A combination of sweat and tears blurred Josue De Paz’s view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as he crossed the finish line of the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon. He had traveled nearly 26 hours to run 26.2 miles on the opposite side of the world. De Paz is just one of millions participating in a new trend called “sweat-jetting,” where people travel to pursue fitness, athletics, and exercise retreats.
TripAdvisor’s Trendcast included it as the #1 travel trend in 2026, and Accor Hotels is reporting a 50% increase in interest in “workout vacations.”
“The race itself was an absolute stunner, running over bridges, commercial areas and residential areas, giving me the best tour of Sydney that I bet not many people get to see,” says De Paz, CEO and co-founder of non-profit Honor Your Dreams in New York City.
For runners, marathons have become a different way to experience a new country. De Paz has completed marathons in Chicago, Tokyo, and Sydney, as well as marathon training in Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Copenhagen, and Mexico City. “It’s been my absolute favorite way to get to know a city in a more intimate way,” he says. In 2025, Langham Hotels launched its inaugural Pink Run.
Spread across 10 cities around the globe, more
Spread across 10 cities around the globe, more than 1,600 runners raised funds for various charities. These runs are open to hotel guests, employees, and community members. “Our Pink Run was so popular across our entire portfolio around the world that we have now placed this as an annual key community event for all of our hotels,” says André Jacques, regional director of marketing, Pacific of Langham Hotels.
As if fighting jet lag and unknown running routes isn’t hard enough, Iceland’s Kerlingarfjöll Ultra offers participants a whole other extreme. In the country’s remote Highlands, hosted at Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll, sweat-jetters run a 37.3-mile course (7.5- and 13.6-mile options are available) with 6,500 feet of elevation gain through geothermal valleys and colorful volcanic mountains.
“Events like the Kerlingarfjöll Ultra speak to how travelers want to experience this otherworldly terrain at its absolute purest, some of whom build an entire journey around that race alone,” says Ingi Þórarinn Friðriksson, general manager at Highland Base Kerlingarfjöll. But this travel trend isn’t only about pushing yourself to the max. In Hoi An, Vietnam, Emma Sothern, a yoga and mindfulness teacher at Om with Em, leads yoga retreats that present a different physical challenge.
Mornings include gentle flow yoga classes to wake
“Mornings include gentle flow yoga classes to wake up the mind and body, afternoons are dedicated to pool time and rest, with a couple of optional cultural excursions or workshops, and evenings are all about unwinding and slowing right down with yin yoga, yoga nidra and sound baths,” says Sothern. “For me, the ideal yoga retreat includes a balance of guided activities (yoga classes, breathwork, sharing circles and meditations) with plenty of free solo time for reflection and integration.”
And while guests may occasionally sweat under the hot Hoi An sun, participants are exercising more than just their bodies.
“I have noticed an increase in demand for body-focused retreats, but not necessarily super-active ones,” she says. “What most people seem to be craving now is a chance to find more stillness, to connect with their bodies in a way that’s different to their regular high-powered gym sessions. To switch out of the constant “doing” mode and find space in simply being instead.”
In nearby Thailand, sweatjetters can do a complete 180 at high-intensity fitness camps like Tiger Muay Thai, Pirate Camp and Unit 27, all situated on the same strip on Phuket’s Soi Ta-iad Road.
At these various fitness camps, travelers come for anywhere from a few days to up to six months for a combination of training and community by the beach. In between Muay Thai classes, boxing, mobility classes and women-focused glute classes with up to 100 people, there are healthy cafes, saunas, cold plunges, dedicated accommodation and everything you need for a fitness holiday.
When it comes to sports, padel is one
When it comes to sports, padel is one of the world’s fastest-growing games, with new courts popping up by the jungle in Bali and inside churches in the Netherlands. “I became obsessed with padel when I moved to Dubai, and I wanted to find a way of combining my experience in curated travel experiences. So, I started Global Padel Adventures,” says founder Nick Wade. Padel players use Global Padel Adventures group and private padel-focused trips as a way to visit new places.
“We believe that people want more than top-level coaching when they travel and instead combine food, adventure, local activities and festivals into one trip with a more holistic approach,” says Wade. “People want more than a few days in a glass box.”
Cycling has become another popular way to explore the world. Dylan Reynolds, founder and CEO of Ride and Seek, a cycling tour operator, says, “We’ve seen growing interest in our tour concept.
When we started 15 years ago, we were among the first to focus on long-distance cycling tours. Now, the sector seems to be booming.” Ride and Seek runs tours of up to 50 days, across countries like Greece, Japan and Colombia. Much like running in a destination, cycling allows travelers to experience a country in a different, slower way. “I’m obviously biased, but I think traveling by bike is the best way to see the world.
When you combine the riding with cultural immersion, gastronomic discovery and historical context, you gain a real sense of place. There’s also something particularly valuable about the journey itself—experiencing the landscape unfold gradually rather than simply arriving at the next destination. Active travel certainly seems to be having a moment,” says Reynolds. “But for many of our riders, it has become a lasting way of traveling rather than simply a trend.”
Source: www.vogue.com
