What was your New Year’s resolution this year? Although many of us have specific goals, such as losing a certain amount of weight or quitting smoking for good, there are a few things we can all benefit from. And believe it or not, travelling by canal boat covers quite a few of them. If you’re looking for a natural and organic way to really beat stress, spend more time with family and overall, refresh your soul, read on to find out how a trip down the canals might be able to help.
Taking a Long Break
The simple act of scheduling a significant amount of time (at least a week) off from work and daily errands can be vastly therapeutic. Out on the canals you will find yourself completely removed from your normal environment. You’ll also have limited access to email and electronic devices, meaning you can effectively cut yourself off from the stresses of work and other obligations. Yes, it will take some preparation and planning, but this form of travel can often take you farther away, mentally, than staying in a hotel room.
Quality Time with Loved Ones
Aboard a boat, in a relatively confined space you can actually plan to spend quality time with your partner and children, other family members or friends. Being able to wake up together, at your leisure is much different than the time spent hurrying through homework, stealing an hour before bed or meeting for a frantic lunch. You’ll be able to relax in each other’s company without so many distractions.
Bonding will come as the perfect by-product to the teamwork required for preparing meals, navigating the boat and passing through locks. You can also plan to do fun things on land, such as cycling or visiting landmarks; or just stroll through charming villages.
Slowing Down
Canal boats travel, well, slowly. They have a maximum speed of 4 km per hour, and while this may sound like a nightmare for someone who is used to rushing from point A to point B, it can actually be vastly therapeutic. Slow travel has been a popular trend for quite some time now and it’s easy to see why- it helps you let go of that need to get there as soon as possible and actually enjoy the time spent getting there. On most canal trips you can spend about four hours per day cruising and the rest of the day exploring your next stop or just relaxing on board.
Physical Activity
You may not want to spend your entire day working your muscles, but canal boating has just enough inherent exercise involved to actually be healthy. You’ll find that just keeping your balance on board engages your muscles very subtly. You can then do as much or as little walking as you like throughout the trip. Exposure to the fresh air and wide open spaces is also very physically invigorating.
If a canal boat trip sounds like just what the doctor ordered for starting your New Year off right, contact LateBoat.com for the best rates.
