Tag: fitness

Let’s get one thing straight: many of us who love outdoor adventures as adults weren’t sporty kids at school. I certainly wasn’t. I was a chunky tween who dreaded Sports Day and usually came last. In fact, it took until my twenties to discover I even liked the outdoors. My first real adventure? A three-day trek in Madagascar with Ben and two French backpackers we'd just met. I had no clue what I was doing, no fitness plan, and no appropriate gear. Just youthful stubbornness and a rucksack. I was so red-faced and out of breath, our local guide called me "Vaza Tomate" – the foreign tomato. But I made it. Fast-forward a fair few years and I co-run active holidays in the Balkans, where I regularly hike steep rocky inclines and kayak 12km. But I’ve still had my setbacks. In 2021, I ruptured my ACL skiing. I had reconstructive knee surgery in Dubrovnik, and just four months later, I was back on the trail, guiding hikes for guests at my villa in Montenegro. How? Determination, muscle memory, and the help of my brilliant physio Aleks, who let me train in a private gym bedecked with Balkan muscleman posters. Motivating, if a bit intimidating! So when guests ask me how fit do you need to be for an active holiday, or whether they'll need to train to go mountain hiking, the answer is: it depends. If you’re joining us for one of our standard activity weeks and you're in reasonable shape, you’ll be fine. But if you’re joining one of our multi-day hikes or super-active adventures, which take place in proper mountainous terrain, training is a really good idea – and might just transform your holiday. Are You Mountain-Ready? Take Our Balkan Fitness Test If you can comfortably tick off