Love the wide open seas but bored stiff by the idea of holing up on a massive luxury cruise liner? Try an ‘Aqua Adventure’—in a mono-hull cruising yacht or a twin-hull catamaran. The Active Holiday Company recently announced small-boat sailing trips in international waters, packages that take you to exciting locations such as France, Italy, Croatia (pic) and Thailand. The small-boat experience allows you to intimately explore bays and villages by the sea, learn the art of sailing, experience watersports and taste local seafood. Several packages are on offer, but the Thailand offerings are of course most affordable (from $655 a person onwards; activeholidaycompany.com).