Avoid These Florida Beach Travel Mistakes | Our Not So Perfect Day on Don Pedro Island

[@DenaJeanne]

Thanks!

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching 😊

[@Explorcation]

Hi Dena, we also wanted to thank you for the Super Thanks! My apologies that we initially missed it, we greatly appreciate your support 💗 We hope all goes well as you plan for your move 🙌😊

[@H3_Otown]

Welcome to my island 🏝️ ❤️🇺🇸

[@Explorcation]

Thank you! You live in a pretty awesome place!

[@americancruisader]

We stayed on Don Pedro last year, January through March, and while we thought we wanted seclusion, it was a little too quiet. There are many beautiful homes on DP, but most stay vacant as owners don't live there. Like us, there were a few renters, but most were just there for a week. DP has some of the best shelling we have ever experienced, but the winds and sand were less than desireable. The ferry, however short the ride, is expensive if you are taking a car across. It is cheaper to take a golf cart, but probably a little more dangerous driving a golf cart in city traffic. Purchasing ferry passes in advance is cheaper, but still expensive, so trips off the island included lot's of shopping and errands as there is no grocery store on the island. It was an experience we won't forget. Just one other note... there are no restrooms on the island except for at the resort and state park, so that prevents wanting to visit the beach just for a day.

[@Explorcation]

Hi Cindy, even though we only spent a day there I can see how it could be a little too quiet. Thanks for sharing your experience, the ferry rides and grocery trips are definitely something to consider when deciding to stay on an island without easy access to the mainland. Thanks so much for watching.

[@jadeheart911]

oh no you two !!! You did tough it out though!!!! lol !!!! Every saturday morning...my coffee and see what you guys are up to !! lol !!!

[@Explorcation]

We're so happy to hear that we are part of your Saturday morning routine! It sure was a bit of a rough day, but we're normally pretty good at rolling with the punches. Plus, how bad can your day really be when you're on a beautiful island?!

[@ikreate4u]

Thanks for this video. Not only did you help me learn about an island so close to me that I wasn’t aware of but you also pointed out some of the glitches that can come with a beach adventure. You’re information is so valuable for people like me who usually don’t have a companion when exploring new places.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for this kind comment. We always try to provide helpful information in our videos in addition to entertainment. We're so happy to hear that you found our tips to be valuable. We hope you get a chance to explore Don Pedro for yourself sometime soon. And hopefully you'll have a little better luck with the weather than we did!

[@AnaTravelstheworld]

Wow! Each video a neater surprise 🥰🥰

[@Explorcation]

Yeah this one didn't quite go as expected, but it was still a fun and memorable day. We appreciate the support, Ana!

[@chrispham7064]

The island looks so quiet beautiful and gorgeous, sandwich and pizza looks so good .Thanks for sharing this video. Love you guys.Have a wonderful weekend.

[@Explorcation]

Even though a few things didn't go as planned, we still had a pretty good day. Ending they day with that pizza and sandwich was pretty great after working up such a huge appetite riding/walking through all that wind and sand! We hope you are having a great weekend too, Chris!

[@travelwithlazyfoot4k-uhd950]

Thanks 🙏 greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪🦶

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching! Greetings from Florida!

[@jeremyburris9540]

You were also in Knight Island. Glad you enjoyed our island.

[@Explorcation]

We loved it despite our terrible planning, Jeremy! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@FollowThomas]

I need to check out this Island, never been there but it looks amazing. 👍

[@Explorcation]

I'm sure you'd love it, Thomas. Even though a lot of things didn't go our way on our visit, we would still go back in a second!

[@bow4927]

I've been a few times. Just got back from a week there late Saturday night. It's definitely a beautiful place. It's very fun to just cruise the island and marvel at the homes. The beaches also have quite a few sharks teeth to find(we found a few hundred in a few hours). The only drawback as a vacation destination is having to take the ferry to the mainland to eat somewhere other than Rum Bay which is average at best. Hope you get to go someday! Don't forget to give yourself an island name!

[@Explorcation]

@@bow4927 wow that is a lot of shark's teeth! I can see how eating and the same place would get old quickly, thanks for sharing your experience and for watching.

[@DawnShannonMusic]

Thank you both for exploring. Love your videos. ❤

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel, Dawn!

[@jimcwik7529]

Liked the last beach with the crowd and the sunset. Looked like a good time 👍

[@Explorcation]

Thanks Jim, that one is definitely the most popular..and for good reasons!

[@torasuncion5385]

What an adventure, love it

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much, Tor. It was quite the adventure indeed.

