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After the hangover of January 1 arrives and disappears, your sights might be set on your ambitions for the upcoming lap around the sun. While ticking off a few other passport stamps is definitely a no-brainer for your forever-nomadic spirit, ensuring you’re fit and healthy enough to jet-set is clutch. Why not combine the two with a getaway that focuses less on cities that promote gluttony (looking at you, Rome!) and instead, allow travelers to explore a new destination while staying active. From travel programs that teach you how to hang ten in Nicaragua to mastering yoga headstands in Bali, here are some warm weather getaways that raise your heart rate and fulfill your wanderlust:
Restart Health Escapes
As the name suggests, Restart Health Escapes is your boarding pass to hopping back on the bandwagon of fitness and smart eating. No matter which of the destinations you select — from Phuket, Thailand to Gili, Island, Indonesia — your experience will center on not only a physical transformation but have a mental and emotional focus, too. You can expect one-on-one coaching, as well as group activities, and healthy eats throughout the week-long journey. They also have specialized programs — like a mom’s retreat — that target specific issues and help you connect to other like-minded folks who share your goals.
Backroads
It’s okay if boutique fitness classes or treadmill stints aren’t exactly your exercises of choice. If you need fresh air, Instagram-worthy sights and challenging mileage feats, consider traveling with Backroads. From Europe and South America to the South Pacific, this agency is ideal for biking enthusiasts who want to forgo tour guides and walking tours and experience destinations on two wheels. Though they have multiple options in countless places throughout the year, the New Zealand tour is among the most jaw-dropping. You’ll savor the mist of the ocean and the fresh air of island vibes, all while exploring sheep farms, glaciers, rain forests and more. Best of all? This trek ends in vineyard country, where a glass (or three) of vino is definitely a welcomed reward.
Active Escapes
Not only is Bali known for it’s one-of-a-kind-sunsets, epic rice paddies and plenty of co-working spaces to make working while traveling NBD, but it’s also home to countless fitness getaways. Thanks to nearly year-round idealistic weather, even in the rainy season when prices are favorable, many aspiring yogis flock to Indonesia to earn their certification or simply flow away from it all. One company who got it’s start in Bali is Active Escapes, which offers year-long immersion programs, where your daily vinyasa flow will take place beach- and poolside. You can expect everything from healthy sunset dinners and all-you-can-slurp coconuts cut from palm trees to accommodations in luxury villas, hikes and more. The hardest part of your vacay won’t be the sweat sessions, but mustering up the strength to leave Indonesia.
Golden Door
Fair warning: Golden Door in San Diego, CA is definitely a splurge, but the results usually speak for themselves. Here, everything is included, allowing you to focus solely on your fitness attitude for the year ahead. Each day, your every hour is planned, including meals, several workout classes and personal training sessions, spa treatments and wellness classes. You might start your day with a strenuous 5am hike to see the sun rise and end it with a ‘Meditation for Sleep’ course that sends you peacefully into slumber. Because your calories are limited — and ahem, booze is prohibited — you’ll begin to shed pounds and shift your cravings without thinking about it. Since this was the go-to for celebs like Elizabeth Taylor when they needed to prepare for a film, it’s a timeless way to give your health a little TLC.
Ketanga Fitness
Much like how some travelers opt to board a hop-on, hop-off bus to see a new city and others enjoy getting lost in unfamiliar chaos, no two people have the same preferred method of working out. Thankfully, Ketanga Fitness prioritizes variety when designing their countless retreats. Across many spots in the Caribbean, Europe and Central America, you can book one of their excursions to match your style. From high-intensity interval training and boxing to yoga and mindfulness, you might find yourself in Costa Rica or even Ireland. One to look out for is the Barbados ‘HIIT and Sun Fitness Retreat,’ which not only supercharges your endurance, but immerses you into the local culture with authentic, healthy eats and island exploring. Over this long weekend, you’ll also be led on two hikes, snorkel over shipwrecks and end your adventure with a beachside barbecue.
Rise Up & Surf
If you could take away the stress of figuring out airport transfers and finagling directions, getting to and from destinations wouldn’t feel like such a headache. Luckily, Rise Up & Surf Nicaragua takes care of the details of your week-long surf camp for you — from picking you up at the airport to planning your every move throughout the trip. Ideal for those who want to learn to surf or those who want to perfect their skills, you can expect daily feasts prepared by a local chef, a few surf and yoga classes throughout the day and plenty of opportunities to explore this scenic and beachy destination.
Source: thepointsguy.com