TRAVEL: BEACH
When you hear the word “beach” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it to take a trip to a travel destination known for its beaches? Or do you think white sand, pebbles, sea shells, blue waters and palm trees?
Whether you take a trip to the beach to simply enjoy nature or to take a swim or get up to fun water activities like windsurfing, kayaking and scuba diving, at the end of the day, the idea behind taking a trip to the beach is to relax and enjoy oneself.
Did you know that the beach is also home to vegetation and animals. So it is important to note that while we enjoy the beaches mostly for our recreational purposes, there are other animals that depend on the beaches for their survival. It is therefore important to keep this environment safe and free from pollution that is caused by many factors including trash dumped on the beach, boat traffic too close to the shoreline and pollutants that can make it unsafe to eat the fish caught at the beach.
There are initiatives that have been established to ensure that the beach environment is protected and is safe for humans and marine life. Most governments run programmes in an effort to protect their beaches. There is also the Blue Flag programme.
The Blue Flag Programme is owned and run by the independent non-profit organisation Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The programme works towards sustainable development at beaches/marinas through strict criteria dealing with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety of beaches world wide.
The beach destinations around the world like to pride themselves on visitor safety and fun. For the kids, the beach is the ideal place for building sand castles, picking up shells and swimming in the water. For the rest of us, beach volleyball, play a little frisby, indulge in watersports for the more active like kayaking, surfing, water skiing, scuba diving and snorkelling, yachting, swimming with dolphins, take boat rides and go whale watching, take sunset walks or simply sun bathe.
The activities you could get up to at the beach are endless. Ensure that you know where the life guard posts are on the beach before you go off and have your fun.
So when you do take a trip to the beach, have the time of your life but do observe the signs. They are there for a reason. There are so many beautiful beaches spread across the globe. We compile a list of the top destinations based on the number of visitors they receive on an annual basis.