For some people, a beach vacation is akin to prescription medication: It is a necessity if they want to maintain their sanity and well-being in the face of a long winter or a hectic work schedule. A few days with sand underfoot and the sound of waves nearby can cure the most advanced case of cabin fever or ease serious work-related stress.

 

Unfortunately, beaches are the most desired destinations in the world, so the best stretches of sand are populated by thousands and thousands of sun-seekers who are all escaping the snow or the cubicle. The result: People who want a little peace and quiet might have a difficult time finding it in many popular beach destinations.

 

There are beaches that are both uncrowded and idyllic. Some of these places are closely guarded secrets, while others are merely legends that exist only in fiction and armchair travelers' imaginations. However, quiet, uncrowded beaches do exist in reality. Postcard-like stretches of sand that have to be reached by foot or boat or even by swimming might not be completely deserted, but they are almost always delightfully uncrowded.

 

Want to escape cool northern climates or take a break from the office? Sun and sea seekers in North America will find that idyllic and isolated beaches are within reach if they know where to look. (Text: Josh Lew)