Fitness holidays travel guide

If “fitness holidays” sounds like an oxymoron, then have a flick through our fitness holidays travel guide to learn what these trips really entail. Relaxing yoga and Pilate retreats, working on your triathlon skills, wild swimming in a Slovenian lake and indulging in delicious yet healthy Mediterranean cuisine – there are more ways to get fit than simply heading to a sterile, air conditioned gym…

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Fitness holidays travel guide

For many people, "fitness holiday" may be an oxymoron, invoking visions of dawn-style drills, detoxes and deprivation. But a real retreat will leave you feeling far more relaxed than a week on a beach.

Our fitness holidays are not about pushing yourself to your limits; they’re about having a happy, healthy holiday that leaves you feeling revitalised in body and mind. While you will be encouraged to try new activities and go a little step further each day, nudging into the boundaries of your comfort zone, your instructors are there to support you, not to drill, and nothing is obligatory.

Taking place in some of Europe’s most beautiful natural settings, you’ll likely push yourself more than you think – with each step, pedal or paddle taking you to yet another stunning viewpoint or valley; and there’s nothing like a yoga session on a Mediterranean beach to really make you put your all into that sun salutation. As our fitness holidays travel guide explains, these are retreats where you can work on existing skills – such as swimming or cycling – or perhaps try something completely new, such as trail running or meditation. You’ll eat well, sleep well, and even make new friends into the bargain.

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What does this trip entail

While fitness holidays vary hugely in terms of activities, location and exertion, they still tend to have some important things in common. Most are small group holidays, with “small” being the key word – the largest groups have a maximum of 16 people (although these may be split into smaller groups for training sessions), while the smallest have just four. The nature of these holidays means that they attract many solo travellers; as a result, there is often no single supplement for your own room. Some holidays also offer options for partners who prefer a more sedate break – such as the trail running holiday, which also offers daily guided hikes instead of runs with both runners and hikers meeting up for lunch where possible.

What will I be eating and drinking?

Many holidays include all meals – in part to keep with the “retreat”-type feel of many of these breaks, but also to ensure a diet which is healthy, filling and nutritious – which are geared towards the high amount of exercise you are doing each day. Meals are often vegetarian (with various dietary requirements able to be catered for), and while some retreats serve up wine with dinner, others do not provide caffeine or alcohol; if you’re a coffee fiend, consider cutting down a few days before departure to avoid going cold turkey once you arrive!

What about the fitness part?

Some fitness holidays are very focused on one particular activity – this may be outdoor swimming, cycling or trail running, for example. These will have much more fixed itineraries, with a different run or swim planned each day. Likewise with yoga and Pilates retreats, where your days will revolve around set sessions – although you are always free to skip them if you are tired or would like to explore your surroundings, and there is also plenty of free time between classes to enjoy walks, the swimming pool, spa treatments or horseback rides, for example.

Multi activity fitness holidays tend to be more flexible. Personal trainers can meet with you on arrival to discuss what you want to get out of the break, and compile your own training plan, with everything from yoga to beach circuit training, meditation to hardcore HIIT sessions. Again, free time can be factored in for sunbathing, reading by the pool or sweating it out in a sauna.

And… do I need to be fit?

No! Many of our fitness holidays are suitable for people of all fitness levels and skills – others are specifically tailored for absolute beginners. These are fitness holidays, remember, not boot camps or athletes’ retreats, so by their very nature they will appeal to people with a somewhat more laid back approach to fitness. Nothing is compulsory, although, of course, it’s always worth trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone, just a little, to really make the most of your break and the expert coaching you are receiving. And multi activity fitness holidays are the perfect space to try out something you’ve never done before – from HIIT (high intensity interval training) and surfing to meditation and dance fitness workshops. If you don’t enjoy it, there’s no need to try again. And if you do – then you’ve found a healthy and fun new hobby!

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Fitness or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.

01273 823 700

Call us until 6pm

Calling from outside the UK

rosy@responsibletravel.com

01273 823 700

Call us until 6pm

Calling from outside the UK

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Best time to go on a fitness holiday

Most fitness holidays take place either side of the peak summer months - when temperatures are more compatible with physical exertion.

As most of our fitness holidays are small group trips, they will start on fixed dates for fixed durations. Taking place largely across the Mediterranean region, the aim is to avoid the extreme summer heat, with June and – particularly – September the best time to go on a fitness holiday. This also has the benefit of dodging the summer beach crowds, and you can snag cheaper flights, too. Some holidays along warmer Spanish coastal regions continue through ‘til October or early November, taking advantage of late autumn sunshine, at a time when those living at more northerly latitudes are less focused on fitness and entering hibernation mode. The exception is Slovakia – where swimming holidays make the most of midsummer sun to allow you to appreciate those glacial lakes even more.

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