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5 Ways to Bring New Life to Your Yearly Vacation

Vacation-themed illustration with text: '5 Ways to Bring New Life to Your Yearly Vacation'.It can be comforting to return to the same cherished vacation spot year after year. You know where to stay, what to eat, and what to expect. Yet, the excitement of discovering the location in the first place can be extinguished by predictability. If you’re feeling uninspired this year, try these five unique vacation ideas:

1. Learn something new

One of the most fun vacation ideas to liven up your travels is to acquire new skills. Breaking free from your usual routines opens the door to new educational experiences, such as a local cooking class, a photography course, or a traditional handicrafts workshop. Not only will you return home with a new ability and the personal growth that is earned from learning, but you’ll also gain a deeper connection to the place you visited.

With liveaboard sailing classes in the Virgin Islands, you’ll begin each day in a new anchorage while exploring the islands and learning to sail under the guidance of a friendly and knowledgeable American Sailing instructor. It’s a meaningful way to add fresh excitement to your yearly vacation!

2. Change the season

If you always travel at the same time of the year, consider switching it up! Visiting a destination in a different season can completely transform your experience, providing the opportunity to participate in new holidays and seasonal activities, see landscapes change with the weather, and sample seasonal cuisine, all while avoiding peak crowds! 

3. Choose unique accommodation 

Another way to refresh your travels is to rethink where you stay. Instead of booking an unimaginative chain hotel, you might prefer to choose a family-owned guesthouse, glamping in a yurt, living aboard a sailboat, or staying at a beautifully restored historical building. When you broaden your horizons, you might be surprised by how many exciting accommodation options you find.

4. Unplug from technology

Your time is especially valuable on vacation, yet it’s easy to fall into the same pattern of wasting hours on devices that you do at home. You can get more out of your travels when you commit to firm boundaries with checking email and scrolling social media. Setting aside a little time for journaling about events and observations on your trip instead will help you to savor the experience and make lasting memories.

5. Travel with someone new

Too often, we fall into the comfortable habit of taking trips with the same spouse, friend, or family member. However, a new travel companion, or even travelling solo, can completely change the dynamic of your trip. It is a chance to show someone who you enjoy spending time with, a place that is special to you, and see it yourself with fresh eyes. They may even suggest fun vacation ideas that you had never considered. Don’t know who to travel with? Go Sail Virgin Islands gives you the option of traveling with other couples or solo sailors so you can make new friends on your journey!