The holidays are one of the busiest and most sociable windows of the year at a Thai training camp. Classes keep running with some adjustment around the two big days, the gym fills with people who have the same idea, and accommodation near the mats books out earlier than any other time. If you are considering it, start looking two to three months ahead.
This is a genuinely different kind of Christmas, and people either love it or find it strange. Worth knowing which you are before you book flights.
This guide covers what the period is actually like, the logistics that differ from a normal trip, who it suits, and how to plan it. It is trip planning rather than motivation. If you want the “new year, new start” angle, our existing post on new year, new you covers that side.
What the Holiday Period Is Actually Like
The gym is full and the mood is good. The holidays draw a particular crowd: people using annual leave properly, people who would rather train than sit through another family dinner, and a lot of returning guests who come back the same week every year. The result is a room with more energy than usual.
The social side is the real difference. Ordinary training weeks are friendly. The holiday weeks are noticeably more so, because almost everyone is away from home at the same time and nobody has anywhere else to be. Meals after evening sessions turn into large tables without anyone organising it.
Training carries on. Class schedules usually adjust around Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Adjust, not stop. Check the schedule closer to the time, or ask when you book, because exact holiday timetables are set each year rather than fixed.
It does not feel like Christmas. Thirty degrees, no winter, and Thailand is a Buddhist country where 25 December is not a public holiday. There is decoration in tourist areas and a big New Year’s Eve, but if you are expecting a familiar Christmas atmosphere you will not find one. For many people that is the entire appeal.
Who It Suits
It suits you if:
- You want to use the holiday break for something rather than recovering from it
- You are travelling solo and the holidays at home are a hard time of year
- You like the idea of starting January already fit rather than planning to get fit
- You have annual leave that expires and nothing better to spend it on
- You have trained here before and want the busiest, most social window
Think twice if:
- You have family expectations you would regret missing
- You want a quiet gym with maximum coaching attention
- You are on a tight budget, since this is the most expensive fortnight of the year across flights and accommodation
- You dislike crowds, on the mats or on the island
The Logistics That Differ
Book much earlier. Two to three months ahead for the holiday window, against six to eight weeks for the rest of high season. Accommodation near the gym is the constraint, not mat space. Our guide on training in Phuket in high season covers the wider booking picture.
Flights cost more and sell out. The last week of December is peak for the whole region, not just Phuket. If your dates are even slightly flexible, arriving mid-December or staying into the second week of January is meaningfully cheaper.
Check the holiday schedule when you book. Not before, and not by assuming. Ask directly so you know which days are adjusted.
New Year’s Eve is a big night on the island. Plan around it. Most people take 1 January off training or do a light morning session, and that is a sensible call rather than a lack of discipline.
Plan your rest days. A holiday trip has more temptation to do everything. Our guide on how to spend your rest days is more relevant here than in a normal week.
How to Structure a Holiday Training Trip
Most holiday trips run ten days to three weeks. A shape that works:
Days one to three. Arrive, adjust to the heat and the time difference, train once a day. Do not start at two sessions a day on day one, however keen you are. Jet lag plus tropical heat plus unfamiliar training is how people lose the first week.
The middle stretch. This is your real training block. Two sessions a day if you can handle it, one if you cannot, with a rest day every three or four days.
Around the two big days. Expect adjusted classes and plan something else for those afternoons.
The last few days. Ease off rather than pushing for a big finish. Flying long-haul while wrecked is miserable, and the last hard session rarely adds much.
If you are new to all of this, our guide on planning your first training trip covers the logistics from flights onward.
Spending the Holidays Alone, Away From Home
Worth addressing directly, because a meaningful share of people who book this window are doing exactly that.
A training camp is one of the easier places in the world to be by yourself over the holidays. You have a structure to your day, a reason to talk to people, and a room full of others in the same position. Nobody asks why you are not at home. The shared thing is the training, which is enough.
That said, it is still the holidays and it can still land oddly. Having one thing planned for Christmas Day beyond training helps, whether that is a meal out with people from the gym or a trip somewhere on the island. Our guide to the surrounding area has options.
If you are travelling solo more generally, our guide on whether a training camp works as a solo holiday goes into it properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the gym open over Christmas and New Year?
Classes run through the holiday period with some adjustment around 25 December and 1 January. Exact timetables are set each year, so check the schedule or ask when you book rather than assuming.
How far ahead should I book for the holidays?
Two to three months. Accommodation near the gym is the limiting factor and it fills earlier than any other window in the year.
Is it more expensive over Christmas and New Year?
Flights and accommodation are at their annual peak. Training costs do not swing the same way. Check the pricing page for current training figures.
Will there be other people training, or is it dead over the holidays?
It is one of the busiest periods of the year. Expect full classes and a strong social side.
Does it feel like Christmas in Thailand?
Not really. It is around 30 degrees and 25 December is not a public holiday in Thailand. There is decoration in tourist areas and a large New Year’s Eve. For most people who book this window, the lack of a familiar Christmas is the point.
Can a beginner do a holiday training trip?
Yes. Beginner classes run through the period and are scaled the same way. A busy gym means more people at your level, not fewer.
Plan It Before the Rooms Go
The holiday window is the one time of year where deciding late genuinely costs you options. The training will be running whenever you show up. The room near the mats and the package that includes it will not.
Have a look at the accommodation options first, since that is the piece that runs out, and the pricing and packages page for what is included. When your dates are set, check availability and book here.
