"California's Largest Clothing-Optional Resort" lies about 2 miles north of the Mexico border - with the small village of Jacumba, CA in between (aerial view).

Nudists gather daily at the 500-acre DeAnza Springs Resort, a mere hour east of San Diego.

Nudists also go hiking in this unique Southern California desert setting. While the resort has plenty of space to walk around, the adjacent Anza-Borrego Desert State Park also offers miles of nude hiking opportunities.

After hiking, nudists gather around in the 7,500 square foot clubhouse, which has a restaurant, bar, dance hall, game room and fitness center. Other activities include a hot tub spa, tennis courts, volleyball and shuffleboard courts, bocce ball, horseshoe pits, and a kid’s jungle gym area.

And when the weather gets hot, plenty of nudists gather around the outdoor pool. A big year-round indoor pool provides a nice place to soak during winter months and cool evenings.

Hiking is good throughout the year. Average daily temperatures make hiking in the afternoon comfortable in the winter months and morning hiking in the summer months.


There are over 300 RV sites, lots of camping sites and motel rooms ($55) and rental units ($60-70) available. Throw in the grounds fee and a night here is less than $100, which is a cheap way to be naked.

Read about a few other Southern California nudist travel destinations here and here.

You want to be naked in the great outdoors. You want to visit a clothes-free resort or do a nude cruise. Or maybe you want to spend a weekend at a good nude beach.

But, alas, you have no money. Read on and you'll find some.

OK, lets look at a rewarding way to find money for getting naked.

Finding money starts with managing money. No, managing money is not an exciting topic. Some people would rather eat anchovies for a week than talk about money.

All it takes is 3 minutes a day. AND, the reward is great if you like nude recreation.

You will be a happier nudist in the long run through the financial freedom gained by taking this first step.

The first step is to understand your budget, to understand what you have and who gets it.

Finding out is easy.

(photo courtesy of aanr.com)

Get a little pocket-sized notepad. In the very last page, write down some of the nude resorts, nude cruises and nude beaches you want to experience someday. A few have been mentioned in my previous posts here on Nudist Travel Guide Blog or try the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) for a good list of North America destinations.

Now, put the notepad wherever you keep your keys. At the end of each day, when you turn in your keys, write down what you spent that day.

Gas - $15
Coffee - $4
Lunch - $10
Snacks - $2

Easy.

Not so fast. Give yourself a little reward. Keep some gum by your new notepad. To get the gum, you must make your entries in the notepad. If you spend nothing all day, you can have 2 pieces. No cheating.

Challenge yourself to 10 days of writing everything down. After that, challenge yourself to another 20 days. That will give you 30 days of numbers to work with.

Then, look at the numbers, slowly, and start asking questions:

Are you spending money needlessly every week? How much are you spending on food and drinks? Could you spend less? What about entertainment?

Say you spent $4 on coffee, $10 on breakfast or lunch and $2 on snacks 200 times a year. Multiply $16 by 200. That's $3,200 a year!!! If you brownbag your lunch, buy snacks in bulk, and make cheaper coffee, you could get that down to a little over a thousand, freeing up enough money for nude recreation.

Is there anything else you can cut out or cut down? What changes do you have to make to afford your nude travel goals in the back of the notepad?

Could you buy cheaper shoes? Less electronics? Less books? Would you give up movie theaters for nude recreation? Spend less on weekends? Could you buy non-perishable groceries in bulk? Do you use coupons to save money when grocery shopping? Could you get a cheaper cell phone plan?

How much money did you give to credit card companies this month in the form of interest? Is that money better spent being naked? Could you cut out other things to get credit card debt down? Could you transfer your balance to a 0% or low interest credit card? Most of the major credit card companies have balance transfer offers for new customers whether nudist or not. Find yourself a new credit card company.

That wasn't so hard, was it? Worth the effort? Definitely.

Do this exercise. Repeat it. Get yourself to the places you listed in the back of your notepad. I am.

This article in Slate magazine calls spending $700 on a bottle of wine a bargain for a rare 1996 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne, which can fetch up to $3,500 at retail or auction.

Forget that! $700 is enough money to buy 2 plane tickets from somewhere cold to somewhere warm with a nudist resort.

Example Trip: Someone living in cold and rainy Seattle, Washington could go to warm and sunny Palm Springs, California to visit a good first-timers resort like Terra Cotta Inn.

