Travel Fitness Tips: How to Continue Exercising While Traveling

Most of us have a daily fitness routine at home. Some of us are goal-oriented such as running a 5K, hitting a squat PR, or leveling up on a movement at the gym. Some walk the trails, swim, bike, or yoga. Travel does not have to interfere with your goals or your fitness routine. Read on for multiple actionable travel fitness tips plus easy travel workouts anyone can do.

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Affiliate Disclosure: There are affiliate links throughout this post. This means if you click on a link and purchase a product through that link, then I will receive a small commission for the referral. And that is kinda cool.

How many times have you heard from your traveling friends how much weight they gained on vacation?

And a cruise vacation? Sheesh!  

You don’t have to go there. Those pounds won’t accumulate, with a focus on travel fitness and a small amount of movement every day. Although admittedly even with daily exercise, sometimes I still bring back a couple of pounds, I love Puerto Rican food. 

I am not a travel fitness expert myself, but I found the perfect guy to help me with this topic. Sam is the creator of Fit For Everywhere, a website dedicated to providing the best information on travel safety, fitness, and well-being.

Sam has answered a bunch of questions for me and created three fun, actionable, and practical travel workouts that you can complete in your hotel room, in a hostel, campsite, on the beach, pool deck, or even on the trails. 

My Interview with Sam on Travel Fitness.

Sam, what is your story?  Have you always been into travel fitness, or was there a pinnacle point in your life you decided that you needed to become fit and stay fit?

I would say that I have always been active. I enjoyed sports like surfing and hiking whilst growing up. I was super-skinny at school and so didn’t do so well in contact sports like rugby (which we play at school in the UK). 

After leaving school and before I joined the military, I was a gym regular. I put on a lot of muscle in my late teens. You’d probably call it a bodybuilding phase. 

But what I learned since then is that being big and muscular isn’t actually that useful for many sports, activities or even everyday life. It certainly wasn’t any use in getting prepared for the entry tests for the military. Yes, I was strong and big. But because of the weight from my muscles, I was also slower at running, swimming, and hiking.

For this reason, I decided to focus my workouts on functional fitness training.

Functional fitness is a type of training that was a big part of military life. The idea behind functional fitness is that you are preparing your body for everyday movements, as well as unexpected tasks that can put a big strain on your joints and muscles. A key part of functional fitness training is that it is designed to reduce the chance of injury.

The best thing about functional fitness training is anyone can do it and you don’t need access to a gym.

Ok, that’s two things, but both are pretty awesome.

Why is it essential for you to maintain travel fitness?

For me, it all comes down to being prepared for the challenges that come our way when traveling, whether they be due to the climate, the journey, or are part of the challenges that crop up when things go wrong.

Being in shape means that I’ll be more comfortable in hot and humid environments because my body deals with the temperature more efficiently. It means I’m less prone to injury and able to deal with a lack of sleep better than I would if I wasn’t in shape. By staying in shape when away from home, my immune system will function more efficiently, so I am less likely to get sick whilst away from reliable medical care.

I guess there are a lot of reasons why I maintain a fitness schedule while traveling, but ultimately life is just easier and more enjoyable when you’re fit and healthy.

And why should we maintain fitness while traveling?

Well, a lot of the reasons I maintain my fitness while traveling would also apply to a lot of regular folks who are just traveling for fun.

I know that staying in shape when you’re traveling can be a bit of a scary task. It’s also one that a lot of people don’t prioritize, and I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people would rather just chill out when on vacation.

The longer you’re away for, the more reason there is to try and keep up a fitness schedule. If you’re away from home for just five days, you could probably get away without doing any exercise and not notice too much change in your fitness when you return (as long as you get back into your workouts soon after).

Having said that, a lot of people enjoy starting the day with a really short workout whilst on vacation.

It brings with it loads of benefits from helping you recover from jet lag quicker to reducing the chance of injury (like when lifting luggage off the carousel at the airport). Exercise also releases endorphins, which make us feel great after a workout, and the extra calories you burn during exercise helps balance those additional calories most of us take in when we’re traveling.

What advice would you give someone who wanted to begin their fitness journey while traveling?

