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It’s a truth universally acknowledged that someone working on a busy superyacht in peak season will be in want of a holiday. And a very long sleep.
Need something to look forward to to push through the final weeks of the yachting season? Here are some fabulous holiday ideas for yacht crew to regain your spark. And remember, while the yachting work is tough at times, that glorious disposable income you get in return means that your holidays can be everything you dream of.
Let’s get holiday planning. From the adventurous to the relaxing to the rejuvenating, here are five types of holidays that might fill your vacation bucket.
You want to see your family and closest friends but don’t want to go home for one of those holidays where you spend the whole time catching up and sitting in people’s lounge rooms. You don’t want to come back from your holiday, walk into the crew mess and say, ‘I feel exhausted from catching up. It didn’t really feel like a holiday.’
Not this time. Splash out and book an amazing trip somewhere interesting for just your closest people. Renting a chateau or villa in the countryside of Bordeaux or Tuscany is a surprisingly affordable option in the cold winter months.
Have you ever spent Christmas in a French chateau? Or you could head somewhere tropical and rent a villa in Bali or Thailand with a private chef. (Don’t pretend you even remember how to cook at this point. Yachting has ruined you. Unless you’re the chef, in which case you definitely need a private chef on holiday.)
The villa rental option lets you spend quality time with the people you love and create fresh memories simultaneously.
There are so many retreats in the world, and they don’t just have to be limited to yoga, meditation or health. Why not follow one of your passions with a writing, art, or music retreat?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to cook or just fancy a whole week of working on your golf swing at some fancy country club resort. Maybe you want to do an intensive climbing course in Yosemite National Park or the Dolomites, a dance retreat in Greece, or a rewilding retreat in Bali?
Whatever it is, to focus on one activity that you love for a week — and watch yourself improve along the way, is a really rejuvenating experience for both body and mind.
Bust out of the daily routine of life on board with some adrenaline-spiking adventures. Maybe you want to white-water raft down the Zambezi or through the Grand Canyon or head into the Arctic for a thrill-seeking holiday of arctic diving, heliskiing and dog-sledging under the northern lights. Bungee jump in New Zealand, paraglide in the Swiss Alps, or fresh-water cave dive in Mexico.
Whatever it is, it should stretch your comfort zone and fill your mind with wonder.
There are walks in this world that can change your life. And definitely your view of it— both literally and figuratively. Why not use your yacht crew holiday as a time to tick off an epic trek?
Where will it be? Machu Picchu? Kilimanjaro? Everest Base Camp? The Milford Sound Trail? You may want to head into the wilds of Patagonia, hike the Appalachian, or stroll the Camino de Santiago, stopping at gites and pilgrim hostels along the way.
There are some truly epic treks and hikes in every country of the world. This can be an exceptional thing to do on your own or to go on a grand adventure with someone you love.
If you are a person who loves a long train journey, watching out the window as the landscape changes before you, then this one’s for you. While the Trans-Siberian is unfortunately off-limits (2023), plenty of breath-taking long-distance train journeys are still available.
Chug through the Utah desert on the California Zephyr or cross the Australian Outback on the Indian Pacific or the Ghan. Be awestruck on Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer as you gaze up through the sky dome at the mountains, or head from Guangzhou to the foothills of the Tibetan Himalayas on China’s most scenic railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
India has some show-stopping long-distance train journeys, including the Maharaja’s Express, while in Southeast Asia, there’s no train more legendary than the Eastern & Oriental Express. In Africa, watch a safari from the window on the Rovos Rail, while in South America, the Belmond Andean Explorer winds its way through the Peruvian Andes. In Europe, of course, the Venice Simplon Orient Express remains the most famous of them all.
It’s your holiday, your dream. But if it were us? We’d go somewhere dramatically different from where you are now, so you can return rejuvenated with strange and wonderful sights, new adventures, and memories of far-off lands.
So next time you’re on break, start dreaming. Book that holiday and print some pictures on the wall beside your bunk. Order some books to learn about the place you’re going. The power of having something to look forward to can never be underestimated.
You’ll be on the plane/train/hiking path before you know it.
Happy planning and happy adventures!
