Having grown up about as far from the ocean as one can (and near a river so murky and fast-moving that I wouldn’t dare go near it), I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to go boating before I started traveling. Even after I did, however, it took me a few years to take the plunge. Or, not take the plunge—boats keep you dry, not wet.
How I Came to Love Boat Trips
A long time passed between the first time I set sail, and when I had enough experience under my belt to be able to name the best boat trips in the world. Initially, if I’m honest, I was pretty ambiguous. If I remember correctly, the first time I rode a boat purely for leisure was to Australia’s Whitsunday Islands (a destination that, while beautifully, was actually pretty underwhelming if you ask me).
Back then, of course, you didn’t have websites that could make it easy to browse and book boat trips, let alone to get inspired. No, it took me repeatedly riding boats in different countries and under a variety of circumstances to realize just how much I enjoyed this way of traveling. Note that the list below isn’t comprehensive—it’s just the boat trips that stick out most in my mind.
My Favorite Boating Destinations Around the World
Nile River, Egypt
The first time a boat ride really left me speechless was in late 2011, when I rode a traditional felucca boat from Aswan to Luxor, along the Nile River in southern Egypt. At the time, the country was experiencing extreme political instability; the peaceful silence of the river at nighttime (not to mention, our slow glide over the water’s surface) was the perfect antidote to that.
Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar
This might just be the coolest boat trip in the world, as far as I’m concerned. Imagine a collection of virtually uninhabited paradise islands in the Andaman Sea (think Koh Phi Phi, but 50 years ago). Then imagine seeing them at a leisurely pace onboard a luxury yacht with just a few other people! While travel to Myanmar is currently difficult due to the political situation, I highly recommend heading to the Mergui Archipelago.
West Coast Fjords, Norway
I’d wanted to visit Norway‘s fjords for a decade by the time I finally got there. The bad news? Because I had little money at the time, I spent only a very short time onboard the boat, and primarily cruised through the famous Hardangerfjord. The good news? When combined with the rest of my time in the country (namely, the cities of Oslo and Bergen), the trip on the whole was absolutely unforgettable.
Mekong River, Laos/Thailand
Among the unique boat trips around the world I’ve listed here, this one is probably the least touristic. That’s because dozens of local per day use extremely spartan “slow” boats to travel along the Mekong River (usually not from Luang Prabang, Laos all the way to Thailand, but to secondary waypoints), and the experience is really geared toward them.
Kerala Backwaters in India
On the whole, the southern Indian state of Kerala wasn’t my favorite place in the world—it didn’t live up to the hype. One place in Kerala that did, however, was the so-called “backwaters” of Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey. Beyond their raw beauty, the relaxing experience of sleeping on a houseboat and enjoying home-cooked Keralan thali sets combined to make one of my favorite travel experiences ever.
The Bottom Line
These aren’t all the coolest boat trips in the world, but they are some of the most unforgettable ones I’ve personally taken. Traveling by boat covers all the travel emotions—some journeys are relaxing. others are exhilarating; sometimes you can’t wait for it to be over, other times you wish it would never end.
Robert Schrader is a travel writer and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications such as “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” along the way. His blog, Leave Your Daily Hell, provides a mix of travel advice, destination guides and personal essays covering the more esoteric aspects of life as a traveler.
