Beach vacations are meant to be relaxing and fun. Initially, I thought about sharing some simple beach workouts, but all that changed once we arrived at the beach. We decided to visit Fort Desoto Beach near Tampa, FL, which is known to be one of the best beaches in the country.

Excited, we paid just $5 to enter and thought, “This is going to be great—super cheap and beautiful!” We unloaded the car and started heading towards the beach. Everything seemed perfect until we turned a corner around some trees and dunes and found ourselves surrounded by dogs. Not just a couple, but around 30 dogs, all with their owners nearby. Apparently, we missed the memo that it was “bring your dog to the beach day.”

We didn’t mind at first since we all love dogs. So, we set up our beach gear and considered our beach workout plans. However, the sheer number of dogs was overwhelming. Then, we decided to cool off in the water only to hear this guy repeatedly calling his dog, Bruno, who was happily ignoring him. Suddenly, Bruno decided to poop right between the shore and where we were in the water. That was the end of my swimming plans.

Ready to chill and catch some sun, we returned to our towels only to find them covered with paw prints and sand, courtesy of Bruno. He even peed under a nearby couple’s umbrella—twice. Despite loving dogs, I was done with the wandering pups for the day.

Double-checking, it turned out we were at the right beach but in the dog beach section of Fort Desoto—our mistake! We quickly packed up and moved to the correct part of the beach. Finally, we arrived at the beautiful, scenic part of the beach with white sand, clear blue water, and gentle waves. It was stunning and definitely lived up to its reputation.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the scenery and relaxing. The beach workout plans were forgotten, but that didn’t matter. The most important thing was that I relaxed and recharged, which made me ready to tackle my business and fitness goals with renewed energy.

So, if you’re traveling, remember that things might not always go as planned. It’s okay to skip the gym and just focus on relaxing and recharging your mind and body. Just make sure to do a bit more research than I did to avoid any surprises. Otherwise, you might end up hearing, “BRUUUNNNOOO… BRUUUNNNOOO!” in the background.