We all have that dream vacation; we want to go on someday in our life. Sometimes that dream is an island surrounded by crystal clear waters, or touring around large cities, both historical and concrete jungles. When we plan these vacations, we often scour through different travel search engines looking for the cheapest flights and even its substitutes (train, bus, or car rentals). However, one means of travel that people often overlook is traveling by sea. No, not cruises – instead, on a yacht.

As fancy, luxurious, and expensive as this sounds, it is possible. Yes, there are superyachts and luxury cruise ships, but anyone can experience this now. This is a growing market, sort of like Airbnb for boats, where boat owners connect with holiday goers if you’re worried about not having a license or not even knowing how to operate and sail a yacht, there are now yacht/boat search engines that connect you to boat owners and licensed captains.

Here are some of the Benefits of a Boating Holiday:

Privacy

Traveling on a plane, bus, or train means being in a crowded space and is often a hassle. When you rent your yacht, you and your friends or family have all the space to yourselves. Sometimes it’s not just about the destination but also the journey. You can lie down, stretch your legs, and walk around as much as you want to.

Great Views

Part of the boating journey is being able to take in a variety of views, landscapes, and skylines. Sometimes when you travel by boat, you are able to go into rivers or canals that are exclusive and hence inaccessible from the mainland. This also means you are away from the crowds of tourists and enjoy a city from a different perspective.

Your Own Itinerary

Traveling by boat, you can pretty much take your time and create your own plan. Unlike cruises, you can decide your destinations and how much time you want to spend in each one. There are different adventures and holiday packages with various yachting/boating agencies, but ultimately it’s up to you.

Relaxing Means of Travel

A boating holiday means experiencing full relaxation and freedom. You can be one with nature–the fresh air, the wind in your hair, and the clearer atmosphere away from any pollution. Simply put, there’s no stress of rushing through your vacation.

These are just some of the benefits of a boating vacation. Surely, when you experience it for yourself, you’ll find your own list of pros and adventures. For now, if this definitely piques your interest but don’t know how to get started, here are the steps in doing so:

Search For A Boating Agency or Search Engine

The first step would be to seek more information from a professional source for boating. Assuming this will be your first boating trip and you can’t sail a boat, a quick search online and you’ll find many boating companies, agencies, apps, or search engines. The search is categorized by locations, types of boats, captains, or holiday packages.

The top results of your search may be based on your exact location; however, one boat rental community worth the research is Boatsetter, as they pretty much operate around the world. Their main base in Florida, but they operate in Europe, Central America, Australia, and Asia.

Make Some Decisions

The next step is simply to make decisions; this will affect your choice for step #3. Decide

• What kind of holiday do you want (boat day trip, week-long charter, or longer)?
• How many people are you bringing, where exactly you’d like to go?
• How many stops will you be making?
• What activities do you want to do? (as different boats can carry equipment and accommodate different activities better).

Choose Your Boat

Once the above decisions have been made, you can start searching for your ideal. These sites provide clear images of the boat and provide information on its capacity, boat model, owner response rate, special features (e.g., ladder, stereo), and fee details (e.g., insurance, fuel, extra equipment, length of rental).

Connect with Boat Owners or Captains

Once again, if you’re thinking about doing a boating holiday, you do not need any boating experience. That’s why these agencies and charters provide you with the option of hiring a captain for your trip. On Boatsetter, for example, you can filter your search results to include a Captain or not. Once you select a boat, you can connect/message the owner and captain to seek more information.

Select the Specific Dates

The final step before your boating holiday on a yacht is to set the dates! Once again, you can do all of this through the agencies and charters and check who is available (and making sure you get along with your captain). Be aware of the destinations you’d like to go to and check when is the best weather, boating wise. Also, when is it that there will be as least tourists as possible.

Conclusion

There are many advantages and adventures when going on a boating holiday. If it’s your first time doing so, it really isn’t a problem. There are many charters, agencies, and boating communities that provide the best service, safety, and many options for your trip.