How to Stay Active While Traveling: 10 Ways to Workout on the Road
As an avid traveler and a previous tri-athlete, I’m keen on trying to stay active when traveling. Of course, this proves to be a challenge when it comes to long days on planes, trains, and in automobiles.
Fortunately, there are easy ways to fit in a workout while traveling, without it derailing your vacation. In fact, some of them even help you maximize your exploration of a new place! And who doesn’t want to stay fit while traveling and exploring new places?
Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase.
1. Use Bodyweight Exercises
There are a lot of great bodyweight exercises that are easy to do anywhere, anytime – no equipment required. This means you can easily fit in a full workout routine and break a sweat in the comfort of your hotel room or Airbnb.
To get started, put together a sequence of bodyweight activities, including movements like squats, push-ups, planks, mountain climbers, shoulder taps, burpees, jumping jacks, lunges, sit-ups, leg lifts, and more! Mix and match all the bodyweight exercises to ensure you get a full body workout on the road without even leaving your hotel room.
As an example of rocking fitness for travelers with a “build your own workout”, you could do:
- 3 sets of 10 push-ups
- 3 sets of 20 bodyweight squats
- 3 sets of 10 sit-ups
- 3 sets of 10 lunges – each side
- 3 sets of 20 reverse crunches
Tip: If you will be laying on the floor, you can use a clean towel to protect you from a potentially dirty floor. Or, some more modern hotels may even offer a yoga mat. (Shoutout to the Limelight Hotel in Denver, CO for that one!)
2. Get Your Steps In
Getting in a workout while traveling can be super challenging. Time can be tight, equipment may be missing, and honestly, you may just not want to take the time to get sweaty and have to shower AGAIN. Trust me, I’ve been there. One of the best ways to rectify this situation is to simply build your steps into your day.
That’s right, rather than a structured workout, you can slowly accumulate more cardiovascular activities to burn those calories and build muscle. Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Skip the taxi and walk to your destination. Go out dancing. Avoid the moving sidewalks in the airport, walk to your gates instead.
Worried about packing enough workout clothes?
Check out: How to Do Laundry While Traveling: 4 Practical Options
3. Pack Your Running Shoes
One of the best ways to stay active on the road is to go sightseeing by foot! The ultimate way of doing this is to pack your running shoes and hit the road. You’ll be able to explore your new city faster and more thoroughly than if you pull out a map and walk from destination to destination.
Another great option is to search for running clubs in the city you’re visiting. These are typically free to join for a run and a great way to meet some locals and get insider tips to your location! If you’re not a runner just yet, you can easily get started with programs like the Couch to 5k program.
4. Try Online Workout Classes
Post pandemic, there are plenty of online classes to try! In fact, working out at home and working out on the road have become more common as people transitioned toward working from home and started purchasing basic workout gear like a yoga mat and free weights.
Choose from free online classes! These are easy to find on YouTube and beyond, but you won’t want to miss checking out: Fitness Blender, POPSUGAR Fitness, Self, ClassPass (also a great option to try in person classes!), and Orange Theory Fitness.
Or, sign up for an at home workout subscription. There are endless options available, including some dedicated apps and paid subscriptions from the above free recommendations. If you want to get started, some of the most popular online workout subscriptions include: Peloton – which offers more than just biking, Beach Body On Demand, Camp Gladiator Online Workouts , Xponential+ – which includes Pure Barre On Demand, and more!!!
5. Pack Lightweight Workout Equipment
If body weight exercises just won’t cut it, you can pack some lightweight workout equipment to elevate your travel workouts. Think lightweight, easy to pack, and small items, like a jump rope, resistance loop exercise bands, resistance bands with a door anchor, exercise sliders, and even potentially over the door TRX straps!
These simple adds can make you feel like you’re at home as you fit in that workout during your vacation or work trip. And, being small and lightweight, this workout equipment won’t ruin your hopes of packing in a carry on!
Learn more: How to Pack in a Carry On – No Matter the Trip Length
6. Stay at a Hotel with a Gym
One of the simplest ways to stay healthy on the road is to book a hotel with an onsite gym (and obviously take advantage of the gym!). This means you have no excuse to skip your workout, even if you decrease the length of your workout. Anything is better than nothing!
Many higher class hotels have basic gyms onsite that include cardio equipment and free weights at the least. Other hotels may give you passes to a local gym which will have a complete setup. When booking your trip, look into what hotels offer before clicking book!
I personally love looking for and booking hotels on Booking.com as they frequently offer free cancellation for more flexible travel planning!
7. Check Out Local Workout Classes
Planning to spend a few days or more in a city? You may want to check out drop-in gyms, free or drop-in classes that may be run at the park or community center, run clubs, and other local options. These drop-in options can be ideal fitness classes for travelers!
To find local workout classes, you can certainly turn to Google, but you can also try fitness apps and websites like Class Pass, FitReserve, Mind Body Online, and Groupon Health & Fitness for discount options.
8. Rent a Bike to Explore
One of the best ways to explore a new city is by foot or bike. Fortunately, many tourist friendly cities now offer bike sharing opportunities where you can rent a bike for an hour or even the whole day. If the city you’re visiting doesn’t, there are likely nearby shops that will rent you a bike for the day.
Biking from Point A to Point B is one of the best traveling workout options! You’ll get to see a lot while burning those calories and building some leg muscle. Not to mention it is a really form of transportation in some areas. If a bike isn’t possible, check out other options like renting a kayak or stand up paddle board to see some of the sights while challenging your body.
9. Plan Trips around Active Events
Up your fitness while traveling by planning trips around active events, like hiking, marathons, triathlons, water sports, and more! You’ll have reason to train leading up to your trip, and you’ll get to maximize your calories burnt while traveling.
To find hiking trails, check out the AllTrails app. For upcoming races, Running in the USA is a great resource for all running distances and Tri Find is key for finding triathlons across the United States. Active.com is another great resources to find running, triathlons, and cycling events.
Check Out: What to Pack for a Day Hike: The Essential Hiking Packing List
10. Track Your Fitness
We all know that tracking things is supposed to inspire us to do better. That’s why it’s recommended to track your food when trying to lose weight. The same goes for fitness. Track your fitness. There are dozens of apps and devices to help you do just this. To get started, check out MapMyRun, MapMyFitness, Strava, Nike+, and more!
For fitness tracking devices, some of the best options are the Apple Watch, Fitbits, and Garmin. While they can be expensive, there may also be older versions or series that can help you find an affordable way to track your fitness while traveling.
When shopping for a tracking device, be aware whether you want them to track steps, heart rate, sleeping, and more, and if you want them to be waterproof.
Whether you’re trying to workout a certain number of days per month or simply hit a step goal for the day, seeing those hard stats in front of you will inspire you to go further and work harder!
More Ways to Maximize Your Travels
Staying healthy on the road is hard. Fortunately, these 10 ways to stay active while traveling will put your leaps and bounds ahead of where you would be without them. Continue making great decisions to keep your fitness in check with some of these additional posts:
- 80+ Good Road Trip Snacks: Including Health Alternatives!
- How to Get Over Jet Lag Quickly
- How to Do Laundry While Traveling: 4 Practical Options
Like this post? Pin it.
Hi Julia! Everyone wants to stay active during travels and you mentioned the ways we can stay active. One way to improve activity is to add 10 min aerobics exercise early in the day while doing regular body weight exercises, Yoga, etc. By this blog, you have shared everything from which we can stay active while traveling, Thank you, and keep posting.
Thanks for the added information John – I am a huge fan of starting my day off with a quick workout. It’s one of the best ways to feel accomplished throughout the day!