[@DenaJeanne]

I just wanted to thank you so much for all your videos we watch you regularly but on Our Smart TV App. so we forget to come back to KZbin and comment, so thank you both for such amazing videos on Florida as we are moving to somewhere in Florida next March and your helping us look at all the areas you explore. Cannot wait to say was are Floridians⛱️

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for all your support and for taking the time to get on KZbin to comment, Dena. Comments like these mean the world to us! We're so glad to hear that our videos are helping you find things to do when you move to Florida next March.

[@info781]

It is fun to do that kind of stuff when you are young, great job. You will never forget that one.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching, and for insinuating that we are still young 😅. We do feel young on most days though, and we hope to stay active and adventurous and feeling young as long as possible. And we agree that this day will be one that we always remember!

[@summerlinpublic5673]

I never heard of that island! Sometimes that is the way it goes but that meal looked really good!

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, not every day can go perfectly, even those on beautiful island. But all's well that ends well, and that day definitely ended well with that delicious meal!

[@olieg948]

My fave place to hang out 🧜‍♀️🐬

[@Explorcation]

It is such a quiet, secluded island, thanks so much for watching!

[@TideKnotTravellers]

Everything looked so dreamy to begin with, cycling along that peaceful road and then along by the water on the beach. Then the soft trail with spikes seemed less than ideal, can imagine how thirsty you’d get lugging bikes along there, so glad you eventually found water to top up! We have had many days mixed with good and bad decisions and we always analyse what we could’ve done to make it better, either way your experience shared helps others so much! As a viewer this still made for a beautiful and enjoyable adventure to watch so thank you for sharing! ☺️

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, the beginning of the day started off so peaceful and relaxing and just gradually got less relaxing and more uncomfortable😆. Overall though, it still wasn't a bad day. Now if Skylar wouldn't have found is phone... then it definitely would have qualified as a bad day 😂. We area always able to look back and laugh at our bad decisions while learning from them as well... and if someone else can learn from them too, even better!

[@BlakeSusanSmereczynsky]

We Live on the island full time, LOVE every day and night here. Its Heaven on Earth.

[@Explorcation]

We could even imagine what living on Don Pedro would be like. Even though our day was far from perfect, we absolutely loved the island and hope to spend a (better planned) day or two there in the future. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@genehinders9639]

Thanks for the tour...I think we'll stick to just viewing this area through your lenses.

[@Explorcation]

We don't blame ya, Gene!

[@rhondalyn100]

Well, your tours can't *always* be fun and trouble free...and that pizza looked divine! Hope the next day trip makes up for the misery of the sand blast in this one. :-)

[@Explorcation]

They sure can't. Our tours have actually gone strangely well lately, so we knew we were due for some back luck! Our bad planning didn't help matter out any either. But honestly a little adversity often makes for a more interesting video, or at least that's what we kept telling ourselves! 😂

[@ramunegaizutis1286]

Oh wow, what an adventure!! 😆 You both deserved a beer (or three) after that! Thanks so much for the informative video...I've never heard of this island. We have ridden bikes on Hilton Head, which was our favorite part of that trip, but maybe we'll just skip the bikes on this beach 😂🤣😂 Looking forward to the Manisota key video next week 👍

[@Explorcation]

Haha yeah Skylar definitely would have drank three after that day, but had to cut himself off at two since we still had to scooter back to the boat! I don't think too many people have heard of this island. It's really a hidden gem. And as much as we'd love this video to blow up, we really want for it to stay a bit hidden too! The biking on the beach would have been enjoyable if we had planned properly around the winds and tides... but if you visit during a windy day and during high tides like we did, we would definitely NOT recommend biking 😅. We hope you enjoy our adventures on Manistoa Key next Saturday!

[@LucasWorldTravel]

What a unique little island! Like how you guys find places on the map and decide to go. So adventurous! Sorry this one caused some challenges though. Guess that's why it's so secluded.

[@Explorcation]

We really love exploring the lesser known places that we (and most others) have never heard of. Sometimes they end up being duds, but more often than not we have a great time exploring them! This day definitely had challenges, but overall it was still a good day!

[@jimcwik7529]

I’m sorry, but my favorite videos are when you have some tall obstacles to overcome, like the biting flies when you were paddle boarding. Way to go that extra mile (literally 😂) Skylar! Love to follow your adventures. Loved the seclusion of these beaches.

[@Explorcation]

These types of videos may not always be our favorite to film, but they are the most memorable and also the most fun to go back and watch down the road. Plus we always do enjoy a bit of a challenge! Thanks so much for the kind comments and for your continued support, Jim. We really appreciate it!

[@TravelInteresante]

I love biking but I always fall lol I can't even imagine riding a bicycle against a strong wind! I really don't like windy water, thanks for the tip on checking the wind forecast ahead of time. At least your dinner was good to end the day on a good note! :) Was the ferry $10 for a roundtrip or one way? It is very expensive for a 5 min ride!