I put the numbers into Orbitz for a Monday arrival and Friday departure in May. Alaska Airlines has direct flights for less than $300 a person. Weekday nude resort rates are cheaper than the weekends plus it is a getaway from work. Now that's a bargain!!

How much would it cost you to fly to a nude destination? Could you fly for less than the price of a bottle of expensive wine?

Use Orbitz, Expedia or Kayak to get the best prices. You may be amazed how little it costs to fly from wherever you live to somewhere warmer, better and 'nuder'.

On his final day aboard the Bare Necessities nude cruise in the Caribbean, Mike writes about Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island paradise turned nudist paradise.

Mike has provided daily nude cruise reports since the first day of the trip. For anyone considering a nude cruise or even just learning about nudism for the first time, Mike's well-written trip reports are a great read.

Report:

West of Half Moon Cay, near Cat Island, Bahamas, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 12, 2007) -- They saved the best for last.

After the Maasdam's visit today to Half Moon Cay, Holland America's "private island" in the Bahamas, many aboard our ship are wondering why we bothered to visit any other ports, sail more than 1,800 miles, or literally go anywhere else besides this idyllic slice of paradise.


We anchored off the island early this morning and tendering operations began with the large and fast island tender ships shuttling Maasdam passengers and crew to the island. Using large island tenders instead of the smaller and slower ship-borne tenders/lifeboats Maasdam carries with her, everyone was able to get ashore quickly, also thanks to the very elaborate channel cut harbor Holland America made for this incredible destination. Passengers loaded and unloaded easily from the tenders using a drop-down boarding ramp, directly onto the large pier-side landing.

Half Moon Cay Map - today home of full-moons

Once ashore, everyone was astounded by the scope and the quality of Half Moon Cay. Its most prominent feature was the absolutely immaculate, mile-long beach of pure, fine white sand, unspoiled by even a single boulder, seashell, reef, weed or rock outcropping. Many among us agreed that is was the finest beach we have ever seen, including the famous beaches of Orient Bay, Runaway Bay, Seven Mile Beach, and even the famous white sand beaches of Tortola and St. John's.

Strewn along this fabulous and breathtaking expanse of beach were hundreds of comfortable lounge chairs, canvas beach shelters, fresh-water showers, restrooms, shade huts, and fully-equipped cabanas. Behind the row of beachside improvements, there were three fully-equipped bars, a shopping market with vendors and gift and craft stalls, and a fabulous and efficient food pavilion and shady eating areas. It was spectacular, and every comfort was provided for us for the day.

Best of all, of course, and nearly beyond belief for all of us aboard the Maasdam, was that all this beauty and comfort was our to enjoy exclusively for the day, nude. Think of it as our own personal Club Orient, and you can get an idea of the size, quality and beauty of Half Moon Cay, then add the fact that we were all able to enjoy it in Nature's own bathing costume, and you can imagine how delighted were all were to be here on this glorious day.

All too soon, it was time to tender back to the Maasdam for our final night aboard, which should be great as well. We have encore performances on tap from all of the wonderful guest performers that have entertained us during the past ten days, including Elton John tribute artist Joel Mason, comedienne Julie Barr, and juggler Max Winfrey. All of that is just the warm-up for the obligatory Passenger Talent Show, which is always a must-see cavalcade of hilarity.

Tonight we pack our bags and place them outside our cabin doors, to be removed overnight to the ship's hold, and by 10:30 Tuesday morning, Maasdam will be rid of us...but we suspect the crew and officers aboard will remember us for some time to come, as we all certainly will remember them. This has been the best cruise, by far, of the 10 nude cruises we've done with Bare Necessities over the past 15 years, and we doubt any future cruise could improve upon it very much. The ship and crew were fantastic, the ports and weather were great, and we sailed with some of the nicest and most fun-loving folks there are.

As Nancy Tiemann said as she accepted our Captain's farewell gift yesterday on the Rembrandt Theater stage, "We've sailed on bigger ships; we've sailed on longer trips; but we've never been treated better." Agreed.

Two more notes before signing off from the Maasdam:

- This was Cruise Director David Martin's second-ever cruise as a cruise director. He did an amazing job, and his tireless efforts won the praise of every Maasdam passenger. His debarkation talk was amazing as well -- touching, genuine, and unforgettable.

