Wayne Kennedy does — but he doesn’t pretend it’s easy. A 41-year-old mortgage adviser from Stockport, he was one of five obese Britons dispatched to the world’s first fat-friendly hotel, Mexico’s Freedom Paradise, for a TV documentary on the emotional problems faced by big holidaymakers.
“As a sizeable individual, you get used to the sniggers on the beach,” says Wayne, a defiantly confident traveller who regularly holidays on the Costa Blanca. “It does affect me when I go to Spain, I won’t say it doesn’t. The first time you take your top off, people have a stare.
“So it was very pleasant to go somewhere there was no pressure to conform. The people there were fantastic. They just accepted you as you are. Other resorts could learn a lot from their attitude.”
But will they? Recent statistics confirm that more than one in five Britons is now clinically obese. And at a time when it is rumoured that UK airlines may follow the American example and make oversized passengers pay for an extra seat (the TV company bought its volunteers two each, just to be sure), and with some arguing that government pressure for healthy eating is marginalising the seriously overweight, the British expedition to this heavyweight nirvana throws light on a question that’s been left out of the debate on overweight travellers: what’s it like for them?
“I went to Ibiza, and I didn’t go out during the day,” says Steven Smith, from Fife, the youngest of the group, at 24, and the heaviest, at 26st. “It was hot, and everyone was in swimwear, but I didn’t want to show that much. I only went out at night, because then you could wear trousers and long T-shirts without people staring at you. Freedom Paradise was completely different. Nobody was going to take the mickey.”
Steven found the courage to strip to his shorts at the resort, but fellow traveller Helen Carrington, a 22st healthcare worker from Ely, never went that far, preferring to stick with T-shirt and leggings even in the pool. It was progress of a sort, though — she hadn’t swum in public for 15 years.
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“The resort made me feel a bit more confident, but it’s still a hard one,” she says. “A swimsuit does not cover enough of the sins I need to cover. I don’t like the look of what’s there myself, so why should I put anyone else through looking at it?”
In Britain, holidays aimed at the overweight have concentrated on helping them lose the pounds, at spas, health farms and so on. But, with its supersize showers, extra-big beds and reinforced hammocks, the Mexican resort has gained a huge following in America by pushing a “Big is beautiful” message. The slogan is “Live large, live free”, and there’s no pressure to change shape — quite the opposite.
“There should be more places like this closer to home,” says Steven. “It wouldn’t cost much to make all hotels more friendly for big people — bigger chairs and so on.” He might have to go on hoping for a while, as, unlike their American counterparts, UK travel companies show no signs of taking the issue seriously.
“As far as we know, no UK operator has plans to offer holidays tailored to overweight people,” says the Association of British Travel Agents. “The closest we come is spas and health farms. The worry would be that anyone offering holidays that made people feel good about being fat would be criticised for condoning an unhealthy lifestyle.”
Wayne wouldn’t agree. In his case, the supportive atmosphere at Freedom Paradise has actually helped him to lose weight: since the trip in December, he has lost 5st, and he is well on course for a target weight of 12st. “I’d already made a decision to get slimmer, but the week there helped reinforce it: it was welcoming and relaxing, which helps your self-esteem.”
Steven echoes that: “It’s the attitude of the people that gives you more confidence. If only thinner people were a bit more accepting on holiday, that would help us a lot.”
The details: Freedom Paradise (00 52 984 871 3340, www.freedomparadise.com) offers roomy doubles from £102, including unlimited buffet meals and all drinks. Charter flights to Cancun from Gatwick and Manchester start at £299 with Britannia (0800 107 1515, www.thomsonflights.com). The seat pitch is 30in; for another 5in of legroom, and wider seats, a premium upgrade costs £195.
Welcome to Fatland is on ITV1, Tuesday, at 8pm
