Whether you’re looking for built-in friends and fun for your first trip to a lifestyle resort, or you’re looking forward to meeting up with old friends while meeting new friends to your favorite resort, a Shoes Only Travel resort takeover week may be just what you’re looking for. 

As the name implies, a takeover happens when Shoes Only books all the rooms in a resort or on a cruise giving them full, exclusive access to all the resort has to offer.   All the personal attention results in a more luxurious vacation for you and your partner! Another takeover plus is that with the resort all to Shoes Only guests for the week, all your fellow guests are there for the duration, unlike at other times during the year when check ins and check outs happen daily.  All your new friends will be staying just as long as you are!

For newbies to lifestyle travel, filling a hotel with others traveling with Shoes Only Travel may seem to mean only that everyone in the resort booked through the same travel agent- but that’s not the only perk of having booked for a takeover week.  When Shoes Only takes over, there are fun filled activities designed to get you mingling with your fellow Shoes Only travelers.  The first night is usually spent at a get-to-know-you reception where new lifestylers meet one another and experienced travelers reunite. Listening to returning guest regale their stories and pass along tips can help those newbies decide how to make the most of their first experiences. For the rest of the week, the activities are tailored to the Shoes Only crowd offering more fun and excitement.

Returning guests to a resort can have fun with the special activities planned exclusively for Shoes Only guests during a resort take over as they take in past favorites of the resort.  They can also enjoy familiar activities with a new level of service with the increased staff to guest ratios. 

Because take over weeks are 100% Shoes Only guests, bear in mind that there have to be enough guests registered to fill the resort requirement for take over.  This means you have to book ahead and pay in advance early enough to ensure a commitment to the vacation.  It also means it’s a great time to talk your friends, either real life or online, to join you. What a great way to meet friends from an online site such as Couples Touch or other social networking sites.  Even if you don’t click as well as you did online, there will be more playmates for you to meet in the course of your stay!

Shoes Only Travel has a variety of resort takeovers & group trips planned for 2009 at Desire, Hedonism, and Hidden Beach resorts as well as an exclusive Lifestyle Luxury Cruise, giving you 9 chances to give in to the private pleasures of an exclusive Shoes Only experience.  The first planned trip for 2009 is a holiday recovery in Desire, Los Cabos.  What could be a better gift than a get away in the sun with a nice group of  friends right after the stress of the holiday season?  It might be hard to put a bow on, but it is one gift you’re certain to remember forever! 

This time you’ve really nailed your vacation plans.  Shoes Only found you the perfect au naturel resort  in the sun, you’ve made friends, enjoyed fun activities, drank maybe more than your share, eaten countless delicious meals, and stayed in a room that was always clean and had everything you asked for almost before you asked. 

Now the trip has come to a sad end and you’re getting ready to say goodbye.  On most Shoes Only trips, one thing you won’t need to bother looking for is a tip envelope.  And no, don’t take your own either- tipping is not allowed.  Whew!  Glad we got that off our to-do list.  (Yes, you may now re-visit the gift shop for a last minute souvenir.)

Despite the popularity of tipping in the States, tipping is not customary in other parts of the world.  The no tipping policy will help to prevent  embarrassment at the end of your stay regardless what your tipping traditions are.

Besides not having to worry about incurring the extra costs, no tipping resorts ensure that each of their guests receives top notch service regardless of who they are and how much they tip.  Top shelf alcohol is served, fine food, and prompt room service is yours without anything else being asked of you.

With that said, while tipping is not expected, past guests have said that tipping especially helpful staff has been appreciated.  A past guest says “All-inclusive is supposed to include tipping. However, we’d read that tips were very appreciated, as opposed to Sandals, where they were turned down flat. We tipped maybe $25-30 the four days we were there (total). We gave our maid a buck each morning, tipped the bartenders if we stayed at a bar for while and tipped at the nice restaurants. We didn’t really notice it improving service or anything and never felt like we were required to tip (and didn’t see it done that often). I would say you’d be fine either way–tipping or not. However, you will notice these people work VERY hard (we would see the same lady behind a hot stove at breakfast, lunch and dinner), so it’s nice to give them a few bucks if you want to.”  So feel free to give that bartender who knew your love of Long Island Iced Teas and started making you a double every time you walked or swam up to his bar a buck or two as a thank you.  If anything, put it on the staff to refuse the gratuity.  Also, bear in mind that porters and drivers at the airport as well as salon and spa services at the resort are considered outside services and want to tip according to custom.

