When planning a family vacation, people often choose to enjoy a day on the water as part of the vacation. Why do families love to go fishing, sailing or boating? These types of trips offer togetherness, laughter, new experiences, and a day of fresh air and sunshine. The assistance offered on charter boats, tours and guided trips help make activities stress free and relaxing for everyone. Another benefit of selecting a chartered or guided trip knowing you are in safe hands as most charter boat captains and guides are licensed professionals with the experience, training and equipment to deal with the unpredictability of the local weather, landscape and environmental conditions.

Choosing your Guide or Charter Boat. When choosing a guide, charter or tour boat, it may be a good idea to consider the weather, traffic, and other factors, and plan ahead. Some boats provide charters on short notice, while others may be booked up to a year in advance. Depending on the trip, season and vessel you might need sun block, camera, insect repellent, water, snacks, a light jacket or even rain gear. Information on what to bring is typically available by contacting the captain in advance.

The number of people, age and health of your family group will be a factor in choosing a charter. Adventure seeking adults might choose a day fishing offshore for tuna, marlin or sharks while a family with young children might instead enjoy a pontoon boat that provides a scenic cruises or nature tours. Many guides and charter boat operators have responded to family's needs by offering a wider range of trips and varying times to suit the various age groups.While the charter industry might have once served mostly men, today's captains will be of both sexes and will offer trips geared towards all ages and skill levels.

Fishing Trips. Fishing charters and guided fishing allows families to enjoy a non-pressure day of fishing. Usually it doesn't really matter if the anglers are not catching lots of fish, usually families still enjoy the day togeter. The expression on a kid's face when catching their first fish is usually priceless though.

Fishing guides might fish for flounder, trout, bluefish, croakers, spot, drum, striped bass, shark, sea bass, tautog, tuna, billfish, mahi-mahi, wahoo or other fish, depending on the season, boat and destination. Other trips will feature crabbing, shrimping, clamming, or just exploring.

Sailing charters are another option. Sailboats from single occupant models up to top of the line ocean going yachts are ready to go, depending on the size of your group, time, distance and price range that you desire.

Nature Cruises and Eco-Tours. Waterfront destinations generally offer a variety of boat cruises, nature cruises, scenic cruises, sunset cruises, site-seeing, eco-tourism trips, kayaking adventures and fishing charters. Having a choice of guided trips gives families a bit of a backup plan and there is usually something for everyone. For more experienced mariners, boat and other watercraft rentals are sometimes an option as well.

Nature cruises and eco-tourism tours provide encounters with of wildlife and waterfowl including deer, ducks, geese, herons, egrets, plovers and other shorebirds, whales, porpoises, otters, seals and more. Local guides know the best areas for viewing nature and are eager to guide families to share scenes that just cannot be viewed from land.

Hopefully after being out on boat fishing, you'll experience best night's sleep you've had in along time.