Many of us want help planning a beach vacation. Whether your dream is Central America, South America, the Caribbean, or an all-inclusive resort, I can help.
Soft luxurious sand between your toes, salty sea breeze in your hair, or the kiss of warm sun on your face. Many of us like everything the beach offers. Whether we look at photos, television shows, stories, or are planning vacations, a lot of us dream of that perfect beach vacation.
Seriously. That is really obvious to me when I look at social media like Pinterest and Instagram. There are a lot of pictures of water and beaches. People like beaches. Really – think about it.
Not only do we like to look at pictures online, we now have television shows like “Beach Front Bargains”, “Baywatch”, and “Hawaii Five-o”.
Search Google for most common vacation keyword searches, and the top five results consistently include all-inclusive holidays and sun holidays… aka “beach”.
All it takes is a few pictures to understand.
Why do beach pictures speak to us?
I think it is because beach life is perceived to be the opposite of our daily work lives. You know, the cliché dating term “likes long walks on the beach”. How far away is that from our daily lives? Especially if daily life means being surrounded by city lights and concrete.
Seriously – if I had to choose between the click of high heels on concrete or the feel of sand between my toes, sand wins every time.
What about feeling the warm kiss of the sun on your face?
Being able first to stop and feel the sun. Really feel it. And knowing when the sun gets too warm, all you need to do is go jump in the water and cool off.
It sounds like a great beach vacation for me!
My favorite beach vacation perks.
Who doesn’t dream of being able to take the children to the beach the first time…
Getting the kids away from the concrete jungle, teaching them to play in the sand, or hearing that childish giggle when the water creeps over their toes the first time. Then watch their amazement as the sand slowly erodes from beneath their feet. Or helping them build a sandcastle.
These experiences are all priceless and are all great reasons to plan a family beach vacation.
I am not going to leave out those whose idea of paradise is a swim-up bar. Now, believe me, folks, I can get behind a good swim-up bar, all-inclusive resort, or a well-packed beach cooler.
I love almost everything associated with the beach.
Feeling warm water tickling my belly button as I walk into the water. The sensation of warm water gently flowing over my arms. That feeling of weightlessness as you cavort in the water. Or, if I were more talented, the thrill of waves under a surf or boogie board.
Snorkeling, paddle-boarding, parasailing, jet-ski, scuba diving, water-ski – if it involves water, we want to do it.
How about those goofy folks like me that like to leave a window open at night so we can hear waves crashing on the beach. The joy of hearing seagulls as they scramble for breakfast. Delight in the smell of salty sea breezes.
Truth be told, there seems to be an aspect of beach life that appeals to most of us. How can we make a beach getaway a reality? Realistically, that is easier for some than others, and I recognize that.
Not everyone can live on or near a coastal location. This article is for those that don’t but want to capture that experience and hold it for a lifetime. Or at least until their next beach adventure.
There are three groups of people in the world.
Which group of people do you fit into?
- Those that don’t like beaches. This post is not for you.
- People that like beaches and have the money to go, but not the time. A wise person once told me, “nobody lays on their death bed wishing they worked more”. Thanks, Charlie. He was right. Just go. This post is for you.
- Folks that like beaches and have to budget for travel. This post is for you too.
Tips for planning your perfect beach vacation – finally!
If you don’t do anything else, please look at my article Top 10 Travel Tips For Everyone. I have found that when a beach vacation is something you want to do badly enough, you can make it happen. It’s just a question of how long it will take.
One suggestion I have for folks is to keep a rainy day jar. I feed my rainy day jar with any cash left in my pocket each Saturday. This week, it was happy to receive $3.75 in bills and change. So think about it… use the Top 10 Travel Tips.
Where will your beach vacation take you?
There are numerous islands and multiple countries that have natural coastlines with amazing beaches. Don’t rule out large lake areas that can fill that visceral need for the beach. Whether you drive, take a train, or fly, the destination doesn’t have to be far away. Most Americans have a coastline, a major river, or a large lake within 10 hours drive – most of us are much closer than that.
For example. I live in the Midwest USA. It is a 20+ hour drive to Los Angeles and almost the same distance to Boston. If I head south, South Padre Island in Texas is over 15 hours. But I can go to Chicago and Lake Michigan (6 hours) or the Mississippi River (2 hours) – and I have.
Beach vacation here I come!
Boating on a mighty river.
The breeze may not be salty, but I still feel the sun on my face and sand between my toes. I get the same sense of relaxation and enjoy many of the activities that I love about beach life.