Also, the no tipping policy is not always in place. This mostly speaks to Shoes Only’s on-shore vacations. High seas adventures tend to follow traditional cruise tipping trends of $2.50-$3 per day for your room steward and also to the maitre d’.  Half that amount can be given to the bus boy and any other staff who’s services you’ve found helpful. 

The best bet is to ask Shoes Only what the tipping policy is on your vacation while you’re in the planning stages. Not only will this save you from potential embarrassment, but it will also help you to budget accordingly and have the most memorable stay imaginable without worrying about how you’re going to reflect the service level of the staff who take care of you.  As the Super Clubs FAQ states, “Your courtesy, respect and a sincere ‘thank you’ are all we ask.”

After a day of play on your Shoes Only Travel planned vacation, you and your sweetie decide to spend a night together alone in your room.  You ordered dinner in, have turned down the lights, gotten a nice bath drawn when through the cracks you notice the couple who was two tables over beginning a ménage a trios with what seems to be some newbies to the resort.

 watch, or not to watch?  That is a good question!  And the answer is- WATCH!  Sure,  what could be hotter than seeing the real thing feet away from you knowing that the only thing stopping you is your own will power?  “Sex on the beds….wow…we have witnessed ankles around the ears heavy duty pounding, groups of 4 or 5…etc. Some people enjoy putting on a show…and we enjoy watching.”  Hot stuff coming out of Hedo!

Voyeurism is a fun way to heat up your stay, and it doesn’t have to be while you’re in your room.  During the day, watch the eye candy on the beach.  See if you can spy a wandering hand or all out beach banging when they don’t think anyone is looking!  Or strategically plan and set up a secluded spot to watch the night life unfold before you and make a rule to stay hands off- only for one night.  At Desire Rivera Maya, set up camp in the playroom with rules firmly in place.  Everyone around you is doing it- why not you?  Oh yeah, that’s right.  It’s just the two of us night!  The temptation will drive you wild!  (Be sure to take it out on your partner!)

To increase the electricity, secretly arrange with another couple to entertain your partner while you take a “night off” all the while perched in a quiet corner watching to see what exotic activities happen when you’re sitting on the sidelines!  What is better than watching your partner be vanquished by someone else, teaching and learning tricks?  

Our reports tell us that on occasion friends bring their own apparatus, say something like a sex swing, and will leave it up for all their friends to play with during their stay.  Locating past swinger spots (pun intended!) can be it’s own treasure hunt.  Bring your toys, watch to see who picks them up and how they use them!  Seek out a place that is sure to catch attention where you have a clear view. 

Despite careful planning, let the night unfold as it will by taking a vow to do everything the couple you’re watching is doing as much as possible.  If it’s a blowjob for them, then it’s a blowjob for you!  The thrill of not knowing what’s coming next and having it acted out like your own living mirror is sexy!  If you’ve left your toys for others to play with, take notes and play follow the leader when time permits knowing another couple did their thing with your things!

It doesn’t matter what Shoes Only location you choose, spending a night in or hidden in the shadows can be just as hot as the south of the border sun!  Forbidden fruit is oh so sweet!  And it’s even sweeter when the limitations in place are ones you put there yourself- you know the rules can easily be broken, but for the fun of it, you don’t dare!  Mental bondage can be lots of fun!

Since my first book was published in 2005, I’ve been contacted by many of my readers wanting me to recommend my favourite swinging or naturist clubs. I can only tell you what I know from experience, be that good or bad.  I’ve had friends on the scene that have had a great time at a place I haven’t liked and equally I’ve had a ball at venues that other folks really didn’t think were all that wonderful.  Like everything else in life, I think you have to take out of each experience what you can.  There’s no point in going with a huge set of expectations because you’re just bound to be disappointed.  My best holidays have always been ones where I was just looking for sea and a bit of sun and sand and found a great sexy vibe too.

What’s important to remember is that naturism does not necessarily mean swinging and swinging clubs usually have nothing to do with getting naked.  Pure naturism, such as exists in France and Germany -and not so much in the UK - is about the freedom to wander around naked.  It’s about being able to do everyday activities such as cycling, shopping, and eating out au naturel.  French naturists often travel as families, staying in caravan parks and, as you can imagine, mum and dad don’t really want little Johnny and Jane to be watching a couple copping off on the beach.  This is especially true during the high season of July and August when most of the Continent goes on holiday and the naturist resorts are full of families. Equally hardened swingers don’t want to be surrounded by screaming infants either. Swinging, after all, is only about sex.

