Fitness travel, a verb meaning to stay fit while on a vacation or a trip. No this doesn’t mean you have to take a vacation designed around fitness, it means to take an active trip where you are doing more than laying around the pool and sipping pina coladas, even though that is perfectly acceptable to do for a few days, I mean it is a vacation after all.
Traveling in my opinion is the ultimate high. I am always searching for the next big adventure and unknown place to explore in the world. But just because you are traveling doesn’t mean your fitness routine has to go out the window. Or that you’ll have to go on a diet from your vacation.
Along with traveling, fitness is a top priority in my life. It makes me feel better mentally, physically and emotionally. That is why I put together a list of 10 ways to travel and stay fit on the road.
Fitness travel is easy to incorporate on a vacation and most of the time you won’t even know you’re doing it. Now that’s a win win. Okay, let’s get to it.
For full transparency, I have sprinkled some affiliate links in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases that gives me a small commission at no extra cost to you if you decided to make a purchase. As always, I would never recommend a product or service that I didn't truely believe in. All proceeds go to keep Jess traveling and coffee ☕️. I thank you in advance.
1. Walk Everywhere
This is one of the easiest ways to have a fitness travel vacation. Walk everywhere you can. Not only does it burn more calories but it helps you get familiar with the new area or city that you are exploring.
I once walked 16 miles in one day in Las Vegas just by exploring the strip. This made indulging in margaritas and meals that much more enjoyable. This is also a great way to save money while you travel.
2. Party with a Purpose
Did you know that average beer has 150 calories, a margarita is anywhere from 200-300 calories and a glass of wine has 123 calories. It’s no secret that drinking drinking heavily adds hundreds or even thousands of extra calories a day to your diet.
Excessive drinking not only drives up your budget but it also packs on the pounds. This brings us to our second fitness travel trip, party with a purpose.
Save the partying for special occasions and events like St. Patrick’s day in Ireland or at a legendary full moon party in Koh Pha Ngan in Thailand. These are 2 major drinking events and it’s fun to be able to let loose every once in a while.
Pair this tip with the previous one and you’ll be able to balance it out and get back on track.
3. Take a Hike
Hiking is by far my favorite way to stay fit while traveling. Some of my favorite travel memories are from conquering an epic hike. These include hiking the Great Walk of China, Rio Celeste in Costa Rica, just about every hike in Maui along with the iconic hikes in Zion National Park.
Hiking while you travel not only burns some serious calories but it gets you outside and you’re almost guaranteed killer views. Make sure you don’t leave home and hike without these essentials.
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4. Use the Airport Gym
An exciting fitness trend that has been emerging are airport gyms. This means that sprinting to your gate doesn’t have to be your only form of exercise.
Many airports around the country are popping up with airport gyms which are usually located within security and some even offer options to rent exercise clothes and tennis shoes. Make sure you check out an airport gym next time you are flying through Singapore, San Fransisco, Dubai, Chicago or Toronto.
Plus exercising before a flight helps increase your mood and aids in having a more comfortable long haul flight.
5. Explore a City by Bike
Another great way to explore city is by bike. Renting a bike and biking around takes you further than if you were just walking.
When I traveled through China, I rented a bike in Xi’an and in Beijing to explore these thriving cities. This was a perfect way to explore as many of the highlights I wanted to check out were spread out across town.
It doesn’t just have to be a city that you explore by bicycle. If you ever find yourself in France in wine country, cycling around to different vineyards in between wine tasting is the way to go. Fitness travel can’t get more perfect than this.
6. Yoga
Yoga is a great way to start your day mentally, physically and emotionally. Yoga is very popular on a world wide scale so chances are you’ll be able to find a yoga class near you wherever you are on your travels.
Opt for taking a class at a local studio or seek out one that offers more of an experience. Can we say goat yoga?! If you are ever on Maui, there are goat yoga classes help in upcountry Maui. This is one of the most unusual things to do in Maui. Or see if there is a black light yoga being offered near by. It is exactly as it sounds, yoga in the dark under a black light.
7. Choose Active Activities
Who says you can’t plan your vacation around fitness. For example you can take a ski trip, spending all day skiing or snowboarding down a mountain is one heck of a workout. Or taking a trip to Hawaii to perfect your surfing is a full body workout while getting a tan.
Even if your vacation isn’t designed specifically around a certain sport you can still choose active activities to fill your days. For instance, instead of going on a whale watch you can opt for kayaking with the whales, a once in a lifetime adventure on Maui. Or go rock climbing, one of the coolest things to do in Vang Vieng, Laos.
If you’re not much of an adrenalin junky, schedule an early tee time to hit the links. There are plenty of activities that exhort effort and are lots of fun in the process.
8. Morning Runs to Explore & Get to Know a city
If you enjoy running, a great way to get to know a city is by waking early and going for a run. Not only does it blast major calories but it gets you familiar with your surroundings and the lay of the land. Early morning runs are great because its cooler in temperature and less people out and about.
I have a friend who runs destination marathons all over the world! From the original marathon in Greece to Uganda, Africa she travels all over the world to run marathons which is pretty awesome.
There is no better reward after finishing a marathon than to explore a new foreign city. Does this sound up your alley? Check out these adventure marathons for your next fitness travel trip.
9. Take a Local Workout Class
There is always a new fitness craze popping so why not try one on your next trip. If you are ever traveling to Maui you must check out The Block and partake in a HIIT workout class. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned athlete, a HIIT class at the block will get your heart pumping and leave you feeling like the queen that you are, strong, confident and powerful.
Some other trendy workouts you should try are aerial yoga, Muay Thai training classes, pole dancing or a dance class like salsa dancing.
10. Do a HIIT Workout in your Hotel Room
Now a days there are apps for everything and this includes fitness apps. Check out these apps when you’re looking for a heart pumping workout.
- Sweat by Kayla
- Beachbody
- 8fit
- FitOn: Fitness Workout Plans
- Forte
You don’t need to just use an app you can also utilize Youtube. There are tons of exercise videos on Youtube that don’t require equipment which means you can do them at home or on the road. Here are a few great channels that have great workouts.
Traveling with portable exercise equipment also makes it easy to do a quick workout in your hotel before you start your day. A few of my go to and portable items are exercise bands, travel yoga mat, a light weight pair of running shoes, a running belt that will hold your hotel keys and ID’s and a collapsible water bottle.
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I hope you enjoyed these fitness travel tips. Not only are they good for your waistline but also for your wallet. Do you have any ways that you stay healthy while traveling? Let me know in the comments below.
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