In a recent survey conducted by Hideaways.com, 100 discerning travelers were asked if they are likely to shed their inhibitions--and their clothing--while on vacation. For 79%, the answer is yes: 14% say anything and everything goes on vacation; 12% usually go au naturel, 27% sometimes do, and 26% occasionally do. Only 21% say they never reveal all while they travel.

"On vacation, people let loose," says Mike Thiel, Founder and President of the 25-year-old travel club, Hideaways International. "They stay up late, sleep in, and sometimes find the best outfit is supplied by Mother Nature herself." And just where are these travelers taking it all off? "Discriminating travelers know the best place to enjoy an au naturel escape is a private villa," Thiel says. "Renting a home-away-from-home offers freedom and privacy . . . and often a pool to work on a total tan."

And Thiel, named "Mr. Villa Vacation" by Arthur Frommer, should know. For the last 25 years, Hideaways International has been a leader in international villa rentals with literally tens of thousands of homes for rent, from a vineyard villa in Italy to a California beach house. Thiel is also the author of Villa Vacations Made Easy, a how-to guide for planning and enjoying a vacation in a villa.

"At a villa, it really is no shirt, no pants, no problem," Thiel says. "A private home is a great place to let loose . . . and it seems that, for 79%, 'letting loose' is a vacation must!"

Since 1979, Hideaways has explored the vacation road less traveled, searching for the world's most exceptional escapes, including exclusive resorts, boutique hotels, specialty cruise ships, private yacht charters, secluded villas, city-center apartments, guest ranches, cozy castles, and even entire Caribbean islands. Hideaways' recommendations are profiled in The Hideaways Collection directory, Hideaways Guide, Hideaways newsletter, and Hideaways Insider e-newsletter. For more information, visit Hideaways.com, or call 603-430-4433.

Mike Thiel is a peripatetic world traveler and has been traveling professionally since 1979. He is a veteran of national radio talk show and TV appearances including CNBC, CNN, and The Travel Channel.