Over the next few months I’ll be sharing my adventures with you.  Please feel free to leave any comments for me on this blog and I will try and answer your questions as best I can.

Things to know before you go

South Beach.  Mexico, Jamaica, European beaches. They’ve always held interest to you.  Something about being that exposed in nature, every inch of your body caressed only by the sun holds appeal for you.  Clearly you’ve done your homework, learned that Shoes Only Travel offers great clothing optional travel excursions and found yourself here.  The first thing to do (after reading this blog!) is to find your travel personality in the travel personality profile. 

Before you know it, you’ll have your travel dates planned and be ready for the adventure of a lifetime.  And as you plan, it’ll hit you, you don’t know what to take, what to do, what to expect!  Don’t worry.  Keep reading and we’ll help you with the basics of Shoes Only Travel because even though the name implies grabbing a pair of flip flops and your passport, clothing optional travel does not always mean everything goes; here’s what you should know before you go.

The heat of the Caribbean starts with the sun. You’ll want to protect yourself with a good sunscreen (SPF 70 works great for those special areas), sunglasses, and maybe a sunhat.  The sand can be hot too so good shoes are a sure bet.  Swimwear can be mild to wild and no one knows who you are so take this opportunity to show off your efforts in the gym with a suit you wouldn’t dream of wearing to the neighborhood pool- if you want to take anything at all!

If you’re a slave to your workout routine, you’ll be glad to know that most resorts and cruises offer fitness centers, but of course you’ll want to bring workout gear for lifting and sweating.

Hedonism, Desire, and other resorts and cruises have theme nights to help turn up the fun factor.  If you want to join in, you don’t want to be without a costume!  Check the resort page on the Shoes Only Travel site to find out what theme nights will take place during your stay and raid your costume chest for pirate costumes, disco wear, and the like.  If you’re ready to let go of your inhibitions, costumes for nights like “All That Glitters” can be contained in a small package of rhinestones to be creatively placed. 

Surrounded by sun, sand, and festivities, it will be tempting to load up on pictures, but remember to be sensitive to fellow vacationers.  The CPA and his wife in the next room who you’ve been drinking buddies with since check in may not want pictures of the Mrs. taking a body shot in your online gallery.  However, they may not mind getting a copy of that shot , so experienced travelers recommend taking personal calling cards with your name and email address to hand out to new friends.

It is better to be over packed than under prepared but overall, don’t forget that this is a vacation.  Take what you need and trust that the rest will take care of itself. 

Alternative lifestyles are getting a lot more attention in the media lately.  Of course polygamy (the practice of being married to more than one woman) creates headlines in the news, but the internet is crawling with forums for people living alternative lifestyles and now TV is has waved bye-bye to the taboo line of same-sex kissing on the small screen and gone to full on bisexual and gay relationships, and swinging has made it to the big 3 networks.

CBS’ new television show, Swingtown, has brought open marriages into prime time and made it available to anyone with basic cable.  It is exciting to see misconceptions about open marriages being corrected. Just because Tina and Tom are swingers, does not mean that anything goes.  There are still just as many emotions involved, and they are just as sensitive as the next person in line at the grocery store. Their discussion forum is heated, though many people under the guise of anonymity are posting their experiences and support for the show. 

Not being so anonymous, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have recently brought their marriage into the open.  Of course, this is also sparking a lot of debate.  To me, the important thing is that he’s talking about honesty in the relationship which is really the key to any successful relationship, open or closed.

The surge in exposure is driving people to websites for all types of lifestyles.  The conversations are important.  It is great to see people talking about what they want and how to get it either in their current relationship, by working on the relationship, and/or changing it as needed.  It’s also good for people to share experiences.  Not every open marriage stays open. Not every polyamorous relationship ends up happy.  Then again, monogamous relationships don’t always end in a ride into the sunset either.

If you’re looking to take a walk on the wild side, Shoes Only Travel offers great travel packages to places like Hedonism resorts, Desire resorts, and other exciting clothing optional excursions like Au Naturel, Lifestyle cruises where the Vegas tag line, “what happens in _____________ (Hedo, Desire, vacation) stays in _____________” apply.  The warm Caribbean waters can bring out some hot adventures.  Let Shoes Only take care of the travel arrangements while you prepare for the time of your life.

