Disconnect with a Private Sailing Expedition

Sailing in the Spanish Virgin Islands.
Sailing in the Spanish Virgin Islands.

Vacations are among the most important recreational activities we have. They represent a time away from the demands of a job or school, and they provide family time that generates wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

After a few years of trying different options for travel, you may have reached an impasse and find it hard to get inspired about any of the choices before you. That is the time to go off-script and try something wonderfully new and unique.

If the thought of feeling your feet on boat carpet instead of a hard hotel floor sounds appealing to you, a private sailing expedition might be just the cure for the vacation monotony you’re experiencing.

We’re not talking about a high-cost excursion here. You will operate the boat yourself, so there’s no staff to charter or language barrier with the captain. And you’ll find that a rented sailboat can make for some amazing vacation experiences.

Traffic Is A Distant Memory

One of the great inconveniences of travel is all the other people who are traveling too–or going to work, or going to the store, or whatever. When you have to get out on

Chartering a sailboat is one of the best ways to get unplugged.
Chartering a sailboat is one of the best ways to get unplugged.

the highway among thousands of other cars, things can become congested and your trip can become a headache.

A private sailing expedition gives you a lane-free route between any two points of your choosing. If you see other marine traffic in a certain area, you can navigate around it and keep up your pace while you have the wind and the sunlight that you need. If you can chart a more meandering path to your destination and take in some beautiful sights, you can expect your time calculations to hold true. Traveling on the water is a whole different world from automobile and even air travel.

Lodging Is Already Covered

Choosing a hotel, sight unseen, is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences in travel. You expect your lodging to be clean, spacious, and stocked with the amenities you were promised, but too many times we find this not to be the case.

With a private sailboat, you can sleep on board if you wish, rocked to sleep by the gentle movement of the water. (And if the water isn’t so gentle, you can always dock and seek land-based lodging.) This eliminates the constant packing and unpacking required with multiple hotel stops, and it guarantees you availability and quality of a room each and every night.

The Itinerary Is Yours

Another way that a sailing vacation breaks you out of your old travel thinking is through its incredible flexibility. With the water before you and only a chart to drive your plans, you are free to zigzag wherever you want. There are no other passengers trying to reach a consensus on a lunch stop, no pre-built trip schedule overseen by a hard-charging tour guide. It’s up to you to spend as much or as little time as you wish at any destination you choose.

Even the most luxurious hotels and inspiring destinations sometimes stand amid decaying cities with honking horns and noisy neighbors. On the water, the scenery is always beautiful. (And if it’s not, you simply drop your mooring and find some scenery that is.) You are quite literally the captain of your ship, and if your family can agree on where to go, you can go there.

Summer after summer of long highway treks to worn-out destinations can work against the very purpose of family vacations. Finding an exciting and different way to spend time together, such as on a sailboat, can revive your desire to be together, not just on vacation, but year-round.