The craziness of the peak summer yachting season is drawing to a close, which means that those with jobs on yachts are starting to think about end of season holiday destinations for yacht crew.

While many will use their holiday time to go home to visit friends and family, others will dream of spending their hard-earned salary on travel in exotic and far-off places – or perhaps combining the two with an adventure on the way home to see mum and dad.

Three Popular End of Year Holiday Destinations for Yacht Crew:

Skiing in Japan

If you’re on a boat that has a seemingly never-ending summer season that carries on right through the fall, you can cheer yourself up with the thought that by the time the last guest trip is done, snow will be falling on the mountains and ski resorts around the world will be gearing up to open their lifts.

For those dreaming of travel adventures in distant lands, it’s hard to go past Japan, where the season kicks off in mid-late December and the cold winds flowing down from Siberia make this one of the best powder-skiing destinations on the planet. After a hard day of skiing, soak in hot springs, visit golden temples, and warm up with some sake. There’s a cultural dimension to skiing Japan that makes this snow destination feel very different from staying closer to home in the French Alps or Colorado.

Beach Bliss in Bali

South East Asia is an obvious choice as a holiday destination for yacht crew, offering tropical beaches, endless massages, superb diving and a wild party vibe. Even better, for those with yacht crew jobs your money goes a long, long way in SE Asia.

So where will it be? Exploring the dreamy Thai archipelagos, meeting orangutans in Borneo’s jungles, or maybe hiring a boat in the Philippines and being the charter guest for a change? Although the choice is tough, Bali stands out as a perennially popular choice for yacht crew holidays, with its lush highland yoga retreats, glamorous beach bars, and great surfing. Not to mention the crazy nightlife! The island is also an easy addition for Australian or New Zealander yacht crew who want to tack on a holiday before heading home to see the folks.

City Break in New York

New York, New York. There’s an undeniable thrill to arriving in the Big Apple, wandering Central Park and sitting on the Staten Island Ferry as you cruise past the Statue of Liberty. For non-American crew (and maybe a lot of Americans too), visiting New York feels a little like falling into a film set – a strange blend of the familiar and the foreign as you see sights you’ve only seen before on a TV screen.

You’ll need a lot of time (perhaps a lifetime!) to really get to know New York, as there is so very much to see and do. You might like to hit Times Square for a Broadway show or watch the New York Knicks at Madison Square Gardens. Take a trip up the Empire State Building, shop on Fifth Avenue, or explore the endless halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You’ll need food to fuel your exploring, and New York really delivers – whether that’s a hot dog from a street cart before the game, a ‘slice’ from one of New York’s legendary pizza places, or one of the many fine-dining restaurants that make New York one of the gastronomic capitals of the world. Enjoy!

Wherever you end up on vacation, your end of season holiday is also a great time to take stock and plan your career path for the next year. There are always plenty of exciting opportunities for jobs on yachts, whether that’s upskilling for a promotion on your current yacht, or looking for new yacht job altogether.