There is some interesting commentary floating around the blogosphere regarding connected/disconnected vacations. This one, directed more at students, suggests that summer is a great time for, "From exploring a potential career field through volunteering or interning, to making valuable contacts, the more meaningful your summer experiences, 'the more confident you’ll become in both your own abilities and your career choices'.” I agree with that scenario...it worked decades ago for me and more recently for my daughter.
Oddly, my wife and I have talked at length about a similar approach to explore options for post-normal-working-career years (often referred to as retirement) to discover what the world has to offer in the way of an active, productive, satisfying, and fun engagement..say at age 67. I don't suppose it hurts that many of those conversations happened while lounging around a pool or on the beach.
And just for the record, porcelain clay dries extremely fast on the beach in warm gulf breezes (image on left)...that misting bottle for keeping cool is a necessary tool to keep your clay workable (my high tech advice of the day).