Go on a fit trip
Have you been on a healthy holiday or do you prefer out-and-out gluttony when you’re away from home? has done both.
Here’s how not to lose weight when you travel. Go to Switzerland and exist purely on a diet of fried potatoes and melted cheese. Eat rosti, raclette and fondue every day. Top yourself up, occasionally, with chocolate. And drink a lot of beer.
And then head south to Rome, where you can ditch the potatoes and cheese and replace them with pasta. All of the pasta. Oh, and bakery treats and pizza and maybe some wine instead of beer.
That’s one delicious holiday but it certainly won’t result in loose-fitting clothing. It’s also the exact trip that I’ve just come home from, which is what got me thinking about holidays that are actually good for you, holidays that will have you coming home fitter and healthier than when you left.
Hint: they don’t involve rosti and raclette.
Trek the Salkantay in Peru
The Salkantay Trek is the perfect alternative to the busy Inca Trail, a five-day journey that takes hikers through the spectacular Peruvian Andes and finishes up at Machu Picchu, but avoids the bulk of the crowds. It’s also a great way to get fit.
Head to a detox retreat in Thailand Do a digital detox in Mongolia Ben Groundwater
This is five days of high-altitude trekking we’re talking about, as you wander up to 4600 metres above sea level, which is bound to whip you into shape – in fact, even the training you should do for a journey like this will get the heart pumping. I should start by admitting that this is definitely not my idea of a good time. However, if you’re feeling like the excesses of Western life are getting a little out of control, it might be time to spend a week or two at a place like Kamalaya in Koh Samui, a detox retreat where guests undertake structured rejuvenation programmes that include such delights as colon hydrotherapy and infrared saunas. Best of luck with that. If colon hydrotherapy sounds a little extreme, you could always try simply detoxing from technology. It won’t make you fitter, but ditching your phone and camera and laptop and anything else with a screen for a few weeks will definitely benefit your mental well-being. Intrepid Travel runs a few ‘‘Digital Detox’’ itineraries, including a 15-day trip to see the Naadam Festival in Mongolia. No need to consciously detach from the digital world when you’re living in traditional felt gers and driving 4WDs through the middle of nowhere.
Go skiing in Japan
There’s potential for a ski trip anywhere to result in improved health and fitness. However, as I’ve ably demonstrated in Switzerland recently (and, in the past, in the US and Canada), if you go snowboarding for a few hours and then smash a huge bowl of melted cheese and bread, you’re probably not going to lose too many kilos. However, Japan has you covered. The snow here is amazing, the lift tickets are cheap, and the onmountain food is relatively healthy. As long as you manage to steer clear of