Are sailing trips suitable for beginners?

For a sailing trip with Join The Crew, you don't need a sailing license or any sailing experience to be a crew member. Our skippers are responsible for the yacht, navigation, and safety. You'll receive an introduction on board and learn everything you need to know step by step.

But that doesn't mean you'll just be sitting on deck looking decorative. On a sailing trip, you're part of the crew. You can help out, ask questions, and gradually understand how sailing works.

Typical tasks for beginners include:

• Taking the helm (steering wheel)
• Takin care of the lines
• Preparing fenders
• Helping to set sails
• Assisting with docking
• Keeping watch

So you don't need to know how to steer a yacht. You don't need to be able to tie a knot that looks like a math problem. But you should be open to trying new things and participating on board.

That's what a sailing trip is all about: not starting perfectly, but traveling and growing together.

You sleep on a yacht, share space with your crew, and are close to the sea every day. In the mornings, you have breakfast on board, and during the day you sail to the next bay, island, or port town, with swimming stops, shore excursions, and evenings spent together.

A typical day might look something like this:

• Morning: Coffee, breakfast, checking the weather, discussing the route.
• Mid-morning: Casting off, setting sail, out on the water.
• Midday: Swimming stop in a bay or lunch on board.
• Afternoon: Sailing on, heading for a harbor or anchorage.
• Evening: Cooking together, going out for dinner, watching the sunset, enjoying crew time.

The best part: You're not just on the sidelines, you're right in the thick of things. You help out, get to know your crew, and often realise after the first day that sailing is less complicated than it seems from the outside.

It's a good fit if you:

• love the sea and nature
• want to meet new people
• are open to group travel
• travel alone and want to quickly make friends
• don't just want to lie by the pool
• are willing to pitch in on board
• remain flexible if wind and weather change your plans
• are looking for adventure without booking an extreme vacation

Sailing is especially rewarding for solo travelers. You don't have to awkwardly start small talk at the hotel buffet, because getting to know each other happens naturally on board: while setting sail, cooking, shopping, swimming, or trying to find the perfect playlist for sunset.

A sailing trip is less ideal if you need a lot of privacy, want to plan every single day down to the last detail, or don't want to take on simple tasks on board.

Seasickness can happen, but it's less common than you might think. Many beginners are more afraid of it than necessary. Often, simply staying on deck, looking towards the horizon, getting enough sleep, eating light meals, and letting someone know early if you start feeling unwell helps. And if you do get sick: it usually passes quickly, and your crew won't abandon you. Promise!

Regarding the weather: the skipper decides what's safe and sensible. If the wind, waves, or weather aren't suitable, the route will be adjusted spontaneously, departure delayed, or a day in port taken. That's not a flaw in the system. That's sailing.

Join The Crew is for people who want more than just "nice weather and a getaway." Our sailing trips are all about crew spirit, new friendships, nature, adventure, and the feeling of being together.

You'll travel with people your own age, mostly between 20 and 39. Most of them come aboard solo. That's precisely why the atmosphere is so important: open, uncomplicated, and without any elitist yacht club vibes.

With us, you don't have to pretend you've already completed ten Atlantic crossings. You can be a beginner. You can ask questions. You can learn. And you can still have a really great time.

What you can expect on a suitable Join The Crew sailing trip:

• an experienced skipper
• a young crew
• many solo travelers
• shared tasks on board
• swimming stops, bays, and shore excursions
• relaxed evenings with the crew
• no prior experience required on beginner-friendly trips

You might come aboard alone. But almost certainly not with the feeling of being alone on the road.