The calendar dates are highlighted. You’ve already started packing. A break from all that hard work is finally near – it is time for a much-needed vacation. For many, that translates to sandy beaches or exotic destinations. But how about a 400-mile bike ride? It may not sound like a relaxing get-away, but it could be just what you need to rejuvenate and recharge.
When Lori Finken takes a vacation from her position as a CPA for Eide Bailly, she likes to shift her thoughts from the bottom line to the finish line. She enjoys taking part in the Cycling Around North Dakota in Sakakawea Country (CANDISC) event, a 426-mile bike tour throughout picturesque North Dakota. “You feel so good about going somewhere and working hard; every day is such an accomplishment,” Finken says.
Melanie Carvell, Director of MedCenter One Women’s Health Center, organizes a cross-country ski trip each winter for about 30 women. “It is an informal ski trip that allows you to ski with people who can teach and inspire you. It is always motivating when it’s a team approach,” she says. The women head to Maplelag Resort near Detroit Lakes, MN for a weekend of skiing, camaraderie, and home-cooked meals served family-style. Not only is some snowy exercise a great way to fight the winter doldrums, it can be an opportunity for relationship-building. “It’s just like men who go hunting together. There are times when you go off with family, but it’s good to go on vacation with the girls too,” said Lisa Kudelka, Human Resources Manager for the Bismarck Public Schools and a frequent attendee of the Maplelag ski trip.
Some call this kind of time off from the daily grind – a fitness vacation. It’s a hot new trend in travel. “People are more fitness conscience and they want to get more out of a vacation,” said Katherine Satrom, owner of Satrom Travel & Tour.
A travel agent can help you book adventure-type tours, and you can grab great ideas from the internet and the local library. For instance, National Geographic Adventure magazine provides details on destinations and activities to get you moving. The magazine even indicates what levels the different activities are geared toward, so you’ll know if your kids can participate. “You don’t have to be a super athlete to do these things,” Carvell said.
A fitness vacation can benefit more than just your life, too. Through TEAM in Training trips, you can help fund cancer research and give others a chance at a healthy life as well. Carvell has participated in this sports training program that takes you to locations like Tahoe, Honolulu, Anchorage or Chicago. They offer training and clinics on fitness, nutrition and injury prevention. “It offers a chance to learn how to do things correctly with a personal trainer,” Carvell said. “You get one-on-one attention.” She has found if you pick a goal and plan a fitness vacation for a fun place, you have something to work toward. “It keeps you motivated all winter long,” Carvell adds.
But you don’t have to stray far from home for a worth-while vacation. North Dakota state parks provide mountain bike and hiking trails, and you learn to appreciate our winters when it means the opportunity to go skiing or ice skating. When the snow starts to pile up, Finken often sees it as a pick-me-up. “I say, ‘Hey, it’s cold and snowing! We can ski!’ Because if you’re going to live here, you have to find something you enjoy,” she said.
One of the biggest attractions of this type of vacation is the chance to do it with others. “Sometimes taking a vacation can be lonely, even if you go with family. When you do something like this you get to meet people and have great conversations,” Kudelka said. She fondly recalls people she met on a white water rafting trip. “When you get in a raft with ten other people, you really get to know them as you work together as a team. We met a couple from Michigan and kept running into them during the vacation,” Kudelka said. Making new friends adds to the fun for Kudelka. “Especially when you can meet the local people that you might not meet otherwise,” she said. “It gives some local flavor.”
As Finken discovered, the people you meet are often what makes the whole trip memorable. “One day I was nearing the end of a 110-mile bike ride, it was 100 degrees outside, and I had a huge hill to climb. I didn’t think I could do it and then another cyclist came to cheer me on and said, ‘Give me your camera and I’ll take pictures of you as you come up the hill.’ He really picked me up when I was down,” Finken said.
Sometimes it takes another to show us what we can achieve. And with that newfound confidence, we may not even dread the return to work.