Work Off Your Extra Covid 19 Pounds: Eight More Vacation Ideas To Get Back Into Shape


We detailed five Mexican vacations where you can work out in beyond-the-usual ways to tackle the additional 19 or 20 pounds you may have gained thanks to COVID-19 lockdowns and closed gyms. Looking for other options for when travel restarts? Here are eight more active vacation ideas in the U.S. and beyond to help you get back to your pre-pandemic active lifestyle.

A photo this is half underwater (showing a turtle and several fish) and half abve the water (showing a sailboat with two snorkelers about to jump into the water)

Check out the Maldives' underwater world ar One&Only Reethi Rah

 COURTESY OF ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH © 2008 BARBARA KRAFT

Maldives: One&Only Reethi Rah 

The 1,192 islands of the Maldives are ideal for anyone who likes their sports water-based. Some of the world’s best snorkeling and diving is in the Maldives. Near One&Only Reethi Rah’s island are a shipwreck and an ideal spot to admire sharks, via the resort’s PADI Gold Palm Dive Centre. At One&Only Reethi Rah, you can work off your unwanted Covid weight with a swim off the island’s 12 beaches or in their 30-meter lap pool, or do some water jumping jacks in one of their other pools. The resort also has a climbing wall, traditional gym, wake-boarding, water skiing, parasailing, kayaking, windsurfing and more. 

You can help both your mental and physical health with yoga and tai chi meditation classes, as well as in the Watsu pool, the first of its kind in the Maldives. In the Watsu pool, you’re guided through a series of shiatsu stretches and poses for a gentle form of physical therapy and meditation-with-movement. It’s an ideal way to transition back to a post-pandemic life of health and wellness.

A luxe bungalow on a green lawn (with two rabbits), with a purple cloud-covered misty mountain in the background

Lots of space for exercise at Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley (Australia)

 COURTESY OF EMIRATES ONE&ONLY WOLGAN VALLEY

Australia: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley

Australia is known for its great outdoors and the Great Blue Mountains are a wonderful place to soak it up. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is a conservation-based resort a 2 ½-hour drive from Sydney. Sure, you can take it gentle and easy, but you can also sign up for the Wolgan Warriors Adventure Challenge. One Saturday per month, ten people can join Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley’s field guides to run a 13-mile trail through Razorback Ridge, Mount Wolgan and Donkey Mountain. Recover afterwards in the luxe spa. The resort also features horseback riding, mountain biking, bush walks (you might spot kangaroos), a hike to a tunnel with glow worms, tree planting, archery, tennis and swimming. Families are welcome and there’s a special Wolgan Rangers program for kids aged five to ten.

Three people on horseback on a path with  the stone walls and turrets of Kilkea Castle in the background

Horseback riding at Kilkea Castle, Ireland

 BRUNO STERNBERGER COURTESY OF KILKEA CASTLE

Ireland: Kilkea Castle

Perhaps a castle is more your speed? Ireland’s 12th-century Kilkea Castle has 18-hole golf, horseback riding, fishing, tennis, Pilates, a spa, as well as the “classic castle pursuits” of archery and falconry. The castle is an hour outside of Dublin on a 180-acre estate that’s ideal for walking. Nearby is wildflower-filled Mullaghreelan Wood. Accommodations are in the castle itself or in self-catering lodges of one to three bedrooms.   

Croatia: Maslina Resort

A brand new Relais and Châteaux resort opens August 2020 on an island near Hvar, Croatia. Maslina Resort is a wellness-focused resort offering “mindful luxury.” Staff can design a personalized exercise program for you based on Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis which includes TRX suspension training, Pilates, yoga, circuit training and even an outdoor boot camp. Everything can be adapted to your specific circumstances, including age (kids welcome) and injuries.

You can also kayak and sail off Maslina’s beach, go paddle-boarding and kite-surfing, hike to a 16th-century fortress, get back to nature in their gardens, and swim in their pools. Starting in 2021, Maslina will offer wellness programs up to three weeks in duration. 

Wyoming: The Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection

In the U.S., try Wyoming’s The Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection. The resort has a 40-element ropes course for those who are brave enough for the 25- and 40-foot heights. Closer to the ground, there’s archery, fly fishing, horseback riding and hiking, as well as a spa where you can recover from restarting the exercise you want to make a regular part of your life, pandemic or not.

Arizona: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa

For those who really want to get their fitness to a new level, how about triathlon training in the Sonora Desert? In Scottsdale, Arizona, book a stay at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa for a triathlon training session with Olympic swimming gold medalist Misty Hyman, a guided bike ride in the desert, and then a tandem run with the resort’s fitness instructor. 

Staff can also design a personalized program for you to help you maintain lifelong healthy behaviors. At the resort, participate in activities like yoga atop a stand-up paddleboard (it’s not as hard as it looks), Pilates, BOSU balancing, golf, interval and circuit training.

New Mexico: Four Seasons Santa Fe

A stay at the luxe Four Seasons Santa Fe means you can treat yourself to a complimentary guided hike every morning along the Camino Encantado Trail. It’s an active way to learn about the geography and history of the area. The resort has a wide range of hiking, biking and adventure excursions to try. Highlights include whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande, a half-day hike to a waterfall, and walks to canyons, plateaus and vistas that inspired artists like Georgia O’Keeffe.

All over: Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness

Or, whether you’re traveling for work or vacation, look for Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness rooms. They offer 11 different kinds of in-room fitness equipment ideal for those who want to self-isolate while sweating it out. Via the Five Feet to Fitness kiosk, you can access more than 200 guided exercises and 25 classes. Equipment includes the LifeFitness IC5 stationary bike and the TRX workout system.

For those that overdo their revitalized active lifestyle, you’ll find packets of Biofreeze, a cooling topical analgesic, among the bathroom amenities. Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness rooms are in several hotels all over the U.S., as well as overseas in cities like London, Jakarta and Shanghai. Brands include Doubletree, Parc 55, Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn as well as Hilton.