Holiday. It’s defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or travelling, where no work is done”.
It doesn’t mean lying around a hotel all day, doing nothing except eating.
Yet, once flights and hotels have been booked, this is precisely what many people end up doing during their time off. But by abandoning our usual sleep and fitness regimes, overeating at hotel buffets, being chauffeured around in cars, taxis and coaches, and perhaps being held back by the inaction of our holiday companions, your fitness goals can take a step backwards on holiday. You can actually end up returning home more tired and overweight, and even more mentally stressed, than when you left.
Being active is often the best way to get the most out of a trip, and it needn’t necessarily involve a huge departure from your usual idea of relaxation. You may find that sleeping in a hut by the beach in Mexico, eating fresh fish and drinking fruit juices, swimming, snorkelling and walking in the fresh air is more restful and transformative than a stay at an expensive luxury hotel crowded with people and with music blaring.
By getting out of vehicles and putting on your hiking boots, or getting on a bicycle, horse or even skis, you can gain a different, clearer and much more relaxing experience of a place – and connecting with your environment brings a valuable sense of perspective. With the wind in your face and nothing between you and the world, you’ll feel calmer and experience a real sense of exhilaration.
What’s best is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot, and activity on holiday need not be exhausting. Organisation and planning are key – if you’re going hiking in remote areas, you probably won’t want to go alone. Long trips may require flying into one airport and out of another. If you don’t know an area, you’ll need detailed maps before setting out. That’s why a growing number of companies have begun offering organised trips that make activity a central part of the experience. It’s in response to a huge demand from people to get more from their time off and actually make their holiday work for them. Whichever way you choose to book, remember that travel offers a chance to start again, and perhaps even make some lasting changes in your life and outlook. Here’s our guide to getting started.
Walking, trekking and cycling holidays
Hiking and cycling are the cheapest and most relaxing ways of seeing a place, and are generally suitable for all ages. Distances and terrain covered depend on your level of fitness and how much time you have, but a single hike or a few hours on a bike will leave you feeling much calmer and may stay longer in the memory than a day spent manically driving around as many towns or villages as possible. Imagine what a whole week could do for your mind and body.
Major reputable travel companies such as Explore!, Exodus, Intrepid Travel and G Adventures have decades of experience in running small-group tours all over the world. Their trips are competitively priced and are ideal for people travelling alone. Explore!'s trips range from eight days walking the Lycian Way in Turkey, from US$770 (Dh2,828) per person, excluding flights, to a two-week trip to Tanzania incorporating a hike to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and a trip to Zanzibar, from $4,170 (Dh15,317) per person, without flights.
Among many types of activity holidays, Exodus offers dozens of different cycling vacations all over the world, including family cycling holidays and road and off-road trips, These include a “moderate” seven-night trip to Jordan, including Petra and Wadi Rum, from £1,399 (Dh8,269) per person, excluding flights. Cleverly, the route is mostly downhill on the relatively quiet tarmac of the King’s Highway from Amman, taking you to Madaba, the Dead Sea, Karak Castle, Petra and Aqaba. The group returns by vehicle along the Desert Highway via Wadi Rum (after covering that distance by bike, a little assistance is OK).
Other cycling holiday specialists include CTC Cycling Holidays, Headwater, Iron Donkey, Freedom Treks, Saddle Skedaddle and Cycling Holidays Middle East. Specialist walking operators include Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, Walks Worldwide () and One Foot Abroad. Far from being a grim experience, most of these holidays offer gourmet food, charming accommodation and a chance to experience a place in a way that would be impossible from the seat of a coach, bus or train.
If you prefer to organise things yourself, travel in your own group or save some money, even arduous treks can be booked using the services of small local companies. In Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan, arrange a sherpa and guide to hike through mountains such as the Annapurna, or create your own itinerary with added-on activities, such as paragliding and birdwatching, with Kathmandu Travel & Tours; a five-night Annapurna trek costs from $500 (Dh1,837) per person in basic accommodation, excluding flights.
In Kenya, a four-day hike to the summit of Mount Kenya and back with Mountain Rock Kenya (www.mountainrockkenya.com) can cost as little as $610 per person, excluding flights, depending on the size of the group (the price for a single person travelling alone starts from $1,000 [Dh3,673]). Accommodation is basic and the hiking is tough, but the incredible scenery is inaccessible in any other way – and well worth the effort.
Active adventures
Even "adventurous" holidays such as wildlife safaris can involve surprisingly long periods of inactivity, sitting in the back of game-drive vehicles and flying from place to place. Other options, however, can include game watching on foot or horseback, canoeing up rivers and trekking to see mountain gorillas. Real Africa is one of many companies offering itineraries including trekking in Rwanda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, canoeing the remote Selinda Spillway in Botswana or walking in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia (a four-night camping canoe safari in Botswana costs from £1,785 [Dh10,550] per person, based on two people sharing). The benefit of these types of trips, besides to your fitness levels, is that they take you to remote areas free of the tourist hordes that can blight the easier-to-get-to locations.
