12 Foolproof Reasons To Travel By Boat On Your Next Vacation

Boat travel has become a less popular option, replaced by faster methods of transport. If you’re looking for a more leisurely pace of vacation, on your next trip, consider ditching the car or the train, and travel by boat. You could even join a boat club to get access to a wide range of boats to hire to really get the boat experience.

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Twelve Reasons To Travel By Boat On Your Next Vacation

More space. Travelling by bus, car or train isn’t known for being roomy. If you’re sick of having no leg room when you’re travelling around, taking a boat gives you the luxury of a lot more space. Get out on deck, stretch your legs and relax.
The leisurely pace. If you don’t need to be anywhere, the slower pace of boat travel could be very relaxing. Meander down the river or across the ocean, and just enjoy the journey. You can relax with a book, enjoy the scenery as you drift along or catch up on some naps.
It can be cheaper. Of course, if you want to try out life on a luxury yacht, this won’t be the case, but for the more budget traveller, there are options out there. Look for cruise deals, or book onto a cargo board or slow ferry. If you shop around, you can find great deals. Once you’re on board, you’ll find it hard to spend much money too, so you can save that way too.
It’s exciting. Boat travel is a unique way to see the world, and you can live out your childhood dreams of high sea adventure.
It can very sociable. If you’re travelling on a budget as a backpacker, boat travel is often very social. You’ll be on board for a while, so it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and make some friends on your travels.
Fewer baggage restrictions. When you fly, you usually have to pack carefully to meet the baggage restrictions. On a boat, this isn’t the case, so you can load up your bags with as much stuff as you like, and buy lots of souvenirs to take home without worrying about how much they weigh.
You can reach more places. If you’re interested in exploring more remote parts of the world, a boat can often be the best way to do that. Some small, but fascinating places are only reachable by boat, such as Fulaga, in Fiji. This small island is 65 miles from the nearest airport, but sailboat visitors can stay with a host family and experience local food and traditional kava ceremonies. You couldn’t have an experience like this with any other transport method.
Nature. Travelling by boat can get you up close and personal with some amazing wildlife. If you’re travelling by river, this could be seeing wildlife like river voles, otters or even turtles. At sea, you might be lucky enough to see dolphins, whales, tropical fish or octopus. Being able to see these beautiful animals is a rare treat, so savour it.
You could learn new skills. Learn skills related to boating itself, like navigation, boat safety, sailing, knotwork and many more. The travel itself also offers the opportunity to learn other skills, such as fishing, identifying different sea birds, or learning languages from other passengers. Try something new, like snorkelling or diving.
Easy access to the water. If you’re something of a water baby, boating at sea is about the closest you can get to the water. Just roll off the deck straight into the sea. You can be swimming seconds after you wake up, and spend the day getting in and out of the water as often as you like.
Better sleep. The sensation might feel odd at first, but once you’re used to it, there’s nothing as relaxing to help you drift off to sleep as the gentle rocking motion of a boat on the water. You’ll sleep well and wake up refreshed and relaxed, ready for another day of fine. You’ll finish the trip more refreshed than you would from other vacations with less soothing travel methods.
See lots of destinations without having to pack and repack. If you’ve hired a boat for your whole trip, you can hop between different locations as often as you like. If you did this on other kinds of trips, you’d spend a lot of your vacation packing, unpacking and repacking your luggage. On your boat, just unpack when you get on board, and that’s it. Your hotel room comes with you as you move around, and you’ll be able to concentrate on seeing new places without the worry of dragging your stuff around everywhere.

TL;DR

To be honest, I’ve never thought to travel by boat, though in researching for this article, I can certainly see the appeal to boat travel instead of Uber or renting a car.

Have you ever rented a boat instead of flying or renting a car? How was your experience? Let me know below!