Fellow dreamers – I can’t tell you what your circumstances are. Is a trip to the Florida or Gulf of Mexico coast an achievable travel goal for you? If not, look at the alternatives near you that allow you to have some of the beach experience.
If it is, the next step is deciding where to travel.
First decision – what is your beach vacation destination?
This is where I have fun, and really drive Papa Joe nuts. Do you stay within your native country, or travel internationally? Maybe your choices include a resort hotel, an all-inclusive resort, or renting a house or condo? This is where you really need to look at what activities you want.
To demonstrate an example, I will walk you through our decision(s) around scheduling our beach vacation for December 2018.
The first choice – did we want a destination that is within the borders of the US or international? It had to be international travel. I’m really spoiled and usually have at least two opportunities to get a beachy experience every year, usually with family. When it comes to our annual December anniversary trip, I want it to be special.
The choice for an international destination seemed to be an easy one.
Next decision, what do I want out of my beach destination?
So far, our scope has been the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Central America, and South America. For our 2018 trip, I wanted to explore our new snorkel gear and a waterproof camera. So it had to be a destination with a good coral reef. That ruled out Central America and South America.
An update to this article – for our December 2019 trip we decided to visit Panama, including a week at the beach and snorkeling. Central America snorkeling was good and got better with deeper water. Scuba folks were in seventh heaven.
Several islands in the Caribbean and Gulf have good snorkeling and are easily accessible. If you’ve done any research into the Caribbean, you know there are literally thousands of resorts, all-inclusive and otherwise, hotels, and places to rent. The next decision point was if we wanted the convenience of an all-inclusive resort, the luxury of a hotel resort, or the privacy of a rental property.
Believe me when I say, that privacy is not under-rated. I enjoy the convenience of all-inclusive resorts but also value my privacy.
Updated information about our 2018 beach vacation…
At the time this article was written, we had not decided on our destination, but ended up renting a private property on Ambergris Caye in Belize. I loved it. Papa Joe enjoyed the privacy but not the transit time to get back to civilization. Papa Rick and Ms. K appreciated the privacy but not the sense of seclusion. To each his own. Hopefully, it is helpful for you to hear the perspectives of all four of us from our travel party.
Belize was amazing. I have a couple of stories written up, bragging about how amazing our beach experience was. To make it easy for you, click on the story link/photos below for our featured Caribbean, Central America, and South American adventures. And enjoy!
Caribbean: Saint Lucia
Caribbean: The Dominican Republic and Punta Cana
Central America: Belize and Ambergris Caye
Central America: Costa Rica
Last Central America destination: Panama and Bocas del Toro
South America: Buzios Brazil
A little more about all-inclusive resorts
Did you know Sandals, Sanctuary, and several all-inclusive resorts will reserve rooms for less than $500 for a couple? Not a bad way to start paying for your dream vacation, and spread it out over time – no credit card interest, no bulk payment due at check-in. There are lots of pluses here.
I like to share resources and discounts whenever possible. There are a couple here – hopefully, one of them will be the perfect choice for you!
- Find lowest prices on day and night cruises
- Save up to 20% off Dubai tours and activities
- Save on thousands of day and multi-day trips
Caribbean All-Inclusive Resorts.
A picture (or two) is worth a thousand words. This could be you!
Actually, it is going to be me. Papa Joe and I just booked our December 2020 anniversary vacation with Sandals. We will be splitting our vacation into 2 Caribbean islands and will be visiting Barbados and Grenada. Sandals Resorts calls that a Caribbean Island-hopper. Other than the flight between islands, this is still considered an all-inclusive vacation.
How is that for getting the best of all worlds?
Final words
I’ve walked you through how to make that perfect beach vacation happen. YOLO is more than a phrase, it is a way of life. If you want beaches to be part of your life, get off the couch and go!
In the meantime, enjoy this video with my favorite beach activities – as if you needed more incentive to take a beach vacation…
The point of all of this is that you have options.
Here is a quick summary –
- Decide what your budget is
- Determine what kind of beach vacation experience you want to have
- Figure out if your destination will be on the mainland or an international destination
- If your destination, will it be a Caribbean destination, Central America, or Central America? Maybe your destination will be in Southeast Asia. The world is literally your oyster.
- What type of lodging suits your needs – all-inclusive resort, luxury resort, or home rental?
- Use the resources I’ve provided. There are several stories featuring Caribbean, Central America, and Central America destinations, as well as links for all-inclusive and home rental services. Soon, I may be able to give you more help – how is that for a teaser?
With perseverance and a little planning, if a beach vacation is your dream, you CAN make it happen!
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