikido makes me nervous,” “hard fast no cuddling after tshirt,” and “no other regret compares to the childhood email address made.”

But yesterday, my heart really went out to the person who searched “I want to be nude at home but I’m too modest.” Many of us struggle with body image. I’m not sure if this searcher is too modest because she (or he) is self-conscious about her (or his) body not being “good enough,” but if she is, I can recommend a solution that worked for me: a nude vacation.

A few years ago my husband finally convinced me to try a nude resort for our winter vacation to the south. I hesitated for many years but that time decided, “why not?” Panic and fear gripped me in the days leading up, mostly because I didn’t feel comfortable in my body.

What I could not have anticipated was how freeing it felt to shed clothing for a week. You get the full range of shapes and sizes, all comfortable in their skins. The experience was a real turning point for me. I learned that I could be relaxed about my body instead of self-conscious. I’ve never experienced the same level of body comfort as I do when I am on a nude vacation surrounded by others who are also free of clothing. And it doesn’t matter whether my weight is up or down, whether I’ve been keeping fit or not. I always feel better about my body when I get to the beach and take off my clothes for a few days.

I documented the experience in a short radio documentary that you can listen to here. [thanks go to Stephane Descharmes for making it accessible on the Bare Oaks website].

Just a quick word if you decide, on the basis of this post, to look into this kind of getaway. There are all sorts of different places to go all over the world. Some are more family-oriented and cater strictly to the “naturist” crowd. Others are adults-only and might attract or even in some cases cater to people in “the lifestyle” (i.e. swingers). And still others might be somewhere in between. So do your research. There is definitely something for everyone.

So to the person who is too modest to be nude at home I say: try getting naked for a week with others and see where that takes you!