KAMALAYA
Holidays used to be synonymous with letting it all hang out, but in the age of
24-hour gyms and 12-week challenges, all-you-can-eat buffets and cute pool
boys have been replaced by clean eating menus and hottie trainers.
Travel with a fitness focus – known in marketing circles as active holidays
and wellness tourism – is striking a chord with women aged 25 to 40 according
to Ophelia Yeung, author of a 2013 global study on wellness tourism.
“As more and more people pay attention to their health, they increasingly
want to keep up their healthy habits when they travel,” she said.
Travellers in the Asia Pacific region are reported to have spent US$69.4
billion on wellness trips in 2012, with annual growth tipped in the double
digits, which isn’t surprising when you consider that the average wellness vay-
cay costs significantly more than a standard fly/stay package.
Yet the promise of tangible results in a fraction of the time it would take
to achieve comparable fitness gains amid the daily grind is demonstrating
its value. The cumulative cost of regular personal training and protracted
timeline with once- or twice-weekly sessions lends financial sense to week-
long intensives, which deliver the fringe benefit of body and mind restoration
(would you like your spirulina mocktail poolside, mam?).
Certified trainer-turned-travel agent Rob Tynan, whose Fitness Travel
Company designs bespoke packages based on clients’ fitness goals (think
running the London Marathon), says fitness vay-cays are more valuable than
the sum of their parts.
“Travellers want more out of a holiday these days,” Tynan says. “They want
experiential vacations; holidays like these allow customers to get much more
out of the experience because it is a complete overhaul of their system.” They
are literally life changing, he says.
Body Life
AUSTRALIA
LIVING VALLEY SPRINGS
HEALTH RETREAT, QLD
IN A NUTSHELL: Idyllic cleanse
BEST FOR: Those with health issues
Need to kick a sugar/sofa/cider habit
or heal your bloaty, gurgly gut once
and for all? Living Valley Springs’
signature 10-day cleanse is medically
designed to address minor health
concerns. The bespoke program
starts with a naturopath assessment
to determine which therapies you’ll
undergo during the two phases – the
controlled juice fast (relax, you’ll
be so caught up in treatments and
lifestyle lectures you won’t even
notice) and solids phase. Set in the
Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the 180-
acre property has just 30 rooms.
Visit lvs.com.auOVERSEAS
CRUISEFIT CROSSFIT
RETREATS, BALI
IN A NUTSHELL: Toughen up in
paradise
BEST FOR: Those a little too fond of
their comfort zone
Imagine hauling heavy weights with
the cooling spray of the ocean on
your face. That’s a typical scene for
participants on CruiseFit’s hybrid
cruise bootcamps, which integrate the
notoriously gritty CrossFit discipline
with the luxury of a tropical cruise.
A typical day includes a CrossFit
workout, recovery swim with turtles
and sunset outdoor wind-down yoga
session. The program is perfectly
balanced between formal workouts
and incidental movement – think
rainforest hikes and kayaking around
remote islands. You won’t even feel
like you’re working out.
Visit cruisefit.com.auAUSTRALIA
GOLDEN DOOR MOTIVATE FOR
CHANGE, NSW AND QLD
IN A NUTSHELL: Goals you can stick to
BEST FOR: Setting yourself up for success
Step back and change the program or keep going in the
vain belief that heroes get all the glory (at least until
you burn out or your immune system forces you to
take extended leave). It’s a common dilemma among
ambitious types. The cruel paradox is that without health
and wellbeing, your hard work and business smarts are
futile (you’ve heard the aeroplane phrase about fitting
your own mask first). With a daily program of seminars
and workshops around optional luxe spa treatments, this
micro retreat is designed to support you to set realistic
goals with action steps you can take at home. You can
scheme your five-year plan in the exercise pool or during
twilight tennis, or just kick back in your luxe villa.
Visit goldendoor.com.auGAIA RETREAT MOTHER AND
DAUGHTER RETREAT, NSW
IN A NUTSHELL: Spend quality time with Mum
BEST FOR: Getting to know each other