You’re finally in the heart of the city you’ve dreamt of travelling to, in front of the iconic monument you’ve seen in magazines and countless movie scenes, and naturally you’d like to document the moment so it will be remembered for years to come. Meet a new breed of traveller, one that captures this sort of moment – but in the nude.
Naked tourism is growing in popularity among globetrotters who like to bare it all in dream destinations. With platforms like Facebook and Instagram making sharing our best, and not so best, moments with family, friends and like-minded people easier, nude tourism is gaining momentum with social media communities such as Naked at Monuments.
Enthusiasts share photos of themselves in places far and wide, from the Faroe Islands and Easter Island to the Sahara Desert and the icy Swiss Alps.
According to The Conversation, the movement began in 2010 when the Uluru sandstone monolith in Australia – which for indigenous Australians is a sacred space thought to have begun forming more than 500 million years ago – became the backdrop for a French exotic dancer who stripped there while being filmed. The website also mentions other incidents of Americans and Australians posing in the nude at Machu Picchu, Peru.
Another blogsite called My Naked Trip boasts pictures of travellers in countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Uruguay.
But the countries in which these travellers are guests may see things differently, particularly when it comes to sensibilities around nudity. Some places such as Singapore consider the issue so sensitive that the act of walking around in one’s birthday suit – even at home – is strictly forbidden and warrants an arrest. Offenders may be held for three months or slapped with a hefty fine.