I’d say well done for taking the first step. Anyone reading this is already on the path to staying in shape while traveling and making that decision is the first hurdle.

But then I’d also say don’t stop here. It gets really easy to put-off actually doing the exercise: “I’ll start my workouts tomorrow because of …” is a really common mind-block that a lot of people face (myself included).

The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll start feeling more healthy and energized.

If someone is reading this and they are already traveling on the road, no problem! Today’s the day to get started!

It doesn’t need to be a long and exhausting workout and you don’t need any equipment – check out the workouts at the bottom of this post for starters, or read my ultimate travel fitness post for more information on the subject.

What do you “bring to the table” that separates you from the other bloggers out there?

I have been a big consumer of information through other blog sites for years. I’ve always found them to be so useful, but I did start to notice that there didn’t seem to be anyone sharing the amazing lessons and experiences the military gives some of its members about looking after your own fitness and safety while traveling.

So, I decided to start my site Fit for Everywhere, which provides this information to hopefully make people’s travels safer and more fulfilling.

And why is this so important to you?

I guess because I’ve visited some of the world’s most dangerous countries and seen the challenges that come with that sort of travel, I wanted to help others understand those challenges and prepare for them.

Of course, most people reading this won’t be holidaying in Somalia anytime soon or trying to find ways to work out while in the middle of the Jordanian desert.

But they might have questions about what simple measures they can take to stay a bit safer when in an unfamiliar city, or how to prepare a basic fitness routine which they can do in small hotels, hostels or campsites.

Staying fit, safe, and healthy while traveling has meant that I’ve got the most from my travels over the years, and I want to pass this knowledge on to others who might have these sorts of questions.

Top Three Tips for Maintaining Travel Fitness.

What are your top three tips for travelers who want to maintain travel fitness?  How can we avoid that uncomfortable back to the gym feeling after a holiday?

Tip 1: Have a plan.

It doesn’t need to be a big plan. It doesn’t need to take you hours. But a quick search on the internet before you go so you know some basic things about your destination will help a huge amount.

To start you off, find answers to these questions:

• Does your hotel have a gym?
• Will it be too hot to workout outside?
• Are there any running routes nearby, for example, parks or recreation areas?
• If you’re going to be working out in your hotel room, what time of day do you plan to do your workouts? Before breakfast? In the evening?

If you have a basic idea of what you’re going to be doing and where, you’re more likely to actually do the exercise and not talk yourself out of doing it.

Tip 2: Choose a variety of simple workouts to do.

Rather than taking just one workout, take a few so that things stay interesting for you. You don’t want to be getting bored from the repetition. There are a few workouts at the bottom of this post to keep things interesting for a few days, at least.

Tip 3: Make sure you stay hydrated.

If you’re not used to working out, especially in warmer climates, then this tip is even more important. You’ll need to drink more water than usual because of the exercise you’ll be doing. Dehydration can lead to headaches and weakens the immune system, so make sure you don’t let it get to that stage. (Don’t wait until you feel thirsty, you’ll already be dehydrated!)

Bonus Tip: Keeping the motivation back home.

Heading home and getting back into the gym routine again can be pretty tough and can be a strength-of-mind battle; another good reason to keep up your routine while traveling! That way, you never had the break from working out, so you’re just carrying on as before.

Personally, there have been loads of times I’ve been in a situation where the last thing I’ve wanted to do is a workout. For example, when it’s below freezing outside, and I’d planned to go for a run before work. Or I didn’t sleep well the night before and have a swim scheduled at lunchtime.

In these situations, you’ve just gotta get on and do it. Once you start, it’s fine, and once you finish, you’ll be so pleased you forced yourself to get it done.

Travel Fitness Equipment.

What would be the minimum travel fitness equipment I would need to incorporate a fitness routine into travel?

The good news is you don’t need any equipment. Equipment can help you get more from your workouts and can help to keep things more interesting but is not essential.

If you’re working out in your hotel room, you don’t even need training shoes. But if you think you’ll be heading to the hotel gym or running through the park, you need a pair of cushioned footwear and lightweight workouts clothes.

There are some bits of kit I like to use, such as resistance bands and jump ropes, but for anyone just starting out with travel exercise, these definitely are not essential items!

