seetheworld

I often see people who would like travel recommendations but state that they are not "beach people". I couldn't imagine not going to the beach, but I know some people who would never go -- it's just not their thing and that's okay.

For example, my father-in-law hates the beach. He never goes. In fact when he has visitors from Europe, who request a trip to the beach, he'll drive them there and wait on the boardwalk! What's surprising is that he is an avid fisherman, always on the boat -- so there's no question that he loves the sea (also customzies these amazing fishing rods). He just hates the sand and water, lol.

So, are you or are you not a beach person and why?



P.S. Why is it that the sun is always out during the week and it's cloudy on a Saturday? Okay, you don't have to respond to that question.

sunbabe

stw--

I love the beach! But, I didn't step foot on a beach until I was 15 years old. Dad can't swim and he never thought he would enjoy a beach vacation. We went on vacation to New Orleans one year and begged my dad to drive over to Florida. We ended up at Fort Walton and my dad had a great time. Guess where we went on vacation the next year??!! Treasure Island, FL.

Thanks, Dad & Happy Father's Day!

BeachBoi

Nuf said.............

TKT

I hate the beach during the day, the annoying suntan lotion, the sand, just sitting still for hours. I love being in boats and would only live somewhere near a river/lake.

I do enjoy the beach at night for hanging out and walking, very relaxing.

mah1980

For some reason, the beach = relaxation and happiness for me. I love the sound and smell of the water. I also love the carefree way it makes me feel.

To me, I have to have at least one beach trip every year, even if it's only for a couple of days.

cfntmpn

I have always been a beach person! I grew up in Northern Indiana where access to Lake Michigan was 30 mins away - and that is where I spent every weekend in the summer throughout Jr. High & High School. I now live on a lake (not the ocean or Lake Michigan - but water!) and I can't imagine ever NOT living on the water again.

We still take trips along Lake Michigan to the beach for "Day Get-aways" and our favorite vaca's are in Mexico.....on the beach!

crefloors

I love the beach and the ocean. I used to do a lot of beach time. When I was in Hawaii all I ever wore was a bathing suit and a mumu. Alas, I am also blond and fair skinned so now I'm paying the price for my beach time and just can't do it anymore. I still like being at the ocean and seeing the waves and hearing the sound, but I just don't do sun anymore. I wish I had done a bit less early on.

Fodorite018

Here in Oregon, we call it the coast. Probably because it is not like beaches elsewhere, lol! I am not a beach person really. I am ok for a day, at most two...but I get antsy. I am definitely much more of a mountain person! I love the water, but in lakes and rivers. Nothing better than backpacking in to some remote lake and having the place to yourself.

Malesherbes

I grew up in faaar western MA, with only a couple of little lakes nearby. Winters were long and dark and only a few kids were lucky enough to be taken to Florida during winter break. Oh how I envied those tans when they returned!! No, no lectures needed, I know the hazards, now, but then it was the in thing, and people did not understand the damage sun did to skin. When we could get out...when it FINALLY warmed up enough...it was baby oil and iodine for us!

I think as a result of all this tan envy, I grew up to adore the beach. I could not have been happier when we were transferred to FL 9 years ago, and sadder when we were transferred again a year ago...to San Antonio of all places, without a beach in sight.

Our first couple of years in FL we were at the beach every weekend. I'd often go down just to walk during the week. Then we got a sailboat and we became boaters instead but I still love the beach, how calming it is, the sand, the smell of Coppertone. I can not walk the beach to this day without picking up shells...despite the fact that we must now have close to a zillion in the house! We've instilled the same love in our kids, as even when we lived far from the beach, summer vacations were always in Destin.

I've never understood people going "to the beach", then using the hotel pool! Heck...pools are any place and anywhere. No joy there. Give me the sound of the waves, lapping or crashing, and I'm a happy camper.

Malesherbes

LOL...forgot to add, during college I became a lifeguard and swimming instructor too. I could not get enough of the water.

karens

malesherbes - I never understood the hotel pool thing, either - especially in Caribbean, when it's very expensive and time consuming to travel to a place with amazing beaches.

I like beaches, but I get bored after a day or two. I can only sit still for so long. I love the waves at the ocean, too. But I think I'm more a mountain person. Ithan I can sit all day at the beach.

You cannot beat a beach for a great family vacation, though.

iamq

I are one. 8-)

I love watching the water.

