Looking for a holiday guaranteed to give you goose bumps? Travel companies are reporting a surge in nudist cruises, including a trip to the freezing climes of Glacier Bay, Alaska.

While the typical image of a holiday for a British naturist involves caravans, curled sandwiches and windswept beaches, the movement is going upmarket. Travel companies report that the number of holidaymakers going on naturist cruises has doubled in the past five years.

Those wishing to slip off their clothes while on holiday can choose a 15-day cruise along the dramatic Croatian coast, which has a choice of nudist beaches.

Alternatively, they can head to the Far East on the Star Flyer or to the Caribbean aboard the Carnival Legend.

As the brochure for Bare Necessities, one of the nudist travel companies, says: “Sun-bathe, without fear of tan lines, by one of three fabulous pools. Whether you choose to gamble in the casino or catch a show, it can be done sans clothing.”

The more hardy nudist veterans can book a cruise to Alaska in July, with the chance to “hike through the massive Juneau icefield”.

Alternatively, you can just sit on deck and watch your body go blue. Perhaps not surprisingly there still appear to be spaces on the trip.

Jim Bailey, who runs Castaway Travel, an American company that sold 3,000 berths on nude cruise ships last year, said the cruises were popular with British naturists: “Lots of my customers are British and sales to them have gone up by about 50% from 2001 to 2006.”

Among the British nudist converts to cruises is John Stockdale, 51, from Liverpool, who was invited with his wife on a nude cruise by some friends. He has been a naturist for 25 years and said he loved the relaxed atmosphere of a nude cruise: “We thought it was fantastic. All kinds of people go — there are lots of retired teachers, doctors and professional people.

“After a while you don’t realise that people aren’t wearing clothes because everyone looks the same. In fact it is people wearing clothes that attract more attention.”

Stockdale said the cruises were not places for wife swapping as some people might suspect, but did reveal that five people who were on his cruise were asked to leave for inappropriate behaviour.

Another keen participant is Peter Englert, 71, from Romford, Essex, who is retired. He has been on a number of naturalist cruises and said that, without clothes, national stereotypes tended to fall away.

“Interestingly, you cannot spot what country people are likely to be from by the way they look or act naked,” he said.

“Once people are not wearing clothes, they act in pretty much the same way in terms of how relaxed they feel. There is no hiding behind the sun lounger.”

Andrew Welch, from British Naturism, said the cruises were likely to attract people seeking new experiences: “Just as people go bungee jumping in New Zealand, they feel able to go on a naturist holiday.”

Prices on the cruises are broadly similar to a conventional cruise, starting at £510 for a basic cabin in a small sailing ship to £22,959 for a couple to go on a luxury trip around the British Virgin Islands. Clients are typically aged between 45 and 55.

Those new to the idea are given advice on how to act — and reminded not to gawp. “Remember to look people in the eyes,” said Sherry Stafford Loibl, who runs Internaturally, a US company that arranges smaller nude cruises.

“Once you feel comfortable, you can look them up and down to see what they look like, just as you would if they were wearing clothes. It usually takes a day before someone is relaxed.” Stafford Loibl said that about 10% of her customers were from Britain.

Clothes are worn when passengers disembark at any of the ports visited and during formal evening meals. All the ship’s crew wear clothes.

Cameras and mobile phones are often banned from large cruise ships to stop unauthorised photography, although on many smaller ships photography is allowed as long as guests ask permission.