Excellent advice. Because sunshine, sea, and fresh air impart a certain sense of health and well-being.

(or “salubrity” in our turn-of-the-century poet’s rhythm and rhyme)

So, how do you as a traveler confidently choose a great place to get a good dose of Vitamin Sea?

Well, one way to make a confident choice is the Blue Flag Awards, an annual global program that recognizes and rewards beaches, marinas, and tourism boats on stringent criteria.

Candidates must qualify for the program every year, in order to ensure their ongoing compliance with Blue Flag standards such as:

Cleanliness and quality, environmental stewardship and education, tourism management, visitor safety and information, and accessibility for everyone.

In the 2025-2026 award season, the top three worldwide rankings go to

✨ Spain: 642 beaches, 101 marinas, 6 tourism boats.
✨ Greece: 623 beaches, 17 marinas, 17 tourism boats.
✨ Türkiye: 577 beaches, 29 marinas, 18 tourism boats.

Not only are coasts but also lakes eligible to contend for Blue Flags. Lakeshore winners this year include the Garda Trentino lakes in Italy, and Aguelmam Azigza in Morocco.

For the first time ever, the USA won its first Blue Flags: Westward Beach in Malibu, California; Spanish River Park Beach in Boca Raton, Florida; and Delray Municipal Beach in Delray Beach, Florida.

An iconic Blue Flag delivers more than prestige, of course; the designation delivers revenue to its destination.

Canada (16 beaches and 9 marinas on this year’s list) commissioned a study that shows each Blue Flag drives over $2 million to the surrounding community.

Reader, here’s to heeding Emerson’s wise words in these last precious weeks of summer.

Until next time,

Travel on, sparkle on, meaningfully✨

Marilee + Paul Kostadimas
Spotlight Sojourns | Slow Travel
​with the Hidden Gemologists®

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PS: Greek Island beaches are among the most-cited reasons that people visit Greece. For more, click HERE to read our article “Why Visit Greece?”

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