[@Explorcation]

Well the good thing about riding bike on the beach is that it doesn't hurt when you fall 😅 But yeah, riding into a strong wind like that is no fun at all. Thankfully the Ferry was $10 round trip. You pay on the way over and then they let you back for free.

[@erichowry9356]

I went to Don Pedro Island 4 years ago with my friend who bought a house down on the Island. It is so beautiful! I was suppose to go this past fall but house has severe water damage due to the hurricane last fall. Hopefully house will b back this summer!

[@TheAverageTourist]

Wow that definitely seemed like a day of some disasters! But also some fun - and probably some good memories too. You guys looked exhausted at the end of it all - so much work to check out the beaches - but they were beautiful for sure. Glad Skylar was able to find his phone and that you guys didn't miss the ferry!! That would have been the worst way to end the day 😬That meal at the end looked massive - hope you've been able to rest and recover after that day.

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, we still had a lot of fun, and the more challenging days are often more rewarding and more memorable in the end. We definitely were exhausted (and starving), so the food and beer at the end of the night was extra enjoyable!

[@BeingBedingfield]

You’re such troopers for pushing through all the disasters 😅💪 It also seemed like you had that entire island to yourselves 🤗 So glad Skylar got his phone back 👏 You guys must’ve been so happy when you got those massive food portions 😅

[@Explorcation]

We sure did feel like we had that entire island to ourselves at times. And even though our planning could have been (much) better, we it was still a pretty awesome experience overall. And yeah, we're both gland Skylar eventually found his phone. I was getting so nervous when he hadn't made it back yet after like 20 minutes. It would have have been an expensive replacement and also a lot of lost footage!

[@romanm9718]

Thank God your bikes didn't break down. At least you got to eat a good dinner after all that riding.

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, that huge meal tasted really great after all that extra exercise. The day could have gone better, but it also could have gone a lot worse!

[@TheCherylkeats]

Hey Jamie - great video! Love your glasses - can you tell me what brand/where you got them? Thanks ✌🏻

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much, I love those sunglasses too and have had them for many years now. They are Fossil brand, but unfortunately I have no idea where I bought them (it's been so long!). I would definitely recommend them for their durability though!

[@AquariusTraveller]

You guys have some amazing secluded spots around your area. I've been on a short ferry ride before, but was about 10 minutes. We also have a few islands with only bikes and golf carts, so always fun for the difference. I was actually only at a big sand hill the other day with high winds and sand blowing straight in my face, so I know how you felt riding you bike back to the resort. Although your experiences here may have been a little on the downside compared to some of your other location, this does look like a nice spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life - the food looked really good too ! I'm glad you were able to find your phone....I would die if that happened to me :) Thanks for sharing guys

[@Explorcation]

We really do. We can't believe it took us as long as it did to find out about this place! We were just on another island today where the locals get around primarily via bike/golf cart, and it was so much fun (especially with out scooters and not having to rent a cart!). Yeah, sand blowing in your face is not to enjoyable, even when you are on a beautiful beach 😂 But hey, much worse things could have appended! Even though we had some back luck/planning, we still would go back to this island in a heartbeat! And thanks, I sure was glad that I was able to find my phone too. Not just for the financial aspects but also because I would have lost all the content I recorded on it from that day!

[@BananaAnna09]

Just visited and it was extremely windy on most days here I ate at the only restaurant there and had a pretty decent meal we had the pizza as well not bad. Prices were not bad as well. Stayed on the island for a whole week.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for sharing, Anna. We really thought the prices at the restaurant were good too considering it was the only restaurant on the island! We're sad to hear that you had to deal with extreme winds on your stay as well, but we hope you still had an enjoyable time!

[@OurTravelPlace]

Despite the setbacks this still looked like a really fun day! I'd love to see more of little gasparilla island if you do go back with the camera 🙂 What's the stuff that you said you kept getting stuck in your feet?

[@Explorcation]

It really did end up being a pretty good day overall despite the bad planning and resulting adversity. It's hard to have too bad of a day on such a beautiful island. We will definitely make it back to Little Gasparilla Island to explore more one of these days! The things that were getting stuck in our feet are called sand burs. They are very hard to see in the sand but when you step on one you sure do feel it!

[@BobCarlson]

A few years ago I had plans to visit that island with a friend from Orlando but she wanted me to pick her up on my way,,,, from Fort Lauderdale. Before we could work out the logistics, COVID hit. Looks like I dodged a bullet as I too wanted a big time biking adventure. Lol.

