Why More People Are Swapping the Booze Holiday for a Fitness Holiday

There was a time when "going away with the girls" or "lads' holiday" meant one thing: a week of poolside drinking, big nights out, and coming home needing a holiday to recover from your holiday.

That's changing. Fast.

The Old Holiday Formula Is Losing Its Shine

Think about your last drinking holiday. The late nights. The rough mornings. The blur of days that all felt the same by day four.

Fun in the moment, maybe. But how much of it do you actually remember? And how did you feel getting off the plane home?

More people are asking themselves that exact question — and deciding they want something different from their time off.

What People Are Choosing Instead

Enter the fitness holiday: structured training, good food, beautiful locations, and mornings you actually remember.

It's not about punishing yourself or giving up on holidays being fun. It's about trading one kind of high — the short, blurry kind — for another: the kind that comes from moving your body, achieving something, and feeling genuinely good the whole way through.

You come home tanned, stronger, and rested. Not needing three days to recover from your own holiday.

The Surprising Bit: The Social Side Gets Better, Not Worse

Here's what a lot of people don't expect until they try it — a fitness holiday is often more social than a boozy one, not less.

Alcohol convinces you that it's the thing bringing people together. In reality, shared experience does that job far better. Training alongside people, struggling through a hard session together, celebrating a group win — that builds connection faster and deeper than a round of shots ever could.

You're not just meeting people. You're meeting them at their most genuine — no liquid confidence needed.

Finding Your People, Without the Filter

A lot of our guests arrive solo, or with just one friend, unsure what to expect from the group. Almost every single time, they leave having made real friends — the kind who stay in the group chat long after the trip ends.

That's the part people underestimate most. A fitness holiday doesn't just give you a break from routine. It puts you in a room (or a villa, or a beachside resort) with other people who've made the exact same choice you have — to prioritise feeling good over feeling wrecked.

Shared values create fast friendships. You don't need small talk when you're already bonded over a brutal set of hill sprints or a shared moan about how much your legs hurt from yesterday's session.

Whichever Style You're After, There's a Fit

Maybe you want the buzz of a big, activity-packed week — that's exactly what our Club La Santa retreat in Lanzarote delivers, with variety, energy, and a lively group atmosphere.

Maybe you want something smaller and more indulgent — think private villas in Croatia or the Algarve, a private chef, incredible food, and a tighter-knit group alongside your training.

Or maybe you just want a short, grounding escape — our Devon barn retreat offers a wholesome countryside weekend, Hyrox-focused training, and a beautiful hike out to Salcombe along the South West Coastal Path.

Different vibes, same underlying trade: swap the hangover for real connection.

You Don't Have to Give Up Holidays. Just Rethink Them.

This isn't about becoming a different person or never having a boozy holiday again. It's simply about noticing that there might be a better trade available — one where you come home fitter, more connected, and actually excited to tell people about your trip, rather than trying to remember it.