You can charter your own yacht, skipper, and even a small staff for a celebrity-style vacation for the same amount of money you would spend on hotels and tours on your typical week-long vacation. Keep reading to find out how you can ball on a budget this summer on your very own yacht vacation.
Start with the Destination
The first step to kicking off your sailing vacation is to choose your destination. Charter companies have boats all over the world, whether it’s close to home in the U.S., or far away in Southeast Asia, you can probably find an affordable boat to sail the seas.
In the summer months, you can spend a week sailing around New England, or island hop through the Virgin Islands and the Carribean. If you want to see the Mediterranean, you can choose a route that sails through some of the Greek Isles or Turkey. If you’re looking to find your own version of Wakanda, you can set your sights on Madagascar, Tanzania, and Cape Verde. If there is water, you can probably sail there!
Find Your Yacht
Believe it or not, renting a yacht for your sailing vacation can be as simple as calling an Uber. You simply start with a charter service that offers boats in your dream destination and price range. Depending on the size of your crew, you can find yachts for as low as $1300 per person for a full week.
And that price typically includes housing (your boat is your house), your skipper, who sails the boat for you, and even a staff to cooks and clean! When choosing your vessel, be sure to check all the reviews and try to talk to your skipper ahead of time to set expectations and get more insight on preparing for your trip.
To get you started on your hunt, here is a small drop in the sea of charter companies around the world:
BoatAtSea.com: Sailing in the British Virgin Islands
Moorings.com: Offering yacht vacations in all corners of the world, including Thailand and Tahiti
GetMyBoat.com: Specializing in sailing vacations around South Africa
Yachtico.com: Sailing in the North and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans
TheYachtWeek.com: Join a fleet of yachts for a party-hopping vacation you’ll never forget
Prepare to Live on the Water
If you’ve never taken a sailing trip, prepare for an all-out shock to your senses. There is nothing like waking up to 360-degree views of the endless ocean and (hopefully) blue skies. But unlike a day trip you may have taken on a sailboat, this is more like a cruise, only on a much smaller vessel.
One reason that your sailing adventure is so affordable is that your yacht is your entire home for the week. It will be your bedroom, your shower, kitchen, living room, taxi— your everything. Be prepared to get comfy on your boat from sun up to sun down. But don’t worry, the incredible views and soothing ocean waves will absolutely make up for any space constraints. And since you and the crew pretty much control where you go, you can make stops on land whenever you want.
Choose your Crew Wisely
There are only a few things can rain on your sailing parade: actual rain, and bad sailing mates. Fortunately, you can control who you bring along for the ride. Since you’ll be balling on a budget for this trip, space on the boat will be fairly limited. This means you’ll be spending A LOT of time with your boat mates.
There aren’t many places to hide out on a sailboat. Take care to choose friends who you know you can get along with for days at a time. It’s frowned upon to throw a crew member overboard, so avoid sailing with anyone who may tempt you to do just that.
Let the Ocean Be Your Guide
While your skipper will have an itinerary and a general idea of the stops you’ll make on your sailing trip, you might find yourself making random stops to swim with dolphins or explore coral reefs. Or you might meet up with other boats and change course altogether to explore a new port city.
And of course, weather can force you to change your plans at any time. For these reasons, you should keep your itinerary pretty open and be ready for the unexpected. You will be at the mercy of the water, so just go with the flow, and enjoy the adventure.
So, can you think of a reason not to plan a sailing trip for your summer vacation? Neither can we!
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.