Quick getaways are like energy drinks: they give an instant boost. With summer holding up quite nicely, it’s a great time to grab a few days off to power up that office-weary brain and body.

A loop from Vancouver to the central coast of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and back to the Lower Mainland may do just the trick.

Start the tour from West Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay, and catch a ferry to Nanaimo’s Departure Bay. The earliest sailing is at 6:20 a.m., leaving ample time to get things going.

Lana Kingston, spokesperson for Tourism Vancouver Island, suggests kayaking in Nanaimo Harbour as a visitors’ highlight. Nanaimo also has many hiking and biking trails, and for the really adventurous, there’s Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park. Ten minutes away from the downtown core by boat or foot-passenger ferry, the park has a well-maintained 22-kilometre network of trails through forests and historic sites.

Ever heard of bathtub racing? Nanaimo is considered the world capital of this wacky boating competition, which will be held this year on July 26.

From Nanaimo, take either Highway 19 or Highway 19A and head up to the communities of the so-called Oceanside region. Parksville and Qualicum Beach are the biggest of these towns.

“There’s a number of great parks throughout the whole region, so definitely doing the hiking, biking, rock climbing is easy here,” local travel expert Luba Plotnikoff told the Straight. “We’ve got over 18 parks here in our region.”

The spokesperson for the Oceanside Tourism Association, Plotnikoff said her favourite is Top Bridge Regional Park, off Chattel Road in Parksville. It has a new 81-metre suspension bridge that links the park to two other popular destinations: the Englishman River and Rathtrevor Beach.

“For the super adrenaline seekers, they can do a full-day hike of Mount Arrowsmith,” Plotnikoff said, referring to southern Vancouver Island’s highest mountain. ”That would take you about seven hours to get up to the top and back. You really have to be fit.”

For amateur explorers, Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, just outside Parksville and Qualicum Beach, is the place to go spelunking. The park was established in 1971 to preserve the area and its hundreds of caves. Tours are conducted daily in July and August on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Comox Valley area is the next stop along either Highway 19 or Highway 19A. Here, Tourism Vancouver Island’s Kingston recommends Mount Washington. A skiing destination during the winter, the resort offers biking, hiking, horseback riding, camping, and mini-golf during the summer.

The Sunshine Coast is an 80-minute ferry trip across the Strait of Georgia, from Little River near the town of Comox to Powell River.

Darren Robinson, executive director of Tourism Powell River, has a bunch of recommendations for travellers, starting with Willingdon Beach, which has walking trails. He also suggests Inland Lake Provincial Park, which features a 13-kilometre wheelchair-accessible trail that’s also open to cyclists.

For the food-conscious, the town’s Marine Avenue has several organic food stores, according to Robinson.

He also recommends hiking up Valentine Mountain, which offers good views of surrounding islands like Texada and Cortes. Powell Lake can also be seen on the east side of the mountain.

Before taking a short ferry to Sechelt’s Earls Cove, you can drop by Saltery Bay, about 30 kilometres south of Powell River.

“Saltery Bay has some world-class diving,” Robinson told the Straight. “We have Mermaid Cove there, where you can do some snorkelling. Check out our submerged eight-foot-tall mermaid [called the Emerald Princess]. It’s a bronze statue, and you can swim with the octopus and eels and all sorts of things.”

The town of Sechelt is the next stop from Earls Cove on Highway 101. For travellers who are keen on the arts, August is a good month to pass through. Sechelt will hold its famous arts festival from August 1 to 8. Less than a week later, authors will gather there for the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, from August 13 to 16.

From here, Lower Mainland residents can make their way home by heading to the community of Langdale, near Gibsons, where they can catch a 40-minute ferry back to Horseshoe Bay.