Have a Healthy Holiday

The growing popularity of walking holidays

Walking holidays are becoming increasingly popular with those seeking a holiday with a difference. More people are opting to pack their muddy walking boots alongside a pair of sandals, and combine culture and sight-seeing with their fitness and wellbeing.

National Get Walking Day, held at the end of May, aimed to inspire everybody to walk more as part of their everyday life and studies have shown that regular walking, like all aerobic exercise, can have a dramatic effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. Just 10 minutes a day can help improve your overall fitness, de-stress, unwind and relax. So why choose a walking holiday?

Well, it is an activity that is suited to people of all ages, and you don’t have to be an experienced hiker or fitness fanatic to enjoy the trip, as walking holidays can cater for all levels and athletic abilities. You can spend relaxed days discovering the Italian lakes or join a group trekking through the Alps. The most important thing on a walking holiday is to enjoy the outdoors, the sunshine and social scene of meeting fellow walkers, sharing experiences and recommendations of places to discover.

Typically walking holidays can be booked as an organized tour, or you may wish to go it alone and meet fellow walkers along the way, forming friendships that could last for years. Either way, you will get to discover more of the country and its culture, on your own two feet, whilst having a healthy holiday experience.

Imagine spending a week exploring the rolling hills of Austria, breathing the fresh mountain air. Taken at your own pace, each day will bring new challenges, experiences, sights, sounds and flavours.

Organized tours will usually include guided walking excursions, activities and social evenings with your fellow walkers, and new found friends. A great example is a walking holiday from Thomson Lakes & Mountains called the Taste of Kitzbühel, which combines walking with cultural activities. This seven-night tour is based in the heart of the Kitzbüheler Alps in Austria and is an ideal introduction to walking holidays. It includes two guided walks, a candlelit walk and excursions to Salzburg (the home of Mozart and The Sound of Music), Berchtesgaden and the Krimmel waterfalls (the highest in Europe), plus a Tirolean wine tasting evening.

You are still left with plenty of free time to explore Kitzbühel or relax tired legs in the spa facilities at the 4* hotel Jagerwirt.

So this summer, leave your swimsuit at home and try a new holiday experience such as a European walking holiday.

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