Naked hiker wins right to bare all

All he wanted to do was hike naked.

The 46 year-old man headed out, sans habillement, through the Swiss canton of Appenzell Inner-Rhodes to enjoy the scenery. He passed by a public barbecue area, keeping a safe distance so as not to get his wiener cooked, and near a Christian retirement home. Somebody complained, he got fined, and he went to court, this time wearing clothes.

Appenzell is very conservative (it only gave women the right to vote in 1990) and while it’s not a crime to hike nude in Switzerland, the canton recently made it an offense. The judge ruled that this was contrary to Swiss law and that nude hiking isn’t indecent.

Appenzell has become a popular destination for naturists and the fine was supposed to discourage that. Now that the new law has been shot down the first time it was enforced, it looks like there will be more nude walking in the future, providing alternatives to the traditional nude beaches and resorts.

Photo courtesy Richinud via Wikimedia Commons.

Hot travel trend for 2010 — naked cruises?

The UK association of travel agents (ABTA) has just released its predictions for 2010 – and they are mostly in line with what everyone else expects.

They see Dubai becoming a hot destination, thanks to massive drops in prices. They also predict that charity and volunteer vacations (voluntourism) will be big.

So far, so good. Then we get to the one that really stands out – naked cruising. Apparently, the tourist industry is going to actively target naturists, and cruise companies will play an important role in attracting new naked customers.

I really don’t know what to make of this, but I’m also not a naturist myself. I can imagine that walking around naked on a cruise ship could be a relaxing thing to do. I just hope they use plastic covers on the seats, as the idea of sitting down for dinner on a dining room seat that was previously used by a fat nude bloke just doesn’t thrill me too much.

A quick Google search shows that none of the major cruise lines have jumped on this naked trend just yet, and I have not heard from any of my cruise PR contacts that they plan to introduce nude cruises. Still, 2010 isn’t here yet, so we may be in for a surprise.

How about you — Would you like to take a naked cruise?

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Neighbors bothered by naturist B&B

Neighbors of Domain Farm, a recently opened naturist Bed and Breakfast in Staffordshire, England, are complaining about seeing more than they want to of the guests.

The B&B is a converted farm and features a sun deck, hot tub, and barbeque area, and while it’s set in a rural landscape, it is within sight of other homes. This brings it into the ongoing controversy, not limited to naturism, of where to draw the line between individual liberty and consideration of others. The owners are busy planting trees and shrubs around the property, but their efforts aren’t quick enough for the locals.

Despite the weather, naturism or nudism is quite popular in the UK. British Naturism, the official naturist organization, reports a membership of more than 16,000. There are numerous clothing-optional beaches in places like Brighton, and naturists are encouraged by the fact that there is no law explicitly banning public nudity, only indecent exposure. What this breaks down to in reality is that if you bare all in front of Buckingham Palace, you’ll be hauled away. If you hike in the nude, you’ll probably be fine. In fact, British naturists say nude hiking is quite popular, although I’ve never seen any on my hikes.

I have, however, seen nude hikers at Seven Falls in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona, where nudity is clearly not legal. The falls are several miles up a rugged canyon far away from public view, so the cops don’t bother doing anything about it. What with all the car thefts and meth labs in the city, they have better things to do.

So if you like to get your kit off, as the English say, don’t dismiss the UK as a travel destination. The Naturist UK Fact File has tons of information. It may get cold and rainy, but at least you won’t have to deal with the desert sun and cacti like those Arizona naturists!
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Photo courtesy of Peter Rivera from the Gadling flickr pool. These are statues in the Louvre, not pasty-skinned British nudists after a long winter.

Swiss say no to naked hikers in the Alps

Voters in the Swiss Canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes got to have their say in a proposal put together to ban naked hikers in their region of the Alps.

The (primarily German) hikers had been prancing through the Alps without any clothes, much to the chagrin of the residents.

People caught in the buff will now receive a 200CHF fine (about $176).

Residents of the Inner Rhodes area have described the naked tourists as “thoroughly disturbing and irritating,”

Their neighbors in the Appenzell Outer Rhodes Canton are preparing a similar ban which will probably bring an end to the German web sites describing the activity as “a special experience of nature, free and healthy”.

Still, these German naturists could always check out this recently opened hotel in their own country.