'We became naturists after going nude on holiday - now we own hotel for nudists'
A couple who embraced the naturist lifestyle after spontaneously going nude on a beach during their honeymoon have turned a narrowboat into a floating hotel for other nudists. Fiona Discombe, 54, and her husband Michael, 51, fell in love with being naked after visiting a nudist beach in Greece after their wedding in 1994.
Since then, the couple have travelled the world visiting naturist destinations in countries such as the US and Thailand, and in 2022 they decided to sell their home, buy a van, and travel around Europe, hitting up as many nudist locations as possible. When they returned to the UK this year, Fiona and Michael opted not to return to their normal lives and instead made the move to live off-grid in a narrowboat where they now run their own business.
The couple now run a hotel for nudists from their narrowboat (@nakedtravels1/ CATERS NEWS)Fiona, from Devizes, UK, said: "Last year we decided we would sell our home, buy a van, and go travelling around Europe visiting naturist venues and beaches. It was incredible. France and Spain were the best places for nudism for sure because they're so kitted out for it. Those countries are much more liberal about it and have amazing and beautiful facilities.
"After we spent a year travelling in the van, we came back and continued living in the van. However, it wasn't ideal because of the weather here. We still wanted to try and live off-grid as much as possible, work for ourselves, and have a base in the UK, so we decided we would go and have a look at some boats. We were sold and decided we wanted to live on a narrowboat. So we put the van up for sale and bought a 70ft narrowboat."
The narrowboat owned by the couple is split into two areas, with one section designed for the pair to live in, and the other half operating as a floating hotel for other naturists to escape and have some time to themselves. Fiona added: "We spent four months renovating the boat and then we started advertising our floating hotel to predominantly other naturists.
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"When guests come to stay on the boat we do everything for them. We take them out on cruises to Bath and Bristol and cook for them, I am a masseuse so I can provide massages, Michael is a qualified yoga instructor so he does this with guests too. We don't find it hard sharing the boat with guests because we all usually share the common interests of naturism, and we can also screen off either of the ends for privacy."
Naturism has given the couple a sense of freedom and liberation (@nakedtravels1/ CATERS NEWS)Fiona and Michael never even considered naturism before their honeymoon, but after realising the beach near their Greek hotel was too crowded, they walked a little further down the seafront and found a quiet area where a couple were enjoying the sun completely naked. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Fiona and Michael decided to strip off too, and have never looked back.
The woman explained: "We sat there for a while before we decided we would join in. No one was watching, so we thought, why not? So we took our clothes off and went in the water, and haven't looked back since. When we got home we started researching naturist places in the UK, but they weren't as nice as the ones abroad because naturism is still secretive and prudish here. It's a societal thing as people connect it with sex and sleaziness. So we kept going abroad to visit new nudist destinations and have travelled the world doing so. We've been to the Caribbean, the US, Thailand, and now to most of Europe in our van."
And Fiona even claims naturism has helped her feel more confident in her own skin, as she said she was often "bullied" when she was younger for being "curvy" but has found that the nudist lifestyle has given her a sense of freedom and liberation that she has never felt before.
"I was ignorant of naturism before we got into it. When I was younger I was bullied for how I looked because I was curvy and not straight up and down. I lacked in body confidence and could never imagine myself getting naked in front of other people beforehand. It was difficult to begin with, and sometimes I still have to block that voice out, but it is possible and it makes me feel so much better," she said.
"If I hadn't got into naturism I would still be reclusive and shy. I wish I had the same level of confidence that I have now years ago. Going nude has done wonders for my confidence. Naturism is about being free and not being inhibited by clothing. You don't have to hide, and you don't know what people are or what they do because you can't make any judgments by their clothes. It also helps you realise that bodies aren't perfect. We all have scars and marks that tell our life stories, whether it be from babies, operations, or accidents."
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