What To Know
How To Start And Maintain A Non-Landed Club
As traditional nudist resorts are closing amidst financial pressure, changing demographics, and declining membership, the “non-landed” clubs are gaining renewed attention as a way of ensuring the future of social nudity. Lacking a physical presence has its challenges, as well, but with drive and perseverance, such clubs are better able to adapt to changing circumstances due to their low fixed costs and a community willing to experiment.
During Linda Weber’s campaign for leadership of the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR), she suggested that grassroots groups forming non-landed clubs could be the means of preserving social nudity, “offering nudists opportunities to gather, socialize, and enjoy body positivity outside of a structured resort setting” — especially for geographical areas without nearby nudist venues.
As the event coordinator for Naturist New Hampshire, I have frequently been asked to share advice about starting a non-landed club. While I was not around during the early years of NNH, I have learned from those who were, and from those associated with other groups, such as the Sherwood Forest group that established a presence at a motel complex in Ogunquit ME.
Starting a naturist group often involves getting together with like-minded friends at someone’s house. For one thing, everyone already knows each other, and for another, there is no startup cost involved: Everyone can be asked to bring food for a cookout or a snack, and simply share time together.
Turning informal gatherings into a formal structure is a bit more complicated. It requires at least one person who is able to commit time and energy into seeking out meeting locations and dealing with the logistics, from securing the space and making it safe to seeing that there is food or games or entertainment to keep people engaged.
In the beginning, groups can meet at skinny-dipping spots, remote hiking areas, and nude-friendly beaches, or simply hold backyard barbecues. When the weather turns cold, however, it means renting space that is warm and able to accommodate naked guests.
That involves money, which is a whole new level in itself. The coordinator of the group can expect to pay the initial costs, with no guarantee of collecting enough from participants to reimburse those expenses. When the costs are small, that is not much of a burden, but when it comes to renting indoor space, a more formal arrangement is necessary, and that means building a club structure to handle payments and income.