[@Explorcation]

Haha well if you do a better job of planning than we did (both in regards to tides and wind), you could still have a pretty awesome biking day on Don Pedro! We just did no epically horrible job of planning for this day 😂

[@Explorcation]

Hi everyone, thanks for joining us on this day exploring that just didn't go as planned 😆 At least we got to enjoy most of the day without being sand blasted 😁 Have you ever had a similar experience? Let us know in the comments!

[@CaptRobAnderson]

Nope… been to Don Pedro many times. Always go prepared.

[@CaptRobAnderson]

Like with any kind of “explorication” 🫣

[@michellebrown5201]

After watching this video, I would NEVER trust your travel advise lol

[@Explorcation]

@@CaptRobAnderson yup we learned our lesson!

[@anniegao6463]

Hi Thanks for your video, is there any island have rock on the beach , look like north CA beach ?

[@Explorcation]

We are not aware of any islands along the Florida gulf with big rocks similar to north CA. We've heard that Jupiter Island (on the east coast of Florida) does have some big rocks/boulders though!

[@michellebrown5201]

2:39 - Clearly she missed the big bold red “YOU ARE HERE” part of the sign 😂😂😂 no wonder they had a shitty day on a beautiful island

[@Explorcation]

Pointing on a map while looking at a camera is not easy. I guess it's a good thing I'm not a meteorologist! 😂

[@1WorldPhotographydotcom]

Sorry that your adventure became much more adventurous than you had planned. One of my friends just went on a kayak trip with her husband in Texas that didn’t go as planned, either. The wind was horrible for them, too, the trip lasted a lot longer than they thought it would, and they had run out of water. I wonder if they ended up going on the same day that you guys did. I think enough water is the key to any adventure planning. Reminds me of that poor family who died with their baby and dog at Yosemite when it was extremely hot, they got lost, had no cell reception, and they had run out of water. 😢 Anyways, I wish you better luck on your next outing. 🤗

[@Explorcation]

Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment. This day definitely was a bit more adventurous than planned, but we still look back on it with good memories overall. Having enough water is definitely a key to any adventure planning. High winds really can ruin a good day on the beach. We'd much rather have a day in the 50's with no winds than a day in the 70's with sand blowing in your face!

[@ScullyPop]

This travel channel is so on point.

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much, Scully! This one was a bit of a challenge to make but we're happy with how it turned out and will always enjoy looking back on this day!

[@vintageguy6520]

Your down that far so don't forget Boca Grande.

[@Explorcation]

So funny, we were actually in Boca Grande when you made this comment. It might be a couple of months before we get that video up, but we'll get it up eventually. We have a bit of a backlog of content at the moment, which is a good problem to have!

[@vintageguy6520]

@@Explorcation Boca Grande is very nice. Great beaches and quiet. Hopefully the Loose Caboose is still open. Try some home made ice cream there.

[@Explorcation]

@@vintageguy6520 oh man I wish we would have gotten this comment before we visited! We walked right by the Loose Caboose and commented on how we might have to check it out, but we never made it in there. Next time we're in Boca Grande we'll make sure to stop in for some ice cream!

[@vintageguy6520]

@@Explorcation It's the real ice cream made with 🍨 real cream. At least a couple of years ago when I was there..Yeah it's good lol. Well worth it!

[@Explorcation]

@@vintageguy6520 ahhh that sounds delicious, and something I (Jamie) would LOVE. We might have to plan a trip back 😁

[@kikiob3628]

Is this video after hurricane Ian?

[@Explorcation]

No, it was before. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.

[@CaptRobAnderson]

Hmmm, went for a long walk/ride on a barrier island (5+ miles) with only 1 bottle of water and wore flip flops. The trails were sand and the wind was blowing. What do you think the outcome would be? Duhhhhhhhhhh

[@Explorcation]

Yeah, like we said in the video, we did not plan this day out very well 😆 If we would have been aware of the tides, the experience would have been much better. But not having any packed sand to ride back on along the beach (combined with wind picking up significantly), made for a LONG walk back. Thanks for watching!

[@shawnaustin8957]

👍👍

[@Explorcation]

Thanks again for watching, Shawn!

[@CaptRobAnderson]

IF ANYONE THINKS THEY EXPERIENCED “DISASTERS” PLEASE DO NOT VISIT DON PEDRO ISLAND. THERE ARE BLOOD THIRSTY IGUANAS RUNNING THIS PLACE! Glad they made it out safe ❤️

[@Explorcation]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment (twice), Robby 😀

[@UnitedWeStand0-0]

Obviously, you know they had to put more sand and shell down after the hurricane, right

[@Explorcation]

We haven't been back out to Don Pedro since after Ian, but given how badly the neighboring islands got hit, it doesn't surprise us to hear that some restoration was required. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!

[@DawnShannonMusic]

Thanks!

[@Explorcation]

We really appreciate your generosity, Dawn!