Free Willy

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Originally uploaded by Banamine.

The single most annoying thing about taking a plane to a resort? It's not the security hassles. Not the packed coaches and late flights. It's the clothes.

You know the feeling: You're sitting in the middle of a row, knees banging into the seat in front of you, a fat guy smashing his elbow into your arm -- and the one thing you're thinking is "Christ, I wish we were all naked."

At least you do if you're a client of Castaways Travel in Spring, which has carved out a niche in the tourist industry by chartering nude flights to clothing-optional resorts. Once the plane hits cruising altitude, the clothes come off.

Donna Daniels, co-founder of the agency, says her clients include "FBI agents, CIA agents, school superintendents, fire chiefs, police chiefs, your lawyers, your doctors, political people, DJs." (What are DJs doing on that list? And does a CIA agent really give his job description when he's booking a nude flight?)

The first flight was in 2003, to Mexico. Most of the travelers are in their fifties, and many are new to the experience. Daniels counsels the males to wrap themselves in a towel if they get too thrilled with their surroundings.

"For the guys who have never experienced public nudity -- and guys are very visual -- the idea of a woody is very possible," Daniels says. "You know, okay, so the first time you see a bunch of nude ladies, you're like, 'Holy cow!' But you know what? After a day or two, no biggie."

No biggie indeed. Another question Daniels gets all the time: Is she nude when she's working in the office? No.

"There is an etiquette about doing business, where you have the FedEx guy coming in and the postal service guy," she says. "But I can tell you, when we're working our hearts out at home, we're stark naked."

So remember: The next time you're crammed into a Southwest Airlines flight, and you take a look around at your fellow well-fed Americans and wish everyone were nude, call Castaways Travel in Spring to make all your dreams come true.