You can divide Whitsunday Island day trips into several categories. First of all there are the straightforward go-see-the Whitsundays cruises, with these you go to your first Whitsunday Island resort spend an hour or two there to sample the beach, pool and bar, then carry on to do the same at your second Whitsunday Island resort and at some stage you will be served a BBQ lunch. An excursion to the underwater observatory at Hook Island is often part of the picture. These day trips are good for those wanting to make an on-the-spot assessment of the Whitsundays Island Resorts and there isn't a lot of time.

A variation on these Whitsunday Island Resorts day trips is the one that just takes you out to one of the resort islands and leaves you there for the day. With Fantasea Cruises offering shuttle trips to South Molle Island, Long Island, Daydream Island and Hamilton Island.

Category two is the nowhere-in-particular scenic day trips usually in smaller boats. You usually stay away from the resort islands, perhaps try a beach here, a bit of snorkelling there, maybe some fishing somewhere else... A number of boats operating these tropical island sailing trips are high performance yachts, like the maxi yacht "Ragamuffin" and high speed catamaran "Camira".

There are also Great Barrier Reef tours to the outer reef where you power out to the outer reef for a few hours of snorkelling or diving. The high-speed catamarans used for these trips get you out there in about two hours. Beware of seasickness, as these Whitsunday day trips can often be bumpy. Out on the reef the major operators all have their own pontoons with glass-bottom boats, semi-submersibles, diving facilities and snorkelling equipment. These outer Great Barrier Reef tours are generally more expensive (all include lunch) but getting out to the reef is really an other-world experience that should not be missed.

Another option is to take an overnight or longer cruise around the Whitsunday Islands on a crewed sailing yachts. Meals and snorkelling gear are included, and you either sleep on board or in tents on an island. There are plenty of variations on this theme - overnight cruises, two-night/three day trips and three-night/four-day trips.

Finally, there are all sorts of do-you-own thing odds and ends. You can get yourself dropped off on an island to camp or you can organise a Whitsundays yacht charter or bareboat yacht and sail yourself.

If you are travelling on a budget, check out the Whitsundays backpacker accommodation and package tour options. You'll get more for your dollar and some great day trip deals.