Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland Scores Points for Encouraging Fitness Awareness while Vacationing

An award-winning travel company out of Ireland is scoring points with clients for encouraging them to keep an eye on their own activity levels while on vacation.

Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland (https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/) has seen more and more of its guests wearing their Fitbits while vacationing. This company delivers two styles of travel that will result in different Fitbit scores at the end of a day. Vagabond Adventure Tours targets active travelers with hiking, biking and kayaking, while days on a Driftwood Journeys of Discovery tour are more leisurely paced.

While it’s too early in this Fitbit craze for meaningful statistics, the company expects that the average Driftwood client will score from 12,000 to 20,000 steps a day, while an average Vagabond client may achieve from 18,000 to 26,000 steps a day.

“We look forward to being able to make comparisons of the average number of steps made by Vagabond and Driftwood guests,” said Rob Rankin, co-owner of Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland. “The Fitbit angle is all about taking steps without even realizing it because of the beautiful surroundings and interesting historical sites and villages.”

One client already reports averaging around 20,000 steps daily while wearing a Fitbit on each of three different Driftwood tours. Said the client: “I think my highest was 23,000. That much walking was certainly not required on the tours, but it does show that Driftwood tours can be active, too, if you want them to be! My guides were great about recommending optional walks for me along the way. I enjoyed seeing so much of the lovely towns and countryside on foot -- while working off all the Guinness!”

A comparison of two tours showcases the difference in activity levels.

Vagabond’s 7 World Tour of Ireland (from €1,619 per person double) and Driftwood’s 7 Day Treasure Ireland Tour (from €1,699 per person double) both cover similar geography in the south and southwest of Ireland. The key difference is a faster pace on the Vagabond tour so guests see more each day thanks to activity options that include hill walking, horseback riding, kayaking or cycling. They also can take a boat out to the Skellig Islands to visit an incredible ancient monastery (where the latest Star Wars movie was filmed). The Driftwood tour focuses more on visiting historical sites, cultural experiences and world-class gardens that are preferred by guests who on average are ages 65 and up.

“We recommend that guests on our active trips have a good level of fitness and are able to walk for at least an hour and a half on uneven ground and uphill for some of the time. If you are able to walk five miles in a city, your fitness level is perfect,” explained Rankin. “However, there is never any pressure to do everything an itinerary calls for. Our guides will suggest other options if you don’t want to do certain activities.” If you are trying to get fit before the vacation visit Tone Body Fitness center to help you.

Rankin noted that multi-generational groups prefer the active Vagabond tours because there is something to keep everyone happy and busy. The youngest guests are usually in their teens or early 20’s, but ages 10+ are always welcome.

For more details, itineraries, images and inclusions please see:

Vagabond Adventure: https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/tour/7-days-in-ireland/

Driftwood Tour: https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/tour/7-day-treasure-ireland-tour/

About Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland

Since 2002 Vagabond Adventure Tours has been creating opportunities for visitors to embrace Ireland by walking, biking, horseback riding and kayaking its lands and waters, imbibing history and culture along the way. In 2013 the company was honored by National Geographic Traveler with a Top 50 Tour of a Lifetime distinction. In 2015 and 2017 Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland was named a “Best Adventure Experience” at the Irish Tourism Awards. In 2016, Vagabond became Ireland’s first tour operator to achieve Ecotourism Gold Level Certification and in 2018, Vagabond Tours won The Green Tourism & Entertainment category in Ireland’s most prestigious Green (business) Awards.

For details on all of Vagabond Small Group Tours of Ireland itineraries, availability and for 2018 reservations, please visit https://vagabondtoursofireland.com/. Call toll free (from the US) 1.833-230-0288; in Ireland 00353 (0) 1 5634358; or email: [email protected] or [email protected].