How to plan a warm-weather training camp abroad
- Last reviewed
- 5 min read
- For sports teams, universities
The short answer
Plan a warm-weather training camp by deciding what the camp is for, then choosing a destination, facilities and dates that fit that aim. Pitches, courts, gym, recovery space and meals matter more than the hotel's star rating. If the camp will be hot, the 2015 international consensus statement on training in the heat recommends repeated exercise in the heat over one to two weeks, which affects the length of the camp. Book flights, transfers, insurance and medical cover around those decisions.
Key takeaways
- Decide the purpose first: fitness base, tactical work, team bonding or heat preparation for a competition. The purpose sets the dates, length and facilities.
- Facilities decide the camp. Confirm pitch or court hours, surface, gym, pool, treatment space and early or late meals in writing.
- A consensus statement published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommends heat acclimatisation of repeated exercise-heat exposures over 1 to 2 weeks, and says athletes may need 6 to 10 days for near-complete cardiovascular adaptation.
- Spain's GOV.UK entry page lists short-term training as a visa-free purpose for British visitors, subject to the 90 in 180 day rule. Entry rules differ by country, so check the one you pick.
- Check travel insurance covers the sport and the camp. GOV.UK says a GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance.
- Book the camp around the travel plan: group flights, equipment, transfers and a named medical lead.
What is the camp for?
A camp that tries to do everything usually does little well. Write a one-sentence aim before looking at destinations, then test every option against it.
| Aim | What it means for planning |
|---|---|
| Pre-season fitness | Training volume matters, so you need reliable pitch, gym and recovery access every day. |
| Tactical or technical block | You need quiet, private training areas and meeting space, plus optional practice matches. |
| Preparation for a hot competition | You need hot conditions at the time of year you travel, and enough days to acclimatise. |
| Team bonding or reward | Shorter training load, more free time, and a different supervision plan. |
How do you choose a destination and dates?
Short flights and few time zones leave more of the camp for training. The 2021 consensus statement on jet lag in athletes describes jet lag as an issue when travelling east or west across three or more time zones, so most European camps from the UK avoid it, though travel fatigue still occurs. Our guide to jet lag before competition covers longer trips.
- Climate in your dates: Check the actual weather for the month you travel. A southern European destination can be mild, not hot, outside summer, which matters if the purpose is heat preparation.
- Flight options: Check direct flights from your airport on your dates, and the return time on the last day. See group flights explained.
- Transfer time: Ask how long the airport to hotel and hotel to training ground journeys are.
- Clash with other users: Popular camp destinations fill in school holidays and pre-season. Ask the venue what else is booked on the pitches.
What should you check about training facilities and accommodation?
- Number and surface of pitches or courts, and the hours you have them, written into the contract.
- Gym equipment, pool, ice or cold water for recovery, and a room for physio treatment.
- Meeting room for team talks and video analysis.
- Meals at the times you train, including early breakfasts and meals after evening sessions, with allergy and dietary needs handled. See sports team nutrition while travelling.
- Room mix and allocation: twins, singles, and rooms on one floor or corridor. See tournament accommodation for teams.
- Laundry for kit and drying space.
- Safe water: drinking water, ice and food handling. TravelHealthPro advises avoiding food left uncovered in warm conditions and says destination and choice of eating place are the most important risk factors for stomach illness.
Visit the venue or ask another team that has used it. If you cannot visit, ask for photographs of the actual pitches, not stock images.
How long should a heat camp be?
The consensus recommendations on training and competing in the heat, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2015, say the most important intervention is to heat acclimatise, with repeated exercise-heat exposures over 1 to 2 weeks. Highly trained athletes adapt faster than untrained people, and the statement says athletes may need 6 to 10 days for near-complete cardiovascular adaptation. For a camp aimed at a hot competition, its example schedule is a 2 week preparatory camp about a month before, and a 1 to 2 week final camp just before.
What do entry rules, insurance and medical cover involve?
- Entry: GOV.UK's Spain advice lists short-term training as a visa-free purpose for British visitors, up to 90 days in any 180. It also says a UK passport must be less than 10 years old on arrival and valid for 3 months after departure, and that EES may take fingerprints and a photo, so allow extra time at the border. See EES and ETIAS for UK groups.
- Insurance: Check cover for the sport, all travellers and the full length of the stay. GOV.UK warns that some activities are not usually covered by standard policies.
- Medical lead: Name a doctor or physio, carry a medical kit and keep each person's medical summary. See travelling with medication.
- Under-18s: Follow your governing body's safeguarding policy. See junior team travel safeguarding.
How Roamly can help
Roamly Travel plans group flights and logistics for sports teams, including equipment, transfers and accommodation around the training plan. Use the free trip timeline builder and group travel calculator to shape dates and budget, or contact us with your squad size and target weeks.
Sources
- Racinais et al., Consensus recommendations on training and competing in the heat, Br J Sports Med 2015
- Janse van Rensburg et al., Managing travel fatigue and jet lag in athletes, Sports Medicine 2021
- NHS: Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- TravelHealthPro: Food and water hygiene
- GOV.UK: Spain travel advice, entry requirements
- GOV.UK: Foreign travel insurance
General guidance only, checked against the sources above on 30 October 2026. Entry rules, airline policies and official advice change, so confirm the current position with the linked source before you travel.