- The final total for the "On Deck for the Cure" benefit walk for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation was 789 walkers, with over $15,000 donated to the foundation. That broke the old HAL record by more than double. (More about this accomplishment)

Thanks Mike for giving us an honest glimpse inside what a Bare Necessities nudist cruise is all about. When a vacation is a journey, you have truly traveled.

I'm hoping to package the whole nude cruise trip report series into a single PDF for easy reading. The PDF would be a nice resource for future visitors to this nudist travel blog. Stay tuned for more.

We first learned yesterday that nudists aboard the Bare Necessities nude cruise on Holland America's Maasdam broke the participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

The final numbers ended up even better.

The final total for the "On Deck for the Cure" benefit walk for the
Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation was 789 801 walkers,
with over $15,000 donated to the foundation. That broke the old Holland America Line (HAL) record by more than double.

The all-time HAL record for participation had been 370 walkers.

Go nudists!!

This is incredibly positive news for nudists and shows the world that nudists are real caring people like everyone else. The only difference is that they are clothes-free and proud.

The nude cruisers took time out of their vacation to raise money for an important cause - for the benefit of all people. $15,000 is a lot of money.

The nude cruise report series continues as Mike explains how the nudists aboard the Maasdam broke Holland America Line's participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

Holland America launched "On Deck for the Cure" on April 1, 2006 and targeted about 500 On Deck for the Cure walks over the next year. With that 1-year campaign nearing completion, a group of nudists on one of the smaller ships in Holland America's 13-ship fleet beat the odds today - at the same time showing the world that nudists are good people too.

Read on about this record breaking event and other good times about the nude cruise:

In The Caribbean Sea, 20.11 North, 68.17 West, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 11, 2007) -- Our luxurious, floating nudist resort has just two more days left in our itinerary until this fabulous 10-day nude cruise comes to an all-too-early conclusion. We have been treated to life aboard a beautiful and comfortable ship, a gracious and accommodating crew, a passenger complement of 1,200 fun and friendly nudists, and weather that has been absolutely perfect for our clothes-free enjoyment of every day during our trip. I think everyone who leaves this ship on Tuesday morning will always carry very fond memories of the M/S Maasdam and the wonderful time we have all spent together.

One remarkable event that has been taking place aboard our cruise is worth reporting here. I'm sure this news will also make it into the AANR Bulletin in a few months, and perhaps elsewhere onto the Internet, because it is exciting and very newsworthy.

During every Holland America cruise, on every ship in the fleet, the passengers are invited to join in a non-competitive 5K walk around the Promenade Deck of the ship, to benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation. It's called, "On Deck for the Cure," and passengers donate $20 or more per person to participate. Before our cruise, the all-time Holland America Line (HAL) record for participation was 370 walkers. As of this morning, with a few hours left to go before the walk at 1:30 today, 627 of our fellow nude cruisers have signed up to be in the walk! That totally blows away the old record by nearly double, and represents a much higher percentage of participation than any other walk in HAL history.

Our Cruise Director David Martin is arranging a special group photo for all of us, which he says will have to run alongside the story about this great achievement in the HAL corporate newsletter! This is a really cool feather in the cap of the nudist community, and one that should get lots of positive press for this cruise and social nudism in general. Speaking for my wife and all the other breast cancer survivors on board the ship, congratulations to all our fellow cruisers.

Yesterday's highlight was the nude catamaran sail-and-snorkel tour that about 80 of us lucky Maasdam passengers took. Special arrangements by Bare Necessities with the tour operator allowed us the freedom and fun we enjoy so much, even when in St. Thomas, as US possession and with the strict anti-nudity customs common everywhere in US waters.


Our tour departed from the pier just a minute's walk from Maasdam's gangway, and as we have had all throughout our trip, the weather was perfect: temperatures in the low 80's and sunny skies with puffy white clouds. Our catamaran The Castaway Girl, along with her twin sister ship The Castaway Girl II, held about 100 of us in total, and after a clothed 45-minute sail over to Buck Island bird sanctuary just outside St. Thomas, we were permitted to enjoy the rest of our afternoon clothes-free.


