How to embark on a pirate’s journey

At Rough Guides, our editors may have a different skill set from the pirates who roam the shared-world adventure game Sea of Thieves. That said, like them, we pride ourselves on being experts in adventure. Just call us globetrotting seadogs. 

Sea of Thieves players will no doubt have set sail towards secret coves, treasure islands, glorious sunset spots and even a few legendary taverns during gameplay. And, for expert intel on how to make the most of the game, you'll want to download our free 92-page ebook, The Rough Guide to Sea of Thieves. For now, though, it’s high time we showed you how to recreate these adventures in real life, with a pirate’s journey of your own – greasy grog n’ all. And all this without having to walk the plank.

Travel under sail

Those wide open seas can be perilous in Sea of Thieves, but they’re thankfully less so on a sailing holiday of your own. There’s nowhere better to begin than setting sail on that postcard-ready translucent Caribbean ocean. In this case, The Grenadines. 

This gorgeous chain of 32 islands spans a six-mile length, with 23 of those isles uninhabited. Take time to stop off and explore them, as you may strike gold and be the only ones there. 

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was also filmed around these parts, at Wallilabou Bay just off the west coast of St Vincent. You can’t get much more swashbuckling than that, so we’ll leave it there.

Seek treasure islands

With some 900,000 estimated islands officially earmarked around the globe, it’s difficult to know where to begin. And, while our jackpot in this instance might not be literal gold — more so untouched beaches, lush landscapes and pancake-flat, crystal clear waters — there’s plenty of “treasure” to be discovered in two of the world’s most visited countries.

You don’t have to leave Europe to find Caribbean-esque blue seas and Sardinia in Italy, tends to take a lot of the plaudits. In fact, visiting Sardinia's beaches is one of the best things to do in Italy.

Just off the island's north coast is the tranquil archipelago and protected national park of La Maddalena. Despite consisting of a huge 62 islands – most are super small – this remains dwarfed in size by the aforementioned main draw. 

Its main port is just a 15-minute boat journey from its northern coast. From here, you can amble its quiet beaches and hire a kayak to hop across to its tiny quieter islands.

Then there’s Thailand. While most backpackers follow the crowds to Phuket, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, it’s home to plenty of lesser-known islands that are well and truly off the beaten trail. 

Take Koh Mak for example, rated one of the best Thai islands on which to embrace a slower pace of life. Located in the Trat province near the Cambodian border, a 45-minute speedboat from the mainland will bring you to this peaceful multi-family-owned island.

Recently certified as Thailand’s only low-carbon destination, eco-friendly hotels offer free paddleboards for those slow mornings. Meanwhile, natural tie dye workshops also offer insights into the island’s resourcefulness. This, to some, is true treasure. 

Encounter sea creatures

Many wouldn’t argue beyond Australia as the greatest place on earth for sea life encounters. It’s easy to see why. Home to just about every sea mammal imaginable — from dwarf minke whales to great white sharks and Australian fur seals to the colossal blue whale — this country has all you need (and then some) under the sea. 

We’d be here all day running through Australia’s sea experiences, but for a bite-sized introduction try locations like the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia. It’s famous for its 32 ft-long whale sharks, the largest fish in the ocean. 

With so much plankton on the Unesco World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, this is where you’ll spot them. Tour operators out of Exmouth offer snorkelling trips to see them. 

Other experiences include riding the waves with dolphins in New South Wales and snorkelling with turtles along the southern Great Barrier Reef. And for the daredevils among us? Try a cage dive with great white sharks around the Neptune Islands to the south.

Slightly more accessible — at least for direct flights from most global capital cities — is the sun-kissed Californian coast. The Monterey Bay National Marine Reserve stretches a mammoth 276 miles of coastline between northern San Francisco and just south of Big Sur. It also expands out wide into well over 6,000 square miles of ocean. 

More than 30 marine mammals, including sea otters, humpback whales, harbour seals and common dolphins, roam the Reserve. With many of them visible from the coast, the ocean is protected for the creatures that need it most. 

Its unique sea currents, geology, water temperature and temperate weather contribute towards this being one of the world’s most productive ecosystems. 

Tip: many of the best beaches in California are within reach of these wildlife hotspots.

Down grog

We’ve done the market research for you (hic) and if it’s grog you’re after – typically rum mixed with water, but other spirits are acceptable – look no further than the West Indies. Specifically, the world-famous, white-sand-fringed Barbados, where the very first records of rum production date back to the mid-17th century. 

There are four rum distilleries on the island, but its most famous — and the world’s oldest rum — is Mount Gay, which has been produced on the island since 1703. It’s available in every bar on the island, but aficionados can also tour the distillery and enjoy tasting flights. 

One of the world's best winter sun destinations, it's fair to say Barbados delivers an intoxicating brew of natural beauty and world-class grog.

If you’re not a fan of rum, or fancy a hearty, warmer glass of grog - and by that we certainly don’t mean in temperature - head for bonnie Scotland. 

Here you’ll substitute rum for whisky, which is handy as Scotland’s hefty 140 list of distilleries mean it’s home to the world’s greatest concentration of whisky production. What's more, visiting a distillery is among the best things to do in Scotland.

Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside make up its five recognised whisky regions. Tasting notes span strong and peaty on the islands, to light and fruity in the largest mainland distillers.

Can’t decide, or want to try a few? Scotland is naturally blessed with pubs, but there’s arguably no better place to start than the cosy Pot Still pub in Glasgow. Its 800+ varieties have helped it win countless awards over the years. 

You won’t quite have that famous Barbados weather, but today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky, after all. 

Armed with this know-how, you’ll be on your way to a real-life pirate adventure in no time. To further up your game, download your free ebook, The Rough Guide to Sea of Thieves.