Here are some things to take into consideration that will help you choose the best yachting experience for your desires and capabilities. Cost can be evaluated in many ways including time, effort, and hassle. When everything goes smoothly, yacht charters can be one of the most leisurely, fun and memorable vacations possible. If you have never chartered before and are the one shouldering the responsibility of planning and executing a memorable trip, it can be a lot of work. We hope the following ideas will help you navigate the logistics of planning your yachting vacation.

The Charter Company
     When you think about chartering the first thing that most people think about is where they want to go. Obviously, if time and money are not an issue just find the most expensive charter you can wherever you want to go and you are pretty much guaranteed to have an amazing experience. Meanwhile, back in the real world the rest of us have schedules and budgets and a million other headaches to juggle. Making the right destination choice is the foundation of the perfect charter vacation.

     Start with your ideal scenario as the starting point. Start looking at your time and budget to see if your ideal destination can be made feasible by any means. If your ideal destination looks like it might be a hassle in consideration to your time and/or budget capabilities you're probably better off choosing a different destination. After all, a hassle in paradise is still a hassle.

     If you must choose another destination ask yourself what it is about your first choice that makes it your favorite and then try to find something comparable that will be less costly. Let's say your ideal destination is the Adriatic. The airfare will probably be very expensive not to mention that you will have to stay longer just because it takes almost 3 days (in real time) to travel back and forth. With the same airfare money, you can probably double your charter time on a closer destination, like Florida or the Caribbean. Most charter companies constantly offer deals on some destinations where their bookings are low. You might not go exactly where you wanted to, but hey, a 10-day charter for the price of a seven-day is worth a look! Directly check charter companies' web sites, as charter brokers will not necessarily tell you this.

Airfare
     If you're an experienced traveler you may know of many ways to get great airfare rates. If you have never chartered a yacht before one thing you may not know is that large charter companies have in-house, full-fledged travel desks and they offer non-published discounted rates on some airlines. These rates are very competitive and often beat most travel agencies.

Season
     As much as possible, try to book your charters at either edge of the high season. For example, if the high season ends on April 20, book your charter for the beginning of May. You will enjoy large discounts, half-empty harbors and anchorages, cheaper restaurants, and much better service everywhere.

The Boat
     This is another wide-choice area. What counts is the number of berths and heads. You will find large rate differences between similar boats and specifically for similar boats in different charter companies. Check on Second tier charter companies. Many offer older but very decent boats at substantial discounts. Lastly, look into chartering directly from a boat owner in a charter fleet, with discounts up to 50% on regular charters!

The Extras
     When you shop a charter company, check carefully what is included and what is not. Items to check: dinghy, insurance, outboard, turn-around fees for cleaning, taxis to and from the base, fuel, water, ice, water toys, snorkel gear, wind funnels, etc. A seemingly inexpensive charter rate can increase dramatically when you add on all that stuff to it. So make sure you look at what extras you're being charged for when comparing. By the way, if you're not crazy about the idea of putting a snorkel in your mouth that has been sucked on by countless strangers, bring your own snorkeling gear.

The Hotels
     Most charter companies now offer sleep aboard and/or "evening starts". This has several benefits. It's cheaper than a hotel, and you are already on the boat and you can unpack, get acquainted with the boat's equipment, and possibly store your provisions. You may also get done with the chart and boat briefing. That way, next morning, you can be up and ready and leave early to enjoy a full day on the water.

Provisioning
     Charter companies will try to sell you their provisioning packages, plus what they call "Staples", i.e. paper goods, salt, pepper, sugar, etc. While this is convenient it is also rather expensive. Costs can be $25 per person/per day (or more) + beverages+ about $25 per person per week for the "staples".

     On a seven day charter with four people, this will amount to $800 not including beverages. You can do a lot grocery shopping for that kind of money. Not only is it less expensive, but you get exactly and only the food you like and need. Usually, when buying the provisions from a charter company you are left with tons of stuff you do not use, lots of waste.

During the Cruise
     Your main expense on charter is the restaurants you will have dinner at. So be careful about the tourist traps, and ask questions on the numerous Internet boards. Avoid having cocktails at restaurants before dinner because they are usually outrageously expensive. Have them aboard the boat before leaving.