Boating, a family adventure

The pandemic has changed the way we are going to travel the world. A couple of years ago, you could pick up last minute flights from London and fly to Portugal for £10 with a budget airline. Today, people are instead searching “rent a boat near me” as they search for a safe way to travel. 

With a traditional airline package holiday, you’re looking at the possibility of flights and hotel cancellations, self isolation upon return, passport vaccine bureaucracy, and the possibility of falling ill in a foreign country.

People are still figuring out alternatives to the standard vacation, and one great option appears to be hiring a boat and sailing the sea waters.

Renting a boat has also become extremely easy with the help of technology. Whether it’s the US, Europe, or most of the world, places like Click&Boat allows users to book a pontoon boat rental instantly online and pick it up nearby.

Why renting a boat can be the perfect holiday – especially during a pandemic!

Given that social distancing from the rest of the public is often desired on a holiday, let alone enforced, and a boat allows you to have control over this entirely. Setting out the sail where it’s just you and your family in an endless ocean – no queues, no traffic jams, no public transport.

On the other hand, if you crave socialising with strangers one day or the packed atmosphere of a cocktail bar, you absolutely have the choice to indulge. Head to any bay, dock your boat, and enjoy the seafood restaurants and bars and you can completely control when to come and go.

This brings a peace that you cannot get with any other holiday. Having the off switch to hide in the ocean whenever you like is great for worklife respite, and makes the docked days out even more enjoyable.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the boating is just for those that need a privacy safety net. There’s actually a tonne of activities you can do with the family. Most notably snorkeling, which has the advantage of picking any spot of your choice, as opposed to being limited to a boat tour’s route or the coastline of the beach. 

This allows you to find amazing spots that are more undisturbed, and children can practice their swimming in the sunshine. Many believe a boat holiday to be something for adults only, but it’s a great opportunity to give children some extra responsibility and teach them invaluable skills. Perhaps it’s something technical that you must fix, or how to sail a boat, or just general accountability over being safe at sea – it’s all character building stuff.

A pontoon boat rental in particular is a very spacious boat, sometimes even with two floors. This rectangular shape helps increase the square footage of walking space, meaning there’s more spacious seating and a fabulous sleeping area.

Of course, a huge benefit of this is also to explore islands and places you otherwise would struggle to get to. In fact, in somewhere like Greece where there’s 6,000 islands, you’re going to stumble across ones with nobody insight and feel as if you’re Christopher Columbus.