How To Plan Your First Luxury Yacht Vacation
December 2, 2015Steps for Planning a Yachting Getaway
The ocean offers ample dreamy and warm destinations. Traveling by boat has become a luxury and yachting is an indulgence sought after by vacationers as a way to relax, take a break and see the world from a new perspective.
There are a lot of misconceptions about planning luxury yacht vacations, but the planning process isn’t any more difficult than traveling via airplane (and it makes for a much more interesting vacation). When planning a trip by boat, you need to research and make decisions about your mode of travel, destination and itinerary – the same as if you were traveling by car or air.
Check out the tips below for an easy luxury yacht vacation planning experience:
Choose Your Yacht
You should choose the type of yacht that is appropriate for your vacation desires, as different types of yachts are better suited for specific activities. Your boat will shape the experience you have. The most popular types of yachts are: motor, catamarans and gullet. Of course, each of those also has their own subgroups.
Imagine your ideal vacation activities and choose the yacht that best meets those needs:
- Motor Yachts
- Mega Yachts
- Sailing Yachts
- Expedition Yachts
- Classic Yachts
- Open Yachts
- Catamarans
- Sport Fisher
- Gulet Yachts
The type of yacht can affect the cost of your vacation. For example, motor yachts are the most popular and are readily available throughout the seas, and catamarans are most popular along the Greek coast.
Use our directory to find your dream yacht charter.
Choose a Destination
A major selling point of the ocean: it covers the entire world. You can take a yacht to just about any corner of the globe, but some of the most popular destinations include:
- Whitsunday Islands (Austria)
- British Virgin Islands (Caribbean)
- Society Islands (French Polynesia)
- Cyclades Islands (Southeaster Greece)
- French Riviera (Mediterranean)
- Bay of Islands (New Zealand)
- Saint Martin, Anguilla (Caribbean)
- Ionian Islands (Western Greece)
- Palermo (Italy)
- Phuket (Thailand)
- Cape Cod (East Coast – United States)
- Florida Keys (East Coast – United States)
- Nassau (Bahamas)
- Angra (Brazil)
When choosing a destination, be sure to check the typical weather conditions for the month of your desired travel. For example, if you plan to swim and dive, you should travel to parts of the world that are warm. Just like the type of yacht you travel on, the destination can also affect the cost of luxury yacht vacations and every destination has an on and off-season, so plan accordingly (especially if crowds aren’t your thing).
Check out some suggested international itineraries.
Find a Broker
After all, this is a luxury yacht vacation – with an emphasis on “luxury.” As such, you don’t want to be bothered with calculating the price-per-head, completing provision forms and other paperwork, ensuring proper guest-to-staff ratios and finalizing contracts. An experienced yacht charter broker can do all of this for you, and more. Professional charter brokers are typically paid a commission by the charter company as their services means smooth sailing for everyone.
Neptune Group Yachting provides unbiased advice when helping potential vacation-goers charter, sell or purchase a yacht.
Read more about yacht brokers.