Not all active vacations need to be about extreme sports. For some, long hikes followed by good food is an excellent way to spend an active vacation. Others, however, prefer much more exciting activities. With such variety, assuming “active holiday” means one thing is far from accurate.
What is an active holiday?
On the more relaxed side of active holidays, there are golf trips or vacations that include some light fishing or cycling along easy trails. These types of vacations are enjoyable and when you return you don’t feel the need to spend another week recovering.
On the other side of the spectrum are holidays that are true adventures. These can include weeks long hikes, multi-day mountain skiing, or even trips that include sailing through the ocean. These vacations require extensive planning and a high level of fitness, and reward the traveler with a true adventure.
Most of the population fall somewhere along the spectrum of the types of holidays mentioned. This is where we would like to help you identify the sort of active holiday you are interested in taking.
Golf holidays
Golf holidays are simple to plan because you know what you are getting with golf. Build your trip with the courses you want to play. Perhaps you want a different course each day of the trip. Or maybe you want a multifunction Resort where the golf course is on site with all of the resort’s amenities. Consider also a golf holiday with the family. Plan a schedule for the family to enjoy non-golfing activities along with your golfing schedule of choice.
Consider the logistics of each aspect of your trip. Transporting your golf clubs to your destination may become difficult. Each airline has different policies on the transport of golf bags. It is best to check the airline’s policies instead of assuming there won’t be an issue. Many golfers opt for the easier choice and rent clubs instead of transporting clubs to a destination with multiple golf courses.
Fishing holidays
Fishing trips are easier to categorize what type of fishing you want to do. You can branch your holiday out into what type of fishing you want to do: sea, river, lake or deep sea fishing. Each type of fishing requires different gear and a different destination so planning ahead what you want is essential.
the timing of your fishing holiday is important. When it comes to fishing, seasons determine where and what can be caught. Be sure to check what will be available at your preferred location for the dates you are planning to travel, rather than just assuming you can travel at any time during the year.
Packing for a fishing holiday is a project on its own. The obvious items are the rods and reels, but the things that can break a trip are the small items, the appropriate line weight for the fish in the water, a good set of weatherproof clothes, and tackle for the fish you are targeting.
Holidays for hiking and trekking
Fit hiking and trekking holidays on an honest assessment of your physical fitness. An easy walk and a trek through the mountains are two different trips, but they are often thrown together in the same category. Be honest about what you want, because people often end up miserable after a few days of hiking.
Packing is where most people on their first hiking trip go wrong. You must take broken in boots and a good set of layers for the terrain and not the clothes that you have just lying in your wardrobe.
Watersports Holidays
Holidays that focus on watersports, like paddle boarding, surfing, or diving, often focus on one specific sport. This is because most destinations that have watersports available are usually focused on one specific water sport. It’s usually better to choose which watersport you want to do first, then select the destination based on that.
Skiing and Winter Sports Holidays
First time ski holidays and holidays for more experienced skiers are different enough that you should plan for them as separate holidays. Beginners usually prefer a ski resort that has gentle, easy slopes with beginner lessons, while experienced skiers often search for more difficult ski resorts that have more difficult and advanced ski slopes.
Cycling Holidays
Holidays focused on cycling can be everything from easy touring on highways to advanced and difficult trails in the mountains, and all the different accommodations you would need depend on which one you choose.
The Bottom Line
Active holidays are good for a bit of self honesty about fitness and about how you really want to spend your days and what the balance should be between activities “that’ll be fun” and worthy rewards versus “that’ll be good to get done” activities.