Home TravelEuropeBalkanCroatia The 8 most fun & beautiful boat trips I have done around the world so far

The 8 most fun & beautiful boat trips I have done around the world so far

by Elisa Flitter Fever
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Taking a boat ride can make an awesome (half) day trip while on vacation, especially with sunny weather! In this article I will share the boat trips that I made around the world over the last couple of years that made the biggest impression on me. For example in Thailand, Croatia, New Zealand and Ibiza. Boat trips can add so much fun to your holidays!

What a privilege to do these boat trips all over the world
What a privilege to do these boat trips all over the world – Milford Sound, NZ

In random order.

Croatia

Possibly the best boat ride we ever did. It all happened quite spontaneously when making a day trip to the beautiful UNESCO town Trogir in Croatia, near Split. While walking the ancient streets of charming Trogir, we noticed some offers of (half) day boat trips and the rest is history LOL

We had a wonderful time on this 3 island half-day speed boat trip that includes snorkling, dinner stop and sunset. Check out the article Charming Croatia: amazing three island boat trip from Trogir for more details and tips.

The charming harbor of Maslinica, Å olta Island near Trogir
The charming harbor of Maslinica, Å olta Island
Trogir Marina is full of nice ships, luxury yachts and small boats
Trogir Marina is full of nice ships, luxury yachts and small boats

Thailand

Koh Chang is the second largest island of Thailand, which we visited last December/January. The beach houses of Bang Bao Beach Resort are a fantastic place to stay. One day we decided to check out some deserted beaches and islands at and near the southeast coast of Koh Chang, such as Wai Chaek Beach, Long Bach and Koh Wai.

Jebbie, the super friendly owner of the resort, arranged a private boat with skipper for us (THB 3500). Crystal clear turquoise water, palm trees, snorkeling, sunbathingā€¦ Gorgeous! At some of the beaches we were completely alone! The skipper prepared a nice meal for us too. Such a lovely boat trip.

Happy skipper on our private boat from Koh Chang Thailand
Happy skipper on our private boat from Koh Chang
Boat trips can take you to deserted islands in Thailand
Boat trips can take you to deserted islands in Thailand

Ibiza

Last summer we sailed around Ibiza on a lovely summer day. The sailing ship was quite big so we shared it with two other Dutch families and had a great time together. Sun, sea, wine, good company, nothing to complain really. Ibiza is beautiful but can be hot in summer so it is very refreshing to get out on the water and catch some wind.

Make sure you put lots of sunblock and a hat on! For more information about this boat trip and other fun things to do on Ibiza check out the article Enjoy Ibiza to the max ā€“ 10 fun things not to miss.

On a sailing ship towards Es Vedra, Ibiza
On a sailing ship towards Es Vedra, Ibiza
Ibiza boat trip
Ibiza boat trip

The Netherlands

Amsterdam is beautiful and I enjoy boat events such as Sail Amsterdam. However, The Netherlands has so much more to offer than Amsterdam alone! The Netherlands is a water country, with 1/3 of the land located meters below sea level, cities with canals, villages with ditches and lakes, Zeelandā€™s water works, etc. Even one of the 12 Dutch provinces (Flevoland) used to be sea!

The canals of Amsterdam, Alkmaar or Utrecht, Sneeker Meer, Loosdrechtse Plassenā€¦ there are many waters to choose from. While the Chinese tourists prefer water-town Giethoorn, I mostly enjoy making a boat ride through the charming canals of my home town Alkmaar on a bright sunny day.

Boat rental De Kraak - Eenhoornbrug at Verdronkenoord, Alkmaar
Boat rental De Kraak – Eenhoornbrug at Verdronkenoord
Admiring the stunning Stad Amsterdam ship at Sail Amsterdam 2015
Admiring the stunning Stad Amsterdam – Sail Amsterdam 2015

Vietnam

In Vietnam we actually made two fun boat rides in one trip: over the Me Kong River as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, and through Halong Bay as a day trip from Hanoi. Surrounded by jungle, our boat passes some small villages along the Mekong River, where locals hang around in their hammocks. Out on the open river it is less interesting but needed in order to get to the best part of the delta. On our way to the Me Kong Delta we visited some temples of different religious movements.

The boat ride through Halong Bay Hanoi was gorgeous, with these special karst mountains, we went kayaking and visited an illuminated cave. A boat trip right through the scenery of a James Bond movie!

