I would have never considered booking a yacht charter for summer vacation…until we got the chance to go on one last summer with MedSailors. I honestly thought yacht charters would totally out of our budget range, and that’s why they were never in the radar. Turns out I was wrong, and I’m glad I was!
We had the best time sailing the Dalmatian Coast (Croatia) for a week with Medsailors (they also have tours in Greece and Turkey), and I can’t wait to tell you all about it within this next month! There are a couple different yacht charter options, you can either: rent out one for yourself (aka you are your own skipper), or you can join a company that provides skippered yachts (aka you don’t have to worry about a thing). For us, skippered yachts were the way to go as Derik and I have zero sailing experience. At the end of the week I felt thoroughly sun-drenched, peaceful, and more in love with the ocean than ever.
As you start thinking about your summer vacation plans for this year, here’s why I think you should definitely consider going on a sailing holiday:
1. Learn something new
During your week out on the big blue sea, you’ll have plenty of time to learn how to sail. Basically, the more you want to learn, the more your skipper will show you. IF you decide you’d rather sit at the front of the boat and catch some rays instead of learn how to control the ship, that’s totally fine and it won’t be held against you. That being said…sailing is crazy fun to learn how to do!
If sailing isn’t your cup of tea, but you’d still like to learn how to do something, why not try paddle boarding, snorkeling or diving?
2. Make new friends
If you go on a sailing holiday with Medsailors and you decide to go solo or as a couple, you’ll be put up with 6 other yacht mates for the week. Yes it can be scary, especially because you’re not sure if you’ll all mesh, but just know 100% of you are on that yacht for the same reason: to have fun. Medsailors gives you a short questionnaire to fill out online that helps them sort individuals/couples according to their sleeping and partying habits: “do you stay out all night/are you an early riser” and “do you plan on partying the whole week/would you rather drink leisurely”.
We made 7 new friends (including our amazing skipper Tom) during our week on holiday, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Sailing is such a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the world; our yacht hosted sailors from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.!
3. Live outside for a week
That’s right…outside 99% of the time! Derik and I even slept on top of the yacht most nights as our room was sometimes a little stuffy at night (aka it was the middle of the summer in humid Croatia). There’s nothing like having the sun on your face and wind blowing through your hair every single day for a week! The only time we actually went inside was when we had a port day and we wanted to eat in an indoor restaurant, or sip drinks at an indoor bar…but I think this may have only happened a total of once. Summer nights in Croatia are magical — I’ll leave it at that.
4. Experience coastal life
Island life is one thing, coastal life is something entirely different, especially in southern Europe. The food, the drinks, and the atmosphere are so refined, yet relaxed — there really isn’t anything comparable. I will say some of the best food I’ve eaten in the four years Derik and I have been traveling has been during our week out sailing. Fresh seafood every single night? Yes please.
5. Do something different…
…because what kind of person just goes on a freaking sailing holiday? Not anyone I know, especially from the USA! I was really surprised to find out pricing wasn’t super ridiculous, and for the experiences we had? Our time with Medsailors was priceless.
Ready to book your sailing trip? We went on the Discovery Tour with Medsailors and the entire week came to be $750 USD per person – Early Bird Special! That included 7-days of accommodation on the sailboat, breakfast and lunch onboard, and of course our very own yacht skipper for the week, who pretty much takes care of everything. Check it out! Sailings for this year (2016) begin in May and end early October, and early bird pricing is going on now.
We were guests of Medsailors in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are my own.