There are many reasons as to why you may wish to travel. For some, getting to grips with a culture they care about is important. For others, it’s meeting long-lost friends, or heading to enjoy a creative sense of inspiration in a colorful environment they care about. Perhaps you just wish to eat the best food a culture is known for – this is something that many of us would envy you for.
Yet no matter your reason, doing what’s right for you and having a great time is all that really counts. But what if you hope to enjoy a vacation where you learn a new skill, get active, feel alive, dynamic, and fascinated? Well it might be that the concept of a fascinating “active vacation” works best for you. In this post, we hope to discuss what these vacation ideas are, how they work, and in the long run, how they can help you thrive.
In this post, we’ll recommend 10 active vacation ideas to keep fit and look great, in the best possible way:
1. Surfing In The Sun
Surf lessons are among some of the most active, fun, enjoyable, and social vacation activities you can take part in. Not only can they help you gain confidence in the water, but improve your stability, while also helping you try your hand at something new.
Many people think that surfing is an advanced skill to learn, and while it might be a little less intuitive than standing on a skateboard, you’d be surprised how much progress you may make in a few sessions. With a trusted instructor, you’ll no doubt make progress you can be proud of, and move forward at a rate that works for you.
Surfing also requires a decent amount of cardiovascular activity, combining balancing, swimming, and of course, walking up and down a beach to partake in. Who said activities had to feel like grinding? Even if you’re not particularly great at surfing just yet, being in the ocean itself amongst friends will be a great deal of fun.
2. Hiking Trips
Hiking is a great way to explore the wilderness around us, but also to travel routes that we may not have considered beforehand. For instance, look to the “Way of St James” pilgrimage route in France and Northern Spain, which provides a schedule of nine routes to a famous pilgrimage site that was holy route for hundreds of years.
Now, it has become a popular hiking route that takes several days to complete and grants you access to a range of stunning vistas, hospitality venues, and other hikers who tend to greet one another and remain friendly on the route. It’s a fantastic place to start.
3. Photography Expeditions
If you’re looking for the best possible justification for getting out there and exploring the world, then taking up photography can be a fantastic means of traveling while active. Waiting for the right sunset in the sky, taking a train to a quaint cultural village, or simply walking along a beach and making sure the ocean is captured in the most beautiful form possible, all of this inspire you to try, to climb, and to take the path less followed.
One thing to be certain of is that you wear your appropriate equipment, like solid footwear and carry cases and that you don’t put yourself in harm’s way. If you can avoid that, then you’ll be able to get the most out of this hobby in the best possible light, and that truly does make a significant difference in how active and actualized you feel.
4. Skiing & Snowboarding
Another way to encounter stunning vistas, learn a new skill, and actually getting a good workout in involves the dual arts of skiing and snowboarding. Both of these are fantastic at helping you get out of your comfort zone, as well as spending a vacation within an environment that you may not have thought would be for you.
Skiing tests your balance, patience, and ability to hold your momentum. Skateboarding also trains those, but is a little less “stable” as you have no ski poles to balance and stabilize yourself.
No matter what skill level you’re at, there will be training runs and novice runs for you to enjoy, and this can help you thrive. During your downtime, you can walk around the snowy villages and nearby resorts, try new restaurants, see some beautiful sights, eat great food, and perhaps gain those calories you spent back by enjoying a beer or two. There’s a reason many get addicted to these two activities, and it’s because they’re incredibly fun.
5. Climbing
Climbing vacations are usually designed by active vacation providers, because it’s important that you have access to the proper safety equipment and approved climbing spaces before you start this hobby. We’d strongly discourage just trying this yourself.
Joining a climbing vacation package and trying your best as a novice can be a great deal of fun. Here you’ll learn about grip, leverage, and patience as you scour the rock face. Before that, you’ll learn about safety equipment, throwing lines, and the value of measuring your forward distance. If you can achieve that, then in the long run you’re sure to thrive.
6. Road Trips
A road trip can be an active vacation in its own right, because it also inspires stop-off points where you get out, explore, spend a night in a local hotel or perhaps in camping and wilderness situations.
Driving for long distances is also its own form of activity, particularly if you’re riding a motorcycle with a friend. Road trips really do make a big difference in the one-to-one presence you feel when exploring a given area, be that going through Columbia on rented bikes, or trying the famous Route 66 to travel through the US.
7. Theme Park Adventures
It’s worth recognizing that time spent at a theme park, at least a sizeable one, can make for a great resort and ride experience, while also allowing you to be active and healthy as you go around. Try telling anyone who has walked around Disneyworld for ten days with their family that the several dozen foot-miles they’ve clocked up was somehow easy to do, or that heading on a range of rollercoasters means they’ve been sitting down comfortably.
When you walk around a large park designed for maximum fun and enjoyment, you rarely realize just how much exercise you’re getting. So – don’t be afraid to enjoy that with your family, to go at your own pace, and to still give yourself the credit for getting those miles in.
8. White Water Rafting & Kayaking
Another fun water hobby is that of rafting or kayaking, the former obviously serving as a more active and intensive experience than the latter. Depending on your style and needs, both can be suitable and very fun to partake in.
Kayaking can help you take a lazy route down a river, stop off for afternoon tea and coffee, and then go back on your way back to wherever you’re staying. Often, tour groups that provide long allocated river spots and paths can help you ensure a clear route and comfort. White water rafting, on the other hand, is a very intense sport that can help you truly feel exhilaration, as you overcome rapids, go down small waterfalls, and ultimately keep your balance in the boat with your companion. Both can help you train your muscles and will help you sleep well that night.
9. Biking Vacations
Cycling vacations can take various forms, from mountaineering with a solid mountain bike, to long-haul riding with road/racing bikes, exploring beautiful terrain and making sure you head from town to town on perhaps the most energy-efficient vehicle ever designed.
Investing in or renting a professional bike, wearing safety and visibility equipment, and planning your route with a friend is a great idea. Learning bike maintenance can also ensure that you can fix an issue should it appear. In the long run, you’re sure to thrive.
10. Extreme Sports (For The Brave Of Heart)
If you have experience in certain sports and you wish to have a vacation that helps you get the best of them, then joining an active sport vacationing group can be a great idea. This may help you undertake large orienteering activities, including abseiling, climbing, and long-haul hiking. In some cases, you may find that large downhill biking routes, or more intensive activities like bungee jumping, skydiving, and other forms of incredible stunt-based enjoyment are possible for you.
Not everyone has this disposition of course, and it’s rare that families seek this out together, so this is for a very particular kind of person. But if you wish to take part in that, then it could be doing so in a new environment you can find adventure in gives you the experience of a lifetime. Don’t be afraid to seek that out, or to promote it to your friends should they be marginally interested in it.
With this advice, we hope you can consider the ten best active vacation ideas to help you get fit and feel great. We hope you have a great deal of fun.
