Many with wanderlust have started embracing the lost art of sailing for a few reasons of note. Not only has sailing proven to be a more sustainable travel option for many, but this timeless sport has also enabled many travellers to get more out of their getaways and really learn to appreciate the journey over passively awaiting arrival at their destination. Read on for a little rundown of exactly why sailing just may be the future of leisurely travel.
Aeiral view of Happy family with adorable daughter and son resting on a big yacht. Drone photography
Sightsee at your own speed
One of the primary reasons behind the resurgence of sailing for travel is the great versatility that sailing has to offer. Whether you’re sailing on a classic Amel 55 or a fast and modern Iliad 50 power catamaran, setting out on the water for your next getaway will ensure that you are always in full control of your journey. This means that you can feel totally free to travel at your own speed and chart your own course. This can be especially useful if you’re exploring areas like the Great Barrier Reef or the islands of Thailand, these being areas that are largely only accessible by water.
If you’re planning to go on a longer trip, embarking on an ocean voyage can be a fantastic method of keeping your trip stress-free, as you won’t need to adhere to flight schedules and other inflexible appointments. You can just be truly in the present as you set out on the open water, and experience firsthand everything that this blue planet has to offer.
Simplify planning your itinerary
Speaking of living in the present, the very act of sailing can inspire a sense of zen in a similar fashion to camping. This is primarily due to the fact that both of these activities demand a certain level of focus. When you’re sailing, you’re not just travelling, you’re also actively manning your vessel and engaging with natural elements like wind direction. The act of sailing is in itself an activity on your itinerary, which means that you’ll be looking for a lot less filler plans that may not even be as enriching as you’d hope. Gone are the days where you’d spend your vacation at theme parks and shopping centres. If your next getaway incorporates sailing in any capacity, you’ll definitely be removed enough from your day-to-day to actually feel as though you have managed to ‘get away’.
It’s also worth mentioning that as a result of both the climate crisis and travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, sailing is rapidly being considered to be just as much a life skill as driving a car, which is exactly why global cruise line Tradewind Voyages has begun offering sailing scholarships to young people through their Tall Ships Australia and New Zealand Charitable Foundation. With international travel finally becoming viable once more and a growing number of people eager to develop new skills, there really has never been a better time to start joining some sailing courses.
Minimise your holiday’s carbon footprint
Finally, it’s no secret that sailing is a fantastic method of saying a firm bon voyage to your flight shame, or ‘flygskam’ in Swedish. The word was coined by Swedish climate activists, including Greta Thunberg and her family, as a means of describing one’s apprehension surrounding air travel in the wake of our global climate disaster. It’s natural for us to feel hesitant to get on an airplane knowing full well that commercial airplanes can consume up to 150,000 litres of fuel during a ten hour flight. Coupled with the rising costs of flights, air travel is rapidly being considered an activity that should be kept infrequent for even the most avid of travellers.
As commercial airlines continue to find ways to help offset their own carbon emissions, like American Airlines partnering with the U.S. National Parks Foundation, and also generally encouraging customers to opt for domestic travel on their next vacation, it’s up to the individual consumer to decide how important it is to them personally to keep their holiday’s carbon footprint small. The Thunberg family demonstrated how easy and freeing sea travel can be in 2019 when they travelled for two weeks across the Atlantic to attend the UN’s climate summit in New York.
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Sailing can be just what you and your family needs to craft your perfect family getaway. Feel encouraged to start engaging with this fantastic sport, and get ready to see the world as you’ve never seen it before.
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