When you think of summer, you may think of something along the lines of dirty, sweaty beaches that are filled with bloodthirsty seagulls. If you truly think about it, there are absolutely zero reasons why a person could make a conscientious decision to go to the beach.

Obviously, there’s the fact that random people urinate in the ocean water, but if that isn’t reason enough to not visit the cesspool disguised as a nice place to vacation, think of the sand.

“Chemists from the University of Hawaii recently learned that levels of fecal bacteria in beach sand can be up to 100 times higher than in the water nearby,” Correspondent Erin Blakemore of The Smithsonian Magazine said.

Disgusting bacteria everywhere is one thing, getting sand quite literally everywhere is another. You name it and sand is stuck there for the time being. On bags, shoes, hair, skin, everything. I mean connect the dots. There are bacteria in the sand, then the sand gets everywhere and in turn, that means the same bacteria is on everything you own for the next few days.

Not to mention how hard it is to actually find an adequate beach to visit. Clearwater beach, for example, is ranked number 12 among the best beaches in Florida, but have you ever actually been there? If you have gotten the displeasure of attending, you’ll know it’s a crowded mess filled with either drunken college students or small children running everywhere.

In a way, I somewhat understand the hype about beaches. Being able to just lay and soak up the sun while listening to the sounds of the ocean or walking along the boardwalk browsing the shops there. But when you really think about it, the cons outweigh the pros.

A possible solution to this monstrosity would be to go to the pool. With a pool, especially a private one, they have chemicals that regulate and clean the water. Even with a public pool, although there still can be children and college students, there are still regulations to monitor what goes on there.

So next time you’re weighing out the options of places to go this summer, the obvious choice is definitely not the beach.