Regardless of where people fall on the relationship spectrum, the most important thing is dialogue in relationships; being able to talk about your needs and desires. Perhaps when we start with our own relationships, we can begin to think about other types of relationships and how they fulfill our needs.   

We are asked quite often “so what made you decide to open “Shoes Only Travel?”. Like most things in life we came to it almost accidentally.  From a personal perspective, we are world travelers having been to dozens of countries and have enjoyed both textile as well as “Au Naturel” travel for years.

In addition to being well traveled we are what you might call extremely observant and demanding. While we like 5-star travel it is not necessary and we often travel in all categories. What we do demand and look for are experiences where the vacation exceeds our expectations.

Professionally, we have owned a “Brand Identity” consulting firm for over 7 years (having spent over 25 in the industry), providing strategic development and implementation programs for large corporations and governments across the US. In developing Brand Blueprints for our clients we are usually involved in all of the background research, planning and execution to make sure that we understand the customers’ needs and provide our clients the tools to exceed their customers’ expectations. That takes us back to our previously described travel experiences and observations……sort of an occupational hazard.

We spent a year doing some research for a client that involved the Clothing Optional and Lifestyle travel markets. What came out of that research was a deep understanding of the market and, more importantly, what the Lifestyle and Clothing Optional traveler was seeking. Marrying that research with our own personal knowledge led to Shoes Only Travel.

So what makes us different?

We, like other agencies, will of course book travelers to the most popular resorts such as Desire, Hedo and a few others, either individually or in groups. This is a major portion of the market for a good reason. These resorts do a great job and provide the Lifestyle and Clothing Optional traveler the experience they are looking for.

Let me give you an inside tip… the price you will pay from any travel provider is basically the same (it is also the exact price you will pay if you book directly with the resort). The resorts pay a commission out of their end so you, as the traveler, see the same price either way.

So what it comes down to is service and understanding. Understanding the resort as well as the traveler’s wants and needs. Shoes Only Travel has intimate knowledge of all the resorts we represent. We have been to each of them, know the management and understand the experience. We utilize a “Traveler Personality Profile” on our site to develop a clearer understanding of you and your desires so that we can match you to appropriate resorts, which will exceed your expectations. Even if you have been to Hedo II, say 10 times, if you have not been to Desire or Hidden Beach or Grand Lido it is hard to make a judgment about them.

Also, how wonderful is it to have a truly carefree trip? Knowing your transport to and from the airport has been arranged and confirmed for you the day of travel. Even your stay at the resort is personally confirmed the day or two prior to your arrival to make sure they are ready for you and all is good- even arranging an early check in and preferred room location when possible so you will not have to wait for a room and will get a super, rather than random location at the resort.

I recently saw a post for a group trip where the major benefit being highlighted was that they send you a goody bag with 3-4 lbs of stuff (junk).  We choose a little different direction.  Rather than spending money on a bag of things you don’t need and will likely throw away (like, the last thing I need is another bag of stuff) Shoes Only Travel has partnered with CarbonFund.org for our company and all of our travelers to have a green vacation.

This means that when you travel with Shoes Only Travel you will do so knowing your vacation has a Zero Carbon foot print. Shoes Only Travel is paying a fee to  CarbonFund.org for every vacation it books to offset your impact from:

·         Your round trip car ride from your house to the airport

·         Your round trip flight for 2 from your home airport to your destination 

·         Your entire stay at the resort

Finally, you can vacation without clothes and a clear conscience!

Group trips are another area. We take great pains in developing interesting groups often including some entertainment or services not normally found at the resort for our group. We also have at least one host couple and/or staff to accompany the group to act as a liaison onsite with the resort as well as arrange some private parties for our group. It is all designed to make it a special experience for you.

Finally, we saw a need in the market for some more unique and unusual offerings. Again, while the traditional resorts are wonderful, many of us are also seeking new and unusual experiences. So at Shoes Only Travel we are constantly on the lookout for these opportunities. One such unique opportunity is our January 2010 charter of the Windstar’s Windsurf ship out of Barbados. This luxurious, intimate ship (156 cabins) is a total takeover which means this is a 100% Clothing Optional Lifestyle Cruise with unique parties, entertainment and excursions.

So welcome to our family and we look forward to being your Clothing Optional and Lifestyle friend in the travel business for years to come.