Summer is in full force, meaning that it’s the perfect time to head off and enjoy a trip away with your loved ones. If you haven’t yet planned your summer vacations, then I’ve got a wonderful suggestion for you: why don’t you head off on a sailing holiday? You can take a day trip and enjoy all the benefits of sailing, but the truth is a sailing trip is especially nice if you’ve got a few days or even a week or more to spare. You’ll be able to unwind, relax and really get into the sailing vibe. There are few things better in life than being out on the water, enjoying quality time with your friends or family members. You can enjoy sailing between islands, visiting for the day, indulging in fun water sports and relaxing on the boat. Here are my top 5 benefits to a sailing holiday:
1. Stress Free Holiday
You can choose the length of your itinerary and depending on the company, route, and location, the length will vary, but usually sailing holidays are a week or two in length, allowing you to really get to know the area and to best explore the natural beauty. You’ll arrive, be given a ton of information and all the planning will be done for you, ensuring that you can enjoy your holiday and focus on actually having a vacation. During the day you’ll have the freedom to sail at your own pace, allowing you to enjoy a sailing holiday at your own leisure. During the evening, you can enjoy being social, with evening BBQs, sharing stories with other families and new friends. This is especially wonderful if you have kids, as your kids will make instant friends and allow you time to mix with other adults. Check out these very competitive prices and a great range of sail boats that will provide the foundation for your perfect Ionian Flotilla holiday.
2. A Relaxing Holiday
There are so many different types of holidays you can go on and while none are better or worse than any other, a sailing holiday is one of the more relaxing holidays you can choose. Being out on the water is a great way to spend your vacation and you will have the best of both worlds, because being out on the water makes for a great place to be to explore some great water sports such as fishing, paddle boarding, diving and snorkelling. You can also take advantage of the ports and spend your days visiting cute little towns or islands, seeing somewhere new every day. This ensures your trip is interesting, engaging, but still relaxing. One of the things I find hardest about traveling is having to pack and unpack my things every second day, but when you’re on a sailing holiday you enjoy the same bed, you can even unpack for the duration of your trip, even if your destination is changing every day or two. During the evenings you can focus on your friends and family members, engaging with them and enjoying the real conversations that ignite from the calmer and quieter evenings together. To keep your holiday relaxing, check out this carry-on packing list for a sailing holiday.
3. Fun Time in the Sun
After a long winter, my body craves the sunshine. We all know the benefits to Vitamin D and how it can help improve bodily functions as well as boost mood. If you’ve ever spent a day in the sun, then you know how that warm, fuzzy after sun glow feels. A sailing holiday is like a week long indulgence in vitamin D, which is especially important after the long winters we’ve been experiencing. It’s a great way to restock on this important vitamin. Take a great book, either a traditional book, or e-book to read in the sunshine. But don’t be silly – sun damage is a real risk and you can still enjoy many of the benefits of sun exposure while keeping yourself safe. Be sure to apply sufficient sunscreen and to reapply regularly enough to ensure that you are protected. Sunburn is very painful and can cause damage. If you’re going on a sailing trip with children, be sure to ensure they are properly protected too.
4. Great Time to Connect
While we live in a more connected world, it’s very easy to feel disconnected. I’m sure you’ve been out to dinner recently in a large group and most people at the table have probably be on a phone at some point, distracted by their screens. It makes it hard to have a good conversation with someone, if they’re busy watching Youtube or staring at their phones. A sailing holiday is a wonderful way to connect with your loved ones, especially if there’s no cell phone reception where you are sailing! It will mean that you will be ‘forced’ to take a break from Social Media and to spend more time with those who are really with you. Even though we are more connected than ever, in some ways we are more disconnected from those who are immediately around us. While it’s fun to create new memories together during the day, I find it’s during the evening time once the sun has set that the conversation really gets going. If you can, take some board games or a deck of cards so you can enjoy playing together in the evening. That will help get everyone mixing and laughing, ensuring that you are creating some fun memories you can treasure for years to come.
5. Incredible Photos
There’s a trend now to document everything these days, and why not when it’s basically effortless and free to take another photo if you don’t like the photo you took. I’m a big fan of capturing special memories together and making the effort to capture the moments together, because you never know when you’ll next be together again. What better place to take photos together than on a boat? Whether you’re away on this trip as a couple, as a family or even a group of friends, you’ll get some special photos together that you can really treasure. Be sure to take a great quality camera so you can get decent photos you might even like to print out. I recently bought an Instax Camera which allows me to print Polaroid photos instantly. While I love the photos for obvious reasons, I also love giving the photos to other people as gifts to remember the fun experience we had together. Can you imagine how amazing your pictures from your sailing trip will be? With the gorgeous fiery sunsets in the background and the deep, blue ocean?
A sailing holiday is an incredible holiday, no matter the type of adventure you’re headed off on! Be sure to consider a sailing holiday for your next vacation, I’m certain you’ll love it.