When people talk about their vacations, it’s entirely possible that they will spend talking to you about the beach. They would talk about the sand, the ocean, and blue skies that seemed to stretch for miles. Usually, it’s because people hear the word ‘vacation’ and they automatically envision swapping the city grind for the sandy relaxation, but here’s the thing: it’s not just about the beach. A vacation is supposed to remove you from your everyday drudgery and bring you something exciting. But why would you spend tons of cash just to go and lie in some sand all day along a beach?

Yes, it’s nice to slow down. Yes, it’s nice to relax. The thing is, we don’t get unlimited time to enjoy a vacation break. We get a few days, maybe a week or two to escape the world of work and slot into a different world entirely. It’s for this reason that you should embrace everything that you can while you’re in that foreign location. Perhaps a train trip across Europe is going to excite you? The idea of getting multiple land trains right across the body of Europe, watching the countries fly past you one by one, could be everything you need to experience joy. For other people, aiming to see the Seven Wonders of the Natural World is the goal, with trips to the Great Barrier Reef with ReefFree at the very top of the list. The idea is to pack adventures into your vacation time so that when you come back to the rat race, you’re full to the brim with fantastic and exciting memories.

When you choose to map out an adventure on the beach there are a few things you’ll need. These are things you’ll require whether you are headed to Greece to visit the ruins, Rome to see the Vatican or Australia to see the Whitsunday Islands for an air tour. Wherever your adventures are going to take you across the world or to the next country, here’s what you’ll need:

• An Itinerary. Where are you going? What are you doing when you get there? How long do you plan to spend in this location? Planning these things can help you to plan the activities that you’ll do once you get there.
• A Backpack. Adventures don’t require six suitcases packed with clothing. They require light packing so that you can go from place to place with ease. Bring something of everything so that you can enjoy snorkeling and sunning yourself, hiking and camping, partying the night away. A good backpack should hold all of these while meeting airport standards!
• A Camera. You’re off to make some memories. Don’t rely on your smartphone camera to capture these: bring your new camera and get snap-happy with spare memory cards. You’ve got a life to live, and you need to capture it.