SoulFit adventures - Healthy Holidays

Hi there and thanks in advance for reading my first ever blog! My name is Virginia Slevin and I am the owner/director of SoulFit adventures. I should really go back and start at the beginning and tell you a little about SoulFit adventures and myself, and why I became involved in ‘healthy holidays’.

I have always had a passion for travel which was first ignited over 20 years ago when I left Australia as a 21 year old and was fortunate to spend the next 7 years living and working in Europe. Over the last 15 years, I have worked as an event manager organising everything from birthday parties for high profile individuals to major film premieres and everything in between. During this time I used to schedule exercise, yoga and travel around my working life. In 2009 after being made redundant during the GFC and with health and wellness having a bigger impact on my daily life, I decided I needed to make a major change. That change was to try and find a way to combine my passion for travel with health and wellness and my skills as an event manager.

We all know that the health and wellness industry is thriving around the world and is attracting more and more people every day as they try to find ways of balancing busy and often stressful lives.

My idea was to take the health retreat concept but instead of staying in the one place, take it on the road to allow people to see something of the country they are visiting and incorporate yoga, cycling, meditation and massage at the same time. I also wanted to give something back to the local communities we visit by staying at locally owned and operated boutique accommodation where possible; so that the income is generated for the local towns or villages we visit.

Basically, I wanted to offer people a holiday where they get the chance to do something that is good for them whilst travelling responsibly. They might lose a bit of weight along the way, at the very least they will finish with a sense of achievement, relaxed and with their senses awakened, their mind and body invigorated. In the end, everyone’s a winner!

SoulFit adventures works in collaboration with the best instructors in their chosen field, whether that's yoga instructors or cycling guides. They are highly experienced and experts in their areas.

The Soulfit adventures portfolio currently includes trips and retreats to Laos, Vietnam, Bali and Italy each very similar in concept but different at the same time. Following is a short summary of my trips and retreats:

Cycling for the Soul - Laos is 11 days of cycling Northern Laos’ back roads. This unique journey starts and finishes in the delightful town of Luang Prabang. Our accommodation is beautiful, food delicious and daily yoga, meditation and complimentary massages will ensure your body is in top condition for the journey through the lush Laotian countryside. This tour is truly an indulgence for your mind, body and soul where we soak up the warmth of the people and a country still relatively new to tourism.

Cycling for the Soul - Vietnam is an amazing 12 day journey through southern Vietnam. Cycling the Mekong, daily yoga from our private instructor, massage, boutique 5 star resorts, world heritage listed towns of Hue and Hoi An, mountains and the sea, plenty of downtime and last but not least, the shopping (!) combine to make this one of the most relaxing and uplifting holidays you will have experienced in a long time.

Soul Soothing Italy is an exquisite blend of quality yoga practice and guided cycling in idyllic surrounds in the Tuscan countryside. Held at the delightful Villa Benvenuti, a 17th century villa set amongst 28 hectares of natural woodlands just outside the medieval city of Lucca. We practise yoga every morning and then cycle the quiet back roads where our trails lead us to discover places steeped in history and nature, all the while surrounded by to die for scenery. Join SoulFit adventures for a slice of a never seen before side of ‘La Dolce Vita‘!

Soul Soothing Bali is a holistic retreat set in the lush Tabanan region – the rice bowl of Bali and well away from the main tourist areas of Kuta/Seminyak and Ubud. We spend 7 days in a gorgeous remote mountain retreat and explore the surrounding villages and rice paddies by foot and bicycle. Our daily yoga, meditation and spiritual practice will awaken the soul and provide a stimulating environment to relax and unwind.

SoulFit adventures tours and retreats are designed for people of all ages and abilities where you will have the chance to reconnect with yourself in a truly magical settinsg. At the same time you will absorb the sights, scents, tastes and atmospheres of countries in ways they would not normally reveal to you!

I invite you to come along and relax into these journeys, rejuvenate with revitalizing daily yoga sessions, invigorating exercise, relaxing massages, fabulous food and stunning boutique accommodation. Soak up a slower pace of life and, find a little more of yourself along the way.

For more information send me an email virginia@soulfitadventures.com or check out the website.

I look forward to meeting you on a soul soothing holiday somewhere soon and, Merry Christmas!

Virginia