-- J.S.

Nude sunbathing has bounded out of the closet over the past 15 years, and there are many resources for tracking down clothing-optional beaches, resorts, organizations and activities in the United States and worldwide. There also are nude cruises and travel agencies that specialize in naturist vacations.

Chief among these sources is the Naturist Society, P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54902; phone (920) 426-5009. At the Naturist Society site you can find a link to Nude & Natural, a magazine that covers all the territory you're considering. Click on "Network"  for links to special interest groups, parks and resorts, bed and breakfasts, hot springs and travel consultants.

The range of au naturel groups titillates the imagination: Central Council for British Naturism, the Association of Czech Naturists, the  Magyar Naturistak Egyesulete in Hungary. You'll be able to find a state or local organization wherever you're headed.

Be advised that in many quarters naturists find themselves under fire. A clothing optional beach near Cape May, N.J., was closed recently (multiple issues were involved), and Florida traditionally has taken a rigid stance against nude sunbathing, fearful that it doesn't fit in with the state's family vacation image. Even there, though, plenty of bare activity can be found.

The most recent edition of a longtime guide to nude beaches is Lee Baxandall's "World Guide to Nude Beaches & Recreation: New for the '90s," by Lee Baxandall (Elysium Growth Press, 1998).

Another intriguing and entertaining source is Salon's own Mondo Weirdo series of readers' recommendations of great nude beaches around the world.

I will be traveling to Spain this September and want to have a cell phone while I'm there. Are there arrangements one can make to get a "temporary" cell phone? I would like to use it to make local calls and receive long distance calls from the U.S.    

-- Lupita

You should have no trouble renting a cell phone for your vacation in Spain, and you don't even have to wait until you depart. A number of U.S. companies will ship a rental phone to you before you begin your trip and provide you with the number to give friends and relatives. Upon your return, you ship the phone back. Many car rental agencies also arrange cell phone rentals abroad.

Companies offering rentals include InTouch, phone number (703) 222-7161, and Auto Europe, phone (800) 223-5555, extension 6031.

Cell phone renters pay a flat fee plus usage fees. Auto Europe said rates for Spain would begin at $60 per week, with discounts for longer rentals. Expect to pay $1 to $3 per minute for calls, depending on whether they're local or incoming from outside the country.

As you probably realize, your U.S. cell phone isn't likely to work overseas. European countries use a digital cell phone technology called GSM that differs from the standard here. 

The term GSM, by the way, was chosen by the Europeans who planned the unified standard and comes from the French: Group Special Mobile. In 1989, new words were assigned to the acronym and it's now Global System for Mobile Communication.

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