Sun, sand, sea, YOU!
The daydream starts out slow. The cold, winter landscape is magically replaced with soft white sand and cerulean blue water. The colourless, barren trees are superseded by swaying green palm fronds and the vague aroma of mangos and coconuts. After that, the details begin to get filled in. There is a relaxing hammock on a white stucco patio. The trade wind is blowing, and you have an ice-cold rum punch in your hand. You are wearing Bermuda shorts and flip-flops instead of tweed pants and heavy boots. You are in Barbados or Jamaica. Tomorrow you are going out on a catamaran cruise to see the sunset. Locals in the Caribbean claim that when the sun sets there is a green flash on the horizon.
When the daydream is over you realise that it is only January, and it is snowing outside. You are not sure if the green flash is real or part of the dream. You want to head to the islands and find out if is true. Beach holidays are the best remedy for the long, steel-grey months of winter. There is no reason for the hammock and the catamaran sunset cruise to be only a daydream.
Whether you stay at a boutique hotel in Antigua or opt for an all-inclusive package in Tortola, a detour from the harsh realities of work and winter will do the mind and body good. To thoroughly enjoy the laidback world of island life, where your only decision is choosing whether you should relax on the beach or go swimming, it is imperative that you slow down, turn off the computer and completely unplug yourself from the modern world. The good life is about enjoying the authenticity of your surroundings. If you want to work on that golden, nut-brown tan, then this is the time to do it. If you want to learn how to surf or parasail, then this is your opportunity.
Taking that beach holiday in January or February will help you soldier through the winter. The next thing you know, spring flowers will be blooming and summer fast approaching.