New York Times Travel: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Worries

[Bronze Buns]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/travel/27nude.html

"WHEN Larry Massa says he likes to travel light, he means it. No need for a jacket and tie at dinner, a pristine set of tennis whites when he hits the court, or even a bathrobe to wear when heading from his hotel room to the pool or the spa."

[Journeyman]

Thanks for posting this link. Good article, but the writer makes two mistakes: using "naturalist" to describe a nudist, and using the phrase "au natural" instead of the proper French, "au naturel". And this in the New York Times!

[brainyguy9999]

Did AANR really say this??

According to the association, roughly 20 percent of members have a median household income of $106,000...

What the heck does that mean? I'm pretty good with math, but when you say "the median from roughly 20 percent of a population", I don't know what that means. Did they take the top 20 percent (roughly?), bottom 20 percent, or a random sampling of 20 percent and find the median of that 20 percent group??:eek::eek:


Stay nude!!

bg

[luvnaturism]

What the heck does that mean?

Good question, but I don't think it's one that we can answer. It's sloppy writing, but impossible to say whether it originated with the reporter or the source.

I would have expected something more like this: "The top 20% have an average [or median] income of...." or "The top 20% percent have household income above $X."

One thing sure: that's in important figure for providers in the travel industry. For every 1,000,000 people who participate in nude vacations there are 200,000 who pretty much can go anyplace in the world and stay in any accommodation of their choice.

[usuallylurk]

The median is the midpoint of a population.

So, I interpret this to mean --

-- they have 42,000 members (not 50,000 as they had around 2000 -- those who see the club / trustee reports will vouch for that)

-- 20 percent of 42,000 is 8400.

Of the 8400 at the top of the income scale , 4200 have a household income of less than $106,000, 4200 above that.

It would be simpler to say that "10 percent of AANR members polled have a household income of $106,000 or over". But in throwing the "20 percent" and "median" labels on it, they can use that spin as a "Razzle Dazzle" mechanism.

[Nude in the North]

Really? Is that how much you have to make to take a vacation?
I'd better cancel my plans.

Those of us that make less than a 6 figure income like to take vacations too.
The AANR should promote affordable vacations for the 80% rather than touting the wealth of the 20% as a selling point.

“When you don’t have any clothes on, you don’t know if someone’s a judge or a doctor, or a lawyer or a mechanic,” said Larry Massa. “You are what you are.”

This is a common belief among nudists. That we can all be equals dispite our income bracket. I hope the nude vacation industry doesn't only cater to top 20% of us. The other 80% has a little spare change too.

[JeepNude]

Despite my mid 6-figure income, I STILL can't seem to afford a vacation!! I am just counting the days until early retirement, then all bets are off! the Mrs. and me plan to do some major traveling, but until the business is sold and I am not working 70 hour weeks, it just is not going to happen.

[maxx]

Without spinning some of the problems with the article it was still hugely positive and in a mainstream paper. Everyday we run into people that just don't have a clue this nude or naturist movement is out there. I would love to leave copies at every public place I visit.
Wish our local paper would pickup and reprint that article.

Maxx

[Bronze Buns]

Here's the Slate.com "review" of the photos from the article.
http://www.slate.com/id/2190212/