The UAE-based Wild Guanabana, a travel company founded by Omar Samra (the first Egyptian and youngest Arab to climb Mount Everest), specialises in adventure travel in "wild and wonderful" destinations around the world, from rock climbing in Thailand to "Adrenaline Addicts Anonymous" in Costa Rica. It has many hiking and climbing options, including (under the category "Daring Challenges") an eight-day climb of Mont Blanc and a six-day ice-climbing trip to Chamonix, both in the French Alps. Prices start from US$2,600 (Dh9,550) per person, excluding international flights, for the ice-climbing trip.
Fitness holidays
Sometimes you want to use your holiday time to kick-start your fitness regime in a beautiful natural setting with fresh air and good food. While a huge number of travel operators claim to offer this kind of thing, tried-and-tested favourites include Wildfitness, which offers programmes in Kenya, Morocco, Zanzibar, Greece and Spain. Its trips involve group fitness classes and activities such as running and swimming interspersed with periods of rest, attractive accommodation, local and mostly organic food and clean, calming environments. The company promises that you will feel more energised, stronger, fitter, more flexible and have an improved posture, understand how your lifestyle affects your health and how to approach food and healthy eating, among other benefits. Prices are from £2,206 (Dh13,039) for a week, excluding flights, but including massage and a laundry service.
Despite the name, Bikini Bootcamp offers fitness holidays for both men and women by the sea in Tulum, Mexico. It describes itself as "a tune-up for the mind, body and spirit" and each day starts with a one-hour power walk, then varies to include cardio workouts, yoga, salsa, belly dancing or meditation, plus advice on nutrition and excursions in the local area. Prices start from $1,960 (Dh7,199) per person for a week, excluding flights.
For something more gruelling, combine a trip to Thailand with a muay Thai course at a traditional gym. A week's accommodation in a deluxe bungalow at Tiger Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts camp in Phuket costs Dh1,000; a full week of training is Dh354 and a private, one-hour muay Thai training session is Dh71. For something more luxurious, the Siam Hotel in Bangkok has its own muay Thai gym and offers a variety of training experiences and spa treatments.
Well-being
Sometimes, if you're feeling burnt out, all you want is to slow down. At Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary on Koh Samui in Thailand, you can choose and create your own programme, including "detox", "emotional balance", "sleep enhancement" and "yoga", many of which involve traditional therapies including Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. A five-night "sleep enhancement" programme costs from 86,000 Thai baht (Dh9,748) per person, excluding international flights.
In India, there are hundreds of Ayurvedic centres. One of the best and most luxurious is Ananda in the Himalayas. Its seven-day Ananda Ayurvedic Rejuvenation package costs Dh8,794 for a single and Dh13,566 for a double occupancy, including taxes, three meals that suit your dosha (mind-body type) per day, snacks, spa treatments, personalised yoga and pranayama breathing instruction, as well as round-trip airport transfers. The spa also offers 14-day and 21-day packages. Shorter stays can be booked, too.
In Oman, Six Senses Zighy Bay offers activities including paragliding, snorkelling, kayaking, mountain biking, day hikes and rock climbing. It also has a large spa with an experienced full-time yoga teacher and visiting practitioners from around the world. "Yogic detox" programmes of between five and 15 nights can be booked; prices depend on the time of year.
In Jordan, the Evason Ma’in Hot Springs, another Six Senses resort, features a sizeable spa directly under a natural hot spring that cascades into a spa pool; combine this with a hugely scenic hike down Wadi Zarqa to the Dead Sea.
On the shores of the Dead Sea, the Anantara spa at the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar is the largest spa in the Middle East. Combine a single treatment or a full-on two-day spa journey (complete with spa menu for mealtimes) with swims in the Dead Sea and inhaling the oxygen-rich air and you'll leave feeling cleaner than you've ever felt.
Closer to home in Dubai, hotels such as the Madinat Jumeirah have begun offering one-off yoga retreats; Emirates Holidays (www.emiratesholidays.com) has also started to offer a variety of wellness holidays, including slimming and stress management packages at the Carnoustie Ayurveda & Wellness Resort in Kerala, India. A seven-night package costs from Dh13,782 per person, based on two adults sharing, and includes return economy flights, accommodation and a full programme of treatments, including massage, yoga, meditation and a daily consultation. To book, call 800 4969.
If you prefer Germany, stay in the Alpine National Park in the Bavarian Alps at the InterContinental Berchtesgaden Resort, which has world-class spa facilities, an extensive treatment menu and a Michelin-starred restaurant. A four-night holiday here costs from Dh8,888 per person based on two sharing, including return economy class flights on Emirates, four nights’ accommodation with breakfast, five days’ car rental, access to the “Mountain Spa”, “Stay Healthy” minibar and all taxes (also through Emirates Holidays).
rbehan@thenational.ae
