A group of female PSA Tour squash players are topping up their earnings with a dream 'side hustle' hosting amateur squash camps in beautiful European locations.
Current PSA players Rafaela Albuja of Ecuador, Karina Tyma of Poland and Norway's Chloe Kalvo are Event Managers for Squash Voyage, which offers a more relaxed, sociable and affordable alternative to the many (principally junior-focused) squash camps in USA and Egypt.
Making a living from professional squash when you're on the fringes of the world's top 100 can be extremely tough. For Albuja (world no.197), Tyma (98) and Kalvo (highest 151), any source of income beyond prize money and sponsorship is like striking gold.
For Squash Voyage's founder, Walter Kupfer, being able to give female pro players such an opportunity is almost as important as the amazing experience hundreds of amateur players have on his camps.
In the rest of 2026, Squash Voyage camps are taking place in Amsterdam, Colchester, Riga, Stavanger, Madeira, Ljubljana, Edinburgh and Bern. At each location, a local coach will lead the on-court training, activities and matchplay, and the Event Manager organises every other aspect including social activities and trips to bars, restaurants and tourist attractions.
Albuja, a 25-year-old who has represented Ecaudor in many Pan-Am Games and Championships, is now based in Italy. She has organised seven Squash Voyage camps so far.
"This is such a great opportunity for me and it's such a wonderful community of people," she told Squash Player. "You meet amazing people on the camps. They are such fun. Recently, some came all the way from Canada to Ljubljana in Slovenia!
"The camps remind me that, as professional players, we sometimes take squash so seriously. When you see the amateurs' love for the sport, everything clicks. It's a game. I still love it. Of course for me, there are bills to pay, but at its core it's about enjoying yourself on court."
Whilst on the camps, Albuja uses breaks to train and link up with other local pros for practice matches, and finds nearby PSA Satellites or smaller Tour events to enter after the camps have finished. Living in Italy, such opportunities are scarce.
"Walter wants to give more support for women's squash as it's really hard for most of us. There aren't many tournaments near me and I can easily fall out of the rhythm of playing. With Walter, I feel like I'm building something. We [the other Event Managers] all chat with each other and have a Squash Voyage community."
Camps start with the Event Manager's welcome presentation and a goody bag (which includes a free copy of Squash Player magazine!), before the fun — on and off court — begins.
Each camp has a maximum of 18 players split by level into three groups. Training and competitions (with prizes) by day; beer, wine, good food and tourist activities by night. What's not to love?
Founder Kupfer (who manages two squash centres, coaches and runs tournaments in his native Switzerland) has run 22 Squash Voyage camps so far.
The 'signature' Squash Voyage camp location is Hotel Sentido Galosol in Madeira, Portugal, which has been running annually for seven years. Other locations have included Stavanger (Norway), Gdansk (Poland), Leukerbad in the Swiss Alps, Bern, Munich, Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Stockholm.
Kupfer's ambition is to expand beyond Europe and become a global brand by 2030.
Part of Kupfer and his Event Managers' job is to assess new venues, which have a minimum requirement of two courts in good condition (which have ideally hosted ESF junior or masters or PSA events) and hotels that are no more than 10 minutes' walk away.
"We see many camps in USA and Egypt that are aimed at the top players, but we are not targeting the same market," Kupfer explains. "We're addressing the 99% of the squash market, the club-level players.
"We have attracted people from all over the globe to Europe which makes me very proud."
Albuja admits to being nervous when she hosted her first camp as a 23-year-old, organising and being responsible for a large group of older people.
"I thought, 'Will they actually listen to me?'" she laughs. "But it turned out to be such a great community. So often, squash proves that no matter what your age or gender, a common love for the sport brings everyone together."