Halong Bay
Halong Bay
lady in boat Mekong Delta Vietnam route
Mekong Delta

Bahamas

Different category but also a fun type of boat ride: going on a cruise ship from Miami, Florida, USA to the Bahamas! Usually the boat ride takes a lot longer than the island visit itself, however if you pick the right cruise company you can have a great time on board as well.

Earlier I already wrote a bit about this music themed cruise ship trip that I made to the Bahamas for about 3-4 days, see the article Top destinations for people who love music and rhythm. I would love to go back to the Bahamas one day to swim with the local pigs and see more of the islands.

My fear of heights does not scare me away from making these beautiful boat trips all around the world, although I prefer to hold on to the railing LOL

Carnival Imagination cruise ship at the Bahamas
Carnival Imagination cruise ship at the Bahamas
Despite the blurry spot I still like this photo Bahamas
Despite the blurry spot I still like this photo Bahamas

Everglades (USA)

Although so far I have not written any article about it yet, I have been twice to Florida, USA. It is a beautiful and fun place to visit, the sunny weather, the theme parks, Miami Beach, outlet shoppingā€¦ never a dull moment! One thing you definitely should do when visiting Florida is taking a boat trip at the Everglades National Park to see the alligators in the swamp, really cool! Next time in Florida I would love to take a boat ride at Crystal River that includes swimming with manatees.

Alligator mom and kid in Everglades National Park FL USA
Alligator mom and kid in Everglades National Park FL USA (photo credits Aldric Rivat)
Swamp of Everglades National Park Florida
Swamp of Everglades National Park

New Zealand

Just over a year ago we were in New Zealand, visiting both the North Island and the South Island. The south side of the South Island is called Fjordland, where you can do several boat trips through the fjords. Most famous is the Milford Sound, which we did, driving up from Te Anau.

Fortunately it was one of those rare clear days, so we had a good view on the gorgeous fjords and waterfalls, although sometimes interfered by some other tourists with selfiesticks blocking the view. Next time I would like to spend a night on a boat in the peaceful Doubtful Sound.

Waterfall at Milford Sound New Zealand
Waterfall at Milford Sound, New Zealand
Boat ride at the Milford Sound New Zealand
Boat ride in the Milford Sound

Evaluation

Wow just looking at this list makes me feel so spoiled. What a privilege to be able to do all of these wonderful boat rides. The bottom line is: boat trips on holidays are fun!! My next boat ride is already scheduled: with a felucca over the Nile River in Egypt. And there is more on my wish list: sailing through the Norwegian fjords, Iceland, Antarctica, the Mississippi River, etc. The two boat rides that, looking back, I maybe should have done, were at Iguazu Falls and at Niagara Falls, but so expensive!

Have you ever been on a cool boat trip? Any boat trips on your bucket list? Feel free to leave a comment or question below.

Nothing beats a boat ride on a sunny day in the canals of Alkmaar
Nothing beats a canal boat ride on a sunny day in Alkmaar
Sunset boat view on the way back to Trogir harbor
Sunset boat view on the way back to Trogir harbor

Interested to read more about Thailand? Check out the Thailand Blog Archives.

Read more articles about The Netherlands in the Netherlands Blog Archives.

Looking for more travel inspiration and tips for New Zealand? Check out the New Zealand Blog Archives.

Interested to read more articles about Spain? Check out the Spain Blog Archives.

I wrote several articles about Croatia. Check out the Croatia Blog Archives. More to come in the future!


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Last Updated on 02/03/2023 by Elisa Flitter Fever

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3 comments

Rosalyn 04/26/2021 - 09:38

Wauw, indrukwekkend lijstje šŸ™‚ Ik hou er ook van om elders het water op te gaan. Heb al heel wat zeeĆ«n van dichtbij gezien, maar reis doorgaans niet zo ver.

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Flitter Fever 05/04/2021 - 07:48

Dank je wel Rosalyn. De zee biedt zoveel mogelijkheden, zowel dichtbij als ver weg. Maar als het water turquoise en heel helder is dan heeft dat toch wat extra’s šŸ™‚

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Veronika 09/01/2021 - 14:25

Hey Elisa,

wow wow wow! I would never guess that Netherlands would appear on your list! And Croatia and Thailand looks so pretty!
You really made me so excited, I want to go somewhere asap!

V.

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