Travel Fitness

A GUIDE TO THE PACE

We keep it simple with a scale between 1-5 to grade trips based on the physical demands and pace.

1  - the most leisurely like a relaxing cruise,
5  - the most physically demanding like a challenging walk or hike.

The physical demands vary from trip to trip. 

FROM 1 TO 5 

Easiest Pace (1)
A leisurely pace, like a cruise or resort package with plenty of free time.

Easy Going to Moderate (2)
An easy pace tour or mix of easy paced with some more moderately paced touring. This pace requires at least average fitness levels.

Moderate (3)
A moderate pace, or moderate pace with some faster paced touring. This can include some longer travel days. This pace requires general good fitness and mobility.

Fast (4)
A fast past or active trip such as a walking or hiking tour that requires above average fitness to offer best chance of enjoying your travels.

Challenging (5)
Set at a fast pace such as a more challenging hiking trip. Joining this trips requires above average fitness and fitness preparation in the months leading up to it.

See below for more detail for each grade of fitness.

FITNESS LEVELS FOR OUR TRAVEL STYLES

‘DISCOVERY’ & 'COMBO' 

These guidelines are for leisure tours: our Discovery Tours which are land based, and our Combo tours; a combination tour & cruise package.

We require that all our passengers are independent, with reasonable fitness and mobility. Our general ‘Discovery’ tours involve a reasonable amount of walking and are not suitable if you have mobility limitations. This also applies to the touring part of our 'Combo' packages.

We always recommend increasing your walking activity prior to departing if you are not a regular walker - try out comfortable shoes to take with you and improve your walking fitness - it's a great way to be sure to get the most out of your trip.

TOUR PACE 2 OUT OF 5

As a minimum you must be able to: 

• Walk up to 1km, and on uneven surfaces without a mobility aid, duress or needing to take a break                                                                                
• Participate in a sightseeing tour on foot with a duration of up to 1-2 hours
• Stand for extended periods without the need to sit?
• Climb a flight of stairs without duress                                        
• Carry your own luggage (up 23kg) and hand luggage without assistance (up to 7kg)
  
  

TOUR PACE 3 OUT OF 5

As a minimum you must be able to: 

• Walk up to 2 kilometres, and on uneven surfaces without a mobility aid, duress or need to take a break
• Participate in a sightseeing tour on foot with a duration of 2-3 hours
• Stand for extended periods without the need to sit
• Climb a few flights of stairs without duress and walk up short steep hills
• Carry your own luggage (up 23kg) and hand luggage without assistance (up to 7kg)
  
  

In many destinations while touring on 2 or 3 out of 5 paced tours, you could be walking on uneven surfaces such as cobble stoned streets, need to climb steep staircases, and/or walk up hills to reach attractions. Also, in some cities tourist transport has limited options for coach drop offs and pick ups and this may mean that travellers are required to walk some distance to reach attractions or hotels, even up to 15 minutes. This tour has a number of full days of touring with sightseeing and the itinerary indicates these days.

Some tours have physical demands that exceed these minimum requirements. If you are unsure please check with us prior to booking. 

'GET GOING’ TOURS

To join our active ‘Get Going’ tours, we require that all our passengers are independent, with good fitness and mobility.

• Walk up to 15km at a reasonable pace on any given day (breaks included along the way) Have the endurance to walk for a number of consecutive days e.g 3 days or more
• Climb stairs and ascend hills, including on uneven surfaces, with ease
• Carry your own backpack (up to 7kg) for duration of walking distances
• Carry your own luggage (up 23kg) and hand luggage without assistance (up to 7kg)

There is a Self Complete Fit To Travel form to be completed for joining our Get Going Tours.

NO MATTER WHAT, TOURING IS ACTIVE

No matter which of our tours you select, there are always parts of the trip that require activity.

You can expect our itineraries include sightseeing tours on foot and often longer periods of time standing. As a general guide, our tours cater for travellers who are reasonably fit. They are not just tours 'looking out from a coach window'. You'll be out and about with your guide, walking around and taking a day pack with you or an easy to manage travel shoulder bag.

If you are not accustomed to daily walking we encourage you to increase your physical activity in the months leading up to the tour to ensure you can get the most out of your touring experience.

Although most of our trips include a porter service, there are some that do not. And in any case you must be able to manage your own luggage at arrival and departure points for the tour, such as your airport arrival and departure.