Gone are the days where a holiday is a true holiday – away from everyday life, a break from modern technologies. Think back thirty years when contact was made through the hotel receptionist, mobile phones weren’t glued to our hands or held like radars to find the G’s and you begin to wonder just how we are supposed to take a break.
With the lure of the internet, working holidays, emails and phone calls are far too quickly packed into the suitcase and allowed to follow us on our worldwide travels. So begs the question – when do we really get a chance to truly switch off and how do we do it?
Off-grid holidays to remote places and awe-inspiring locations are fast becoming a popular choice with travellers and what better way than a sailing holiday. With offerings of fresh sea air, destinations off the beaten track and the chance to share the experience with select like-minded individuals, we can’t think of a better way to holiday. Sure, the phone will be there to take beautiful photos of amazing locations but by the time the first day is out and signal still evades, you’ll sink back into that cherished holiday mode and fall into the cycles of nature. You’ll be sailed away from the man-made constraints of time where the clock rarely gets checked, mealtimes structure the day and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can settle into off-grid life.
The best bit about being on a boat with full board is that the home comforts, hot meals and cosy beds are all still readily available. And did we mention the amazing locations that boats can get to? The off-the-beaten tracks little trodden by the tourist trade and perhaps not even walked by humans at all. Uninhabited islands free to roam and explore. Secluded coves and hidden bays where all you hear is the sound of the waves lapping the hull and birds circling above.
Wonderfully, truly wild wildlife that remains still intrigued by human contact and can even be known to come closer for inspection. Puffins in the Hebrides are fascinated by the arrival of our small sailing boats and look to investigate, ready to pose for photos. Some of our skippers even take the plunge and swim with the local marine life and if you’re brave enough, you can join too! The beauty about arriving under sail to these off-grid holiday locations means that there is little interruption to the local wildlife populations – no noisy ship engines and bustling crowds to spook them away.
So escape the every day, switch off and recharge your batteries. Choose an awe-inspiring location like Scotland and the Hebrides with off-grid locations like St Kilda, away from the crowds. Our boats Bessie Ellen, Zuza, and Cherokee all offer sailing holidays off the beaten track. Perhaps try the breath-taking sailing grounds of Norway and Svalbard where you can really immerse yourself in off-grid holiday destinations that will leave you with stories to share, memories to savour and sea salt in your hair.
Read more here about what the Guardian has to recommend on Off Grid Holidays
