Shape

FIRST came workout boot camps. Then off-the-grid yoga retreats. Next, hotel chains touting celebrityorchestrated fitness programmes. Now, there is another way to travel without leaving your workout behind. Fitness pop-ups in vacation destinations like Capri, Sri Lanka, Goa and Vietnam all offer relaxing getaways combined with exercise options, sightseeing and meals prepared by a professional chef. Often, these groups stay in private, rented villas. These four companies have created custom itineraries with workouts and wellness in mind.

Escape to Shape

Designed for solo travellers to experience off-the-beaten-track destinations through fitness and wellness, Escape to Shape’s itineraries include destinations like Marrakesh, Jaipur, Siem Reap, Bhutan, Botswana and Cape Town. The packages are ideal for goal-oriented, luxury lovers who want a fitness-based trip in an exotic destination without skimping on a high-end getaway.

Erica Gragg, founder of the firm and a former event planner, hosts every trip and has a winning formula: workouts inspired by bucket-list settings (Khmer boxing in Cambodia, circuit training on the ancient rampart in Cartagena, beach boot camp in Vietnam, yoga in the underground cisterns of Istanbul), wellness elements (journal writing, meditation, yoga, massage) and thoughtful excursions (market visits, group hammam visits, a water blessing with a Buddhist monk, wine tastings). Guests stay at five-star hotels or villas and enjoy healthy meals prepared by an on-site chef.

Rates from $4500 (R60000) to $14000 per person, depending on location, room type and length of trip. International airfare and alcohol excluded.

Active Escapes

In 2012, Zanna Conlon, a former Australian football coach and surf instructor, started Active Escapes as a way for fitness aficionados to have a sweat-laced, tropical getaway – think twice daily high-intensity interval training, surfing and evening yoga – with like-minded vacationers.

Lodgings are private villas or boutique hotels, and last year, the company added a trip aboard a 123-foot yacht in the Maldives featuring beach workouts on different islands.

Rates from $1500 to $8250 per person, depending on location, room type and length of trip. Airfare and alcohol excluded.

Surf Yoga Beer

As the company’s mantra “no goals, all vibes” indicates, 4-year-old Surf Yoga Beer represents a version of this trend that’s focused a little more on fun than fitness.

Billed as “sleepaway camp for adults” (participants share rooms, often with bunk beds, in a large house or small hotels), the company’s