above: English Boom Sunrise

• Sunset on a beach you might have to yourself.
• A cookout with family and friends.
• Dark skies.
• The sound of waves or trees as you sleep.
• Fresh pastries.
• A leisurely morning.

It’s these things and more that you miss when you only make Whidbey or Camano Islands a day trip.

Sure, with the islands a short drive from metro Seattle, it’s tempting to put away your Saturday projects for a quick island exploration.  People do it each weekend and have a great time.  A day tripper gets a quick escape from the city, a chance to explore small-town shops, eat at a local restaurant, or maybe picnic on one of the beaches before returning to the mainland.

Take time to study beaches, trails, and even menus.

Take Time to Imagine

But, by doing a day trip, you miss out on so much the islands have to offer.  Imagine a leisurely sunset walk on a beach.  You take time to see and hear the waves.  You watch their interplay with the rocks and driftwood.  You hear the waves, and, with a bit of imagination, you hear them talking to you.  Sure, with a day trip, you can hit the beach of Ebey’s Landing, but by giving yourself time, you have the chance to really experience it.

You have time to explore a lengthy forest trail.  Maybe you spend a whole morning walking the Camano Ridge network of trails under a forest canopy.  You see how a nature recovers from a fire from 90 years ago. Big trees now dominate the once-scarred landscape.  Yet, if you look carefully, scars remain.

 You have time for a lunch that isn’t inhaled on deadline and a leisurely dinner where you really get to study the menu and listen carefully to your dining partners.

Favorite Beaches

Mornings can include beach walks and croissants or coffee and shopping.

Instead of fighting your way back to the city, you pull up to your hotel.  Maybe you’re in a large motel, or maybe a slightly funky inn, or bed and breakfast.  Whatever you choose, smile, because you get to stay.

Your morning might be dominated by artisan coffee and a homemade croissant.  Or, maybe walking through one of our small towns as it’s waking up is more your style. You can smile to yourself that this is a moment you chose to give to yourself because you can’t have this kind of leisurely breakfast on a day trip.

Take Time for Richer Experiences

Your shopping trip turns into a shopping experience.  Instead of a hurried “just looking” march through a shop, you give yourself the chance to explore and talk with those behind the counter.

You give yourself the chance to get out on the water.  You experience the water in a way that can’t happen from land.  From a jet boat to a kayak, you’re someplace most day trippers manage to miss. Again, you smile to yourself that you chose to give yourself the chance to have this moment.

Take a boat tour

With a little advance preparation, you can get out on the water with a boat tour. Deception Pass Jet Boat Tours has multiple trips and options departing the north end of Whidbey Island.

Just Drive

Or you give yourself the chance to just drive.  You turn off the phone, stow the map, and just go.  You have no particular destination in mind, preferring instead to let the road surprise you with whatever is around the next bend.  You smile, knowing that right that moment you’re slightly lost, but you know that on an island, you can’t stray too far, or be lost for too long. If you need some guidance on how to get lost, we explain more here.

Sure, a day tripper gets to skim the surface of one or two of these.  But, you gave yourself the gift of time to truly experience a broader selection of what the islands have to offer.

And, isn’t that what travel is supposed to be about?