by Melinda Crow
Last updated: 12:00 AM ET, Mon August 1, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
When traveling, crowded, cramped and noisy beaches throw a wrench into one of the main reasons to go to the shore in the first place - complete and utter relaxation. But what if you could have a stretch of sand all to yourself? Here's how.
Pick the Right day and time
While early morning hours are usually the best times to find empty beaches, there are a few other tricks to try as well. Think about hotel turnover times. At many resorts, Friday is the busiest day of the week with guests checking out mid-morning and new ones not arriving until mid-afternoon.
Schedule your stay to depart on any other day of the week and you can almost guarantee yourself a quiet beach midday on Friday. Saturday is obviously the most popular beach day. Avoid it in favor of other activities if you don't like crowds. And even though Sunday is sometimes a hotel turnover day, beaches may be crowded with locals enjoying their day off with family.
Avoid cruise-organized beach breaks
There are obvious exceptions to this rule, but if you are sailing on a mega ship, unless your tour is described as "private," assume that you will be joined on your beach break by a large group of people and that it will take place on a popular beach that may have guests from multiple cruise ships, as well as local hotel guests.
A better option if you haven't had time to research or don't have a car at your disposal, may be to seek out a tour that takes you by boat to a beach. In general, those tours are smaller, they may have access to uninhabited islands, and the bonus is the boat ride itself - which is sometimes worth the price of the tour.
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