Three Easy and Fun Travel Workouts Anyone Can Do.

As promised, here are three travel workouts to start you off.

*Remember to warm-up – jogging on the spot for 2 minutes should do it.*

Workout 1 – Exercise Islands (easy family workout).

This fun workout sees each family member swap through different exercises. Everyone is doing one of the exercises at all times.

Each family member is on their own ‘exercise island,’ while one person is the Giant. The Giant does giant steps (long lunges) around the world (three times to the door and back), then everyone swaps island, and someone else becomes the Giant. The exercise island inhabitants keep doing their exercises until the Giant has done their round-the-world Giant
steps.

Exercise Island 1: Get-ups: lie down and get up to standing as quickly as you can. Then lie back down again. Do as many as you can whilst the Giant is lunging around the world.

Exercise Island 2: High knees: jog on the spot, with high knees. Get your knees up! As high as they go. Keep going whilst the Giant is lunging around the world.

Exercise Island 3: Floor knees: lie on your back, legs out straight. Bring your knees up to your chest (not too quickly). Then straighten your legs back out again. Can you do this without letting your feet touch the floor at all? Keep going whilst the Giant is lunging around the world.

Exercise Island 4: Balancing statue: stand still with your feet together and close your eyes. Keep your eyes closed and lift up your knee (slowly) toward your chest. Put it back down and do the same with the other leg. Can you do this without falling over? Keep going whilst the Giant is lunging around the world.

Do this workout three times through.

Workout 2 – Legs and Cardio (intermediate).

This workout will help you get strong legs whilst also building up your cardio fitness.

Do six rounds of these leg exercises (they get the lungs and heart going too), with no rest between each exercise:

• Ten lunges (five on each leg): take a step forward and drop your knee to the floor, then push back to standing with feet together. You can do these on the spot if you do not have much room.
• Ten squats: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down so that your upper legs are parallel to the floor. Try to keep your spine neutral (don’t hunch over).
• Ten burpees: Start in a press-up position (palms on the floor shoulder-width apart and arms straight. Toes on the floor feet shoulder-width apart. You should be facing the floor like a steep bridge). Bounce your knees toward your chest in one movement and plant your feet on the floor, then come to a standing position. Reverse, back down, and bounce your feet out. That is one repetition.

Once you have been through one round, take a 20-second break then do another round until you have done six rounds altogether. You can add rounds or repetitions to make this harder.

Workout 3 – Whole Body Countdown (advanced intermediate).

For this simple whole body workout, you’ll be decreasing the repetitions from ten, all the way down to one—just two exercises to do here. You’ll go through the first round and do ten exercises of each. Then, take ten seconds rest and do round two. For round two, you’ll do nine repetitions for each exercise. Continue, dropping the repetitions each time until you get to one.

• Burpees: Start in a press-up position (palms on the floor shoulder-width apart and arms straight), toes on the floor feet shoulder-width apart. You should be facing the floor like a steep bridge. Bounce your knees toward your chest and plant your feet on the floor, then come to a standing position. Reverse, back down, and hop your feet out. That is one repetition.
• Press-up Option A (Hard): Standard press-up – Lie on the floor face down and place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, while holding your torso up at arm’s length. As you inhale, lower your body downwards (keeping your body straight) until your chest almost touches the floor then push your body back up as you exhale.
• Press-up Option B (Easy): as above, but keep your knees on the floor for the whole exercise; this considerably reduces the weight going through your arms.

Those workouts should keep you going for a few days. You can always head over to my site for more travel workouts and travel workout tips – with new content added each and every week.

Best of luck and remember – try and make your travel workouts fun rather than a chore!

Sam spent eight years in the UK’s military, working in some of the world’s most dangerous countries. Since leaving the armed forces, he has continued his career in the security industry and created FitForEverywhere.com, where he shares his expertise in travel fitness and safety.

A few quick and actionable travel fitness tips from me.

I don’t need to add much since Sam stole the show, but I thought I would add a few tips from a family traveler into travel fitness.

