Smaller-scale cruising options such as Travel Dynamics International are offered at a price point that makes it worthwhile to consider small private yachts. Italy is one of the premier yacht charter destinations in the world, luring some of the finest personal boats ever built and welcoming rich and famous guests at weekly rates that are well into six figures. Those boats are fun to look at and dream about, but their presence often overshadows the perfectly lovely smaller private yachts that are also available in Italy on a far more reasonable economic scale.

In many cases, a private yacht with a captain and chef can be had for the same total cost that you might spend for a group of four or six adults to spend a week on a cruise ship with separate, balcony-level cabins. You can book a private yacht either as one person's expense or as a cost split among your group, and you can control expenses such as food provisions and fuel usage, which are determined by the itinerary and menus you choose (instead of being predetermined by a cruise ship company). Private yacht vacations tend to be excellent for multigenerational families, or for groups of adult couples traveling together and sharing expenses.

Finding a Reputable Charter Broker

The biggest mistake most people make when seeking to book a private charter yacht is looking online for pictures of the boats themselves. There are countless horror stories of small, affordably priced yachts with gorgeous websites that turn out to be massive rip-offs in real life.

To avoid this situation, your best bet is to book through a reputable charter broker — whose job it is to go from boat to boat in Italy, inspecting the yachts themselves and interviewing the crews to ensure that what's being promoted is actually what you'll get. Reputable charter brokers operate much like real estate agents, meaning any broker, anywhere in the world, can help you book a charter yacht in Italy. The best in the business visit Italy at least once a year to inspect yachts, typically in May, when a large charter boat show is held in Genoa.

Reputable charter brokers typically belong to at least one of the industry's four primary professional associations. Each broker's name and contact information is listed online as part of the Mediterranean Yacht Broker Association (www.myba-association.com), CYBA International (www.cyba.net), the American Yacht Charter Association (www.ayca.net), or the Florida Yacht Brokers Association (www.fyba.org). Other groups do exist, based in places such as Greece, but have less-stringent requirements for entry than the internationally minded groups listed here.

Choosing the Right Yacht for You

After you discuss your budget, type of group, itinerary choices, and vacation wishes with a reputable charter broker, you will be offered several yachts based in Italy at the broker's recommendation. If you have never before chosen a charter yacht, they likely will all look good. It can be difficult to discern which yacht is the best based solely on looking at brochures.

At this point, your best bet is to listen carefully to the recommendations of your broker, who will have selected the yachts because she believes they fit with what you have expressed as your ideal vacation. If you are a fan of Italian wine, for instance, she may suggest a yacht that keeps a high-quality stash of Barolos and Chiantis onboard. Or, if you are interested in doing some snorkeling around Italy's islands, your broker may recommend a yacht whose crew are well trained in water sports.

Just make sure that you ask your broker why, specifically, she believes each yacht will be good for you and your group. Also feel free to ask for letters of reference from the yacht's previous clients, as well as for information about each yacht's management company.