#GoingPlaces Sailing the Croatian Seaside

In case you didn't spend Summer 2016 on an animal floatie, you should probably go back and do it again.

Summer 2016. It will go down in history as, "The Summer of the Floatie".

So much so, it is now common information, most floatie owners didn't have the heart to deflate their summer time friends and they have become permanent fixtures in apartments and houses around the world.

It's hard to say goodbye to the season we all love that holds so much joy and laughter. As the temperature starts to take a dive in the fall months we are fast approaching, rainy days get gloomier and lose their summer shower feel, and the number of hot tea's you intake on a daily basis rapidly increases; don't feel ashamed to look back at your summer photos in bikinis and sunnies and start online shopping for your new floatie friend.

In between flipping through photos and giving enduring looks to your plastic friend who is holding up residence inflated in your living room corner, start day dreaming about summer 2017...and try your best to put sailing on the to do list. Because if there is anything better than being on an animal floatie in a pool, it's being on your floatie in the sea; while attached to a sail boat drifting along the open seas.

Sailing for a week is absolutely one of the best trips I take every year. Seven days straight on a boat, basically camping on water. And with nine of your close friends, vagabonding around the Croatian Seas (or wherever in the world you may choose), I've come to the conclusion it does not get better.

Add in one local skipper, for safety reasons of course, who assures your fun crew makes it back at the end of the excursion to tell the stories you've experienced; you can't go wrong.

Our skipper has become part of our family being with us for the past three years in a row. We see him seven days out of the year. But when you think about how many hours that is (168 to be exact), it is more than I see some of my family members in an entire year. Skippers are never dull people, and they always add to the experience. Did I mention it's great to have someone that actually knows what the heck they are doing on your giant moving vessel in the open waters?

Sure, there are mosquito infested nights and days storms hit when you're all huddled under the small canopy wrapped in the same towels you've been using for the past three days, yelling at each other over the wind, "Why did we do this again?" Gripping one another for safety and reassurance.

But the storms, just like all storms in life, always pass. And the bugs won't bite forever, even they get tired (or you just get smart and buy bug repellent). The possibilities for what a sailing trip can bring are memories that will keep you warm through the cold winter months until you're ready to board your next sea excursion.

Trust me on this one, book your sailing trip..boarding pass for animal floatie friend included, of course.