1. Sam already recommended making a travel fitness plan before you even leave for your holiday. Bring a few workouts with you that will keep you interested. His recommendations above are the best.
2. Make a promise to yourself that you will do one thing physical a day, even if it’s a quick, 10-minute daily workout.
3. Incorporate activities that increase your heart rate into your daily itinerary.
4. Don’t overcomplicate it.
5. Avoid public transportation. Take a walk, ride a bike, and take the stairs.
6. Pack light-weight equipment: a jump rope, resistance bands, an exercise mat, and your running shoes.
7. And pack stylish workout outfits. Looking good is motivating.
8. ***Make healthy food choices, including snacks (most of the time).***
9. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.
10. Use your Fitbit or another fitness tracker. Set daily step goals and stick with them.
11. Go on a walking tour. We went on a walking ghost tour in London, how fun.
12. Water sports burn calories. Add kayaking, standup paddleboarding, or snorkeling to your travel fitness plan.
13. Make sure to get your rest.

Travel Fitness Packing List.

Here are fifteen essential easy-to-pack items to add to your travel fitness packing list.

Running Shoes.  You’ve heard the saying, “All you need is love…and a good pair of running shoes?” OK, I might have made it up. But, really often, all you need to bring is a good, reliable, supportive, and stylish pair of running shoes. Wear them on travel day, while exploring the sites, running, hiking, and cycling. Here are my favorites.

Fitness Clothing.

• Sports Bras. Choose a comfortable and supportive style that can double for daily use. 
• Performance fabric workout tank tops, preferably dry wicking material.
• Workout shorts or tights.
• Socks. Balega no show workout socks or Stance low athletic socks.

Light Jacket.  Purchase an easily foldable light jacket—this one is buttery soft, has a hood, and comes in lots of fun colors and patterns. 

Cap.  Put your hair in a ponytail, throw on a cap to protect your scalp and eyes from the sun (and save a bad hair day). The trucker style has added ventilation. Or these sweat-wicking running hats are the best, and they’re easy to pack. Wearing a cap keeps the sun and sweat out of your eyes and your hair out of your face.

Shades.  Find stylish yet sporty shades with UVA and UVB protection, like these Oakley Polished Chrome Aviators.

Sunscreen.  Always protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun with SPF 50 sunscreen. Frequent sun exposure will increase your risk of developing skin cancer and cause pre-mature aging changes in the skin.

Airpods or Headphones.  Head out for a walk or jog with motivational music or your favorite podcast.  

Swimsuit.  Water sports burn lots of calories and the perfect way to see amazing sites. So, don’t forget your swimsuit. Don’t forget your Goggles.

Water Bottle.  The Hydaway Hydration Travel Pack includes a 25-ounce collapsible water bottle with a spout lid and a travel case with a carry clip—a perfect gift for travelers.  

Jump Rope.  Add 100 single-under jump rope before any workout to get your heart pumping. And if you are feeling super beastly, 100 double-unders.

Yoga Mat.  Even if you are not a yogi, you can use a packable yoga mat for many different exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, planks, and burpees. Try this foldable yoga mat that’s light and takes up minimal space, fits easily into your carry-on bag or your backpack.

Incorporating the practice of yoga into your daily fitness routine while traveling is peaceful. 

Here are 12 easy yoga poses anyone can do while traveling.

Lacrosse Ball.  Roll out those sore muscles after your workout. Or incorporate soft tissue work into your stretching routine.

Fitness Tracker.  The FitBit will keep track of your daily steps, sleep quality, and heart rate and calculate mileage on hikes, bikes, swims, runs, or walks.

Bodyweight Exercise Cards. When the pandemic hit, the gyms closed, and we began a long year of home fitness, my fitness buddy bought these bodyweight exercise cards.  They have effective exercises that target, abs, glutes, arms, legs, chest, and shoulder. The exercises are explained and illustrated, and they even have stretching exercises recommended for each workout.

Smartphone.  Technically not fitness equipment, but plenty of fitness apps on your smartphone provide hotel workouts and workouts without equipment.  

Here is a downloadable Travel Fit Kit Checklist to help you pack for your next adventure.

Sam, Thank you so much for your expertise and advice on travel fitness. Your help with this post means more to me than you will ever know.

Stay healthy, fit, and safe. And send me pictures.

Oh, and let me know what you do to stay fit while traveling the world.