Swimming travel guide

Our swimming vacations are usually fully escorted small group trips. Maximum group size tends to be around 12-14 with a couple of guides. This kind of trip is ideal for couples and friends, but you also get a lot of solo travelers too. Expect a very friendly atmosphere where you’ll get to know everyone quickly. Private, bespoke tours can often be arranged too on request.

You’ll likely find that many of your fellow travelers will have taken at least one swimming vacation before; some of them several. “I think a big part of that loyalty is down to our guides, but also the time we invest in researching the best locations,” says Alice Todd, the co-founder of our partner SwimQuest. “Non-swimming partners are also welcome. They can come along on the boat, and if they do want to take a dip or do some snorkelling they’re free to do so. In practise, many of them also end up swimming by the end of the week anyway!”

“Our guides are a big part of our success,” says Alice. “We have a really interesting team from all walks of life: ex-military, doctors, artists, physios. Swim guiding is never their sole job; they’ll do it for perhaps one month a year tops. And that is because we don’t want them to get bored or find it repetitive. They’re genuinely passionate about guiding and coaching, and about open water swimming, and we want them to stay that way.”

Guides are there primarily to lead the way, to keep the group together and safe, and ensure that the whole trip runs smoothly. But throughout the week they are also on hand to provide coaching – if you’d like some.

“They take time to focus on the individual, see where they’re at, and what they want from the trip,” continues Alice. “Some people just want to swim, but others are looking to develop their abilities and for them there is the option of pre-breakfast one-to-ones, stroke analysis videos, and of course the guides will offer advice as the vacation progresses.”

Our swimming vacations are not competitive at all. People join them for many reasons, but all share a passion for swimming. More challenging vacations are available if you do want to push yourself, or you’re training for a race, for instance. Having a hugely experienced guide there to provide real-time coaching can prove invaluable.

You will need to be an experienced swimmer to get the most from a trip like this, though it’s important to note that many participants are entirely new to open water swimming, as Alice points out. “A lot of people are new to swimming in the sea, and at the start of the trip we’ll teach them how to dive through waves for example, with a guide on each side, to develop confidence.”

For a relaxed week, when you might be doing a couple of swims each day of up to 3km in length, you ought to be comfortable at covering 1km non-stop, either front crawl or breaststroke. For more challenging, long-distance weeks where swims can be up to 8km non-stop, you’ll obviously want to be much more advanced than that. And not skimp on breakfast.

First-timers ought to look towards Greece and Croatia. “And Formentera in Spain for its super-clear water, and gently shelving beaches,” says Alice. “It feels like being in pool, and it’s good for practising technique.”

As you’ll typically be doing morning and afternoon swims on each day of your trip, returning for lunch, it goes without saying that the hotels used will be close to the beach. Wherever possible these will be locally owned properties, and in the evenings, groups typically dine together in a local restaurant. When support boats are required, local drivers are sought out for their knowledge of the area. All of this ensures that as much money as possible stays in the local economy, and that your vacation really benefits the community hosting you.

“At night, everyone tends to relax around the hotel,” says Alice. “We don’t really organise any other excursions as people need their rest time. But one thing we sometimes do is to bring in a local masseuse for those interested. Guests who would like to explore a little may choose to tag on extra time at the beginning or end of their trip.”

You can go on a swimming vacation at any time of the year. For a spot of winter sun, in February and March you can swim in places such as Lanzarote, the Maldives, or the Bahamas. In July and August, the Mediterranean region is glorious. And in April and May, your options are as diverse as Croatia, Egypt, and the Galapagos Islands.

There is an art in choosing suitable locations for swimming vacations. It’s about finding somewhere that has predictable weather and plenty of different routes. “Generally, we can always swim wherever we go,” says Alice. “We purposefully choose places where you can swim regardless of the weather, which can be challenging. But the upside of that is it’s very rare that we can’t get you in at all.”