What goes into FitCation planning
Actual text messages between Lisa and Sophia:
Lisa: When the three of us are together, we’ll plan who will be with each group during the hikes. I’m a lousy navigator, FYI. Just being frank about my weaknesses, it will be better for you and Peter to deal with the maps and for me to provide backup.
Sophia: Lisa: moral support detail. Sophia and Peter: scenic but most direct way to arrive to the next drink
If you have been on a FitCation, you might have an idea about the planning details. But, you might not realize that having air-conditioned vans sweep in to pick you up after a sweaty hike involves:
Scoping out the hike not once, not twice, but three times, as well as doubling back with the drivers to ensure they know the precise pick-up point.
Mapping out route A and route B, and timing each of them to ensure that each group arrives at the meeting point within a few minutes of each other.
Hiking in the rain, wind, hail, and blistering sun to figure out rest points and workarounds for bad weather.
Sophia: Lisa are you at the meeting point now?
Lisa: Yes, we’re here
Sophia: We’re on the single-track section at the top hill
Lisa: So should we walk down to you?
Sophia: No, but if you want to slowly start…
Lisa: I understand. We’ll stay put.
Sophia: Go ahead, we’ll catch up.
Lisa: We’ll slowly start walking and wait for you to catch up.
Sophia: Perfect.
It also involves a little mind-reading. Will guests need a bathroom break during a 90-minute drive? Should we fill up their water bottles and have snacks for them as we greet them? Do we need to discuss using the “green latrine”? We think about sunscreen, blisters, and insect bites. Also, food allergies, physical abilities, whether people will want shopping time, and when we need to make sure to have a little pizza dinner because guests will be too tired to plan a meal after kayaking and a long ride.
We also need to communicate each night to make sure everyone knows where and when to meet and what to bring. For example:
Sunday’s plan:
8:00 Class (first 20 min will be mobility and core, second 20 min will be a little bit of sizzle 💪💪)
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Tour of Taormina (meet at the back garden gate at 9:55)
11:30 Walk down the stairs toward the beach OR take a taxi!
12:30 Lunch with a view
2-4:00 Boat tour
We’ll drop you back off at the hotel at 5:00 (hopefully)
6:00 Meet to walk to our cooking class
Uniform:
Bathing suits
Walking shoes
Change of clothes for the boat (optional)
Water bottles or hydration pack
Motion sick remedies (if needed)
There could be rain in the forecast so bring a rain jacket just in case (but do your sun dance tonight)!
Please let us know if you’d like to taxi down to lunch. It is about a 20-30 min walk down the stairs to lunch and the beach, so it should be manageable 😊
The devil may be in the details, but it is heaven when the days go smoothly. We fixate on the logistics of our plan to ensure that you don’t have to. The beauty of a FitCation is that you can be swept along for the ride, and know that we got you!