Skinnydipping under the bright Caribbean sun, snorkeling the beautiful reefs of St. Thomas, and then enjoying a wonderful, warm and sunny 90-minute nude sail back to our ship while relaxing in the sun with friendly folks and frosty cold adult beverages is certainly one of life's rarest luxuries. We have been lucky enough to enjoy this indulgence many times in many sunny ports over the years, since we always try to sign up for the nude "booze cruise" catamaran tours whenever they are offered. Those three hours yesterday aboard the Castaway Girl are the ones we will treasure most fondly among all the many wonderful time spent on this amazing cruise.

Today is our last day at sea with complete freedom from textiles until we arrive at Half Moon Cay early Monday morning for the day at HAL's "private island." We are all hoping it is very private, and that it is available for the exclusive use of Maasdam's passengers, so that we may fully enjoy it in the most pleasant way possible. Monday night will be our last night aboard this wonderful ship, and the evening's entertainment features the always amazing passenger talent show. Then Tuesday morning we must say goodbye to the Maasdam and all these great nudist friends until we see them again on another trip sometime soon.

This is awesome news! It is amazing what a group of nudists can accomplish when they get together.

To learn more about this cruise, read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Today, nudist traveler Mike reflects on the positive responses to nudists by clothed entertainers and staff members aboard the M/S Holland America Maasdam’s special nude Caribbean cruise.

First time here? Be sure to read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI / Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 10, 2007) -- It's not just us.

We're not the only ones who think nudists are a fun, fun bunch of people to be with. It seems that everyone who steps onto the stage of the M/S Maasdam offers that opinion as well, from our Cruise Director David Martin to each of the featured guest performers who have come aboard to entertain us in the Rembrandt Theater stage.

Last night, we had two outstanding guest entertainers. The first was Joel Mason, who did a hilarious and musically great Elton John tribute show, and got 90% naked on stage himself with a great break- away Elton-esque white suit costume, and then high-fived many in the audience as he ran around the seating area in his boxers. "I love you people, and I love this philosophy!" he said more than once, and everyone could tell he was really enjoying performing for our fun- loving and appreciative group...all the more so since he did it all with a mild case of bronchitis.

Next up, for the "Adults Only" late-night comedy show at 11:15 was Julie Barr, who totally killed for nearly an hour. She jousted with the audience like the best of the pros do, evoking comparisons to Paula Poundstone and Robin Williams and their superlative improv styles. But the biggest among many huge laughs were for her "blue material," jokes she can't use with other audiences but which were very much appropriate for we open-minded and hard-to-offend nudists (none of which can I repeat here for this G-rated blog posting). Suffice it to say, Julie had a blast working for us, and said as much several times during her show. She even said, "If this is the last show I ever work for Holland America, it's worth it." Wow.

All of which brings to mind the idea that we nudists have found something special. We have discovered a way of life, a way of relaxing, a way of making new friends, a way of having fun that sadly too few others will ever find or try. We are regular people in every other way, except for this one very special part of our lives, which we love so much and want to share with as many others as we can...yet doing so is impossible for most of us because of the misplaced societal taboos and small-minded prudery that has so far kept nudism as a tiny niche lifestyle.

In fact, during Julie's set last night, she posed a question to the standing-room-only crowd in the Rembrandt Theater: "How many of you are on this cruise without your family knowing about it?" There was a loud round of applause...and she immediately followed up with, "How many are on this cruise without your family knowing about it--and you just don't care?" -- which was answered by an even stronger response.

On Thursday, we both had massages in the ship's spa. Spontaneously and without being asked, both of our young massage therapists offered their opinion that without any question, our group has been by far the most fun, the most friendly, the smartest (!) and the most easy-going charter they have ever had aboard. None of that surprises me except the comment about smartness...all certainly reasonable as we have found nudists to be a thoughtful, well-traveled and well-educated group on the whole...but it's still nice to hear comments like that from folks who are having their first-ever exposure to social nudism thrust upon them during our cruise.

Today we are looking forward to a clothing-optional afternoon catamaran sail-and-snorkel trip here in St. Thomas. Our boat captain will have to take extra measures to serve our special needs of privacy so as not to offend any other boaters or swimmers along our route or at our destination, but we plan to make it worth his while to do so. Tomorrow's report will be a recap of how that excursion went, and what our day at Half Moon Cay, the "private island" owned by Holland America's parent company Carnival, is like.

Just three more days of naked fun left...it has gone by so quickly!

Thanks Mike. I wonder who was entertained more, the entertainers or the audience?