-Bill

jayne1973

Had to respond to this one since I am leaving Monday morning for a week in South Padre Island.

I love to travel to all kinds of places, but I must admit I never come home anywhere near as relaxed as from a beach vacation. However, I ALWAYS stay right on the beach ... it's not the same if you have to drive over or even walk across a roadway. Has to be ON the beach.

For me, it's total freedom and the best kind of therapy.

AnnMarie_C

Love the beach!

Though for my sake and the sake of those with 20/20 vision I wish those long-john style bathing suits from the days of yore would make a come back, lol.

I could sit on a beach for hours... days... weeks... listening to and watching the waves, breathing in the scent of salty air--I find it very relaxing! I still enjoy diving through the waves, riding them in to shore or floating along with the current, or, standing on the shore line watching my feet get burried beneath the wet sand with each passing wave, feeling the pull of water around my ankles.

A couple of summers ago I joined my family at Rehoboth Beach, DE for a long weekend--my favorite part of that trip was getting up early, sitting on the boardwalk or taking a walk along the shore line listening to the sound of the ocean, watching the sun rise, watching a school of dolphins make its way down the coast... or was it a school of sharks I don't know! ;-)

This November the family is meeting up again at Rehoboth to surprise my mom for her birthday--I can't wait, I even love the beach in winter.

Love the beach!

capecodshanty

I love the sand underfoot,the sound of the waves, lapping at the shore. It rejuvenates, relaxes, calms,clears the mind . Every time I walk the beach I'm reminded of all the people dear to me who are no longer with me. I grew up on the beach, it is a big part of my life.And times marches on- it is a huge part of my two daughters and grandchildrens life.

BTilke

Rays today, raisins tomorrow!

I love the beach, but not the kind where you just lie there gently sauteeing yourself in Bain de Soleil. I like the cool beaches of the Pacific NW with their rocks and birds and tide pools and seals swimming just offshore and killer whale pods. Of course, I don't like the sneaker waves, but other than that, I would take Cannon Beach over the Caribbean any day.

Grcxx3

I love the sand under my feet... the warmth of the sun....the feel of the water as it splashes me at the shore....the smell of the salt...the roar of the waves at night. I even like venturing out into the water and body-surfing (altho, I admit - I HATE to get my face wet!). I'm also a geologist who loves looking at the geological processes that take place along a beach shoreline.

BUT - I have had 2 surgeries for skin cancer...so for me to have an extended stay at the beach means that I'm spending most of my time under a thick layer of sun screen, a hat and sunglasses, and a beach umbrella. Sometimes I wonder - what's the point!

For some reason, my boys (ages 12, 14) like the beach but don't live for it. They like kayaking in the water, body surfing, and just having fun....but it's not the "ultimate" vacation for them.

My older son and husband went to Thailand last year - Chiang Mai and Bangkok. They had no desire to go to Phuket. We will be going back to Thailand next year - and I will probably arrange 2-3 days in Phuket - but no more. Too much else to see.

So many of our friends have gone to the Maldives and loved it. My boys have no desire to go...but I would LOVE to go alone with DH!!!!!

cd

I love the beach with the sound of waves and seagulls! We raised our children with vacations at the beach and they love it as parents with kids of their own. We also went into boating and there is nothing better then sitting on the deck of your boat with your feet over the edge hitting the water. However, all those years of sun,wind and water has produced two skin cancers and maybe more in the future. Now, I still LOVE the surf,sand and water but we just walk the beach (not lay for hours in the water)and rent a cottage with a porch to look at the water and hear it but stay in the shade and read. And, we no longer have our boat.

OO - as a teen I always did the baby oil and iodine too!

bonniebroad

Absolutely a beach person! I love them all ... in all seasons. The Gulf beaches in Florida just blew me away last summer, and I can't wait to get back down there. My husband, if possible, is even MORE of a beach person ... could live there all year!

LoveItaly

I love the beach! Unfortunatly I have spent to much time in the sun and so now I am very careful to not do that anymore.

My father who was raised in Australia took us to the beach all the time when I was growing up. I have done so much boating, taken lots of vacations to Hawaii and Mexico where I soaked up the rays, spent a lot of time on beaches as an adult and had a swimming pool for years. Yes indeed, way too much sun but fortunatly, at least at this point, I haven't had any medical problems.

I love our N CA coastline, it is so dramatic but I am happy on any beach..except for the fact I now slather on sunscreen and stay under a sun umbrella. Boring! LOL.