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Travelling is one of the most fun and enriching experiences there is. But with all the delicious foods to try and cocktails to sip, you might be wondering one thing.
How to stay in shape? Or how to stay fit when travelling in general?
And I do want to clarify one thing! I am in no way an expert about fitness or nutrition nor do I really ever manage to get in shape. But. While at home I usually go to the gym 3/4 times a week and just about manage to keep my weight, when I travel I basically eat whatever I want without gaining weight.
Definitely not losing any either, but keeping it the way it is and still eating fast food, drinking lots of beers and the occasional drunk kebab.
So I thought I am going to share with you my best tips and tricks to stay fit while travelling.
Another Disclaimer: Of course there is no need for anyone to be fit or workout when travelling or in general. As long as you are healthy and happy! So of course nobody needs to follow any of these tips but if you do like to stay active you are more than welcome to.
But first. Let’s talk about some essentials you might need!
Essentials for staying fit when travelling
Check out these items that I always take with me when travelling (maybe not the resistance band).
Fitbit: A Fitbit is a great way to help you track your fitness and keep yourself motivated. I would never ever travel without my Fitbit again.
Go Pro: Getting a Go Pro is a great way to document your outdoor activities and keep you more active. With the right Go Pro equipment you can attach it to surfboards, your wrist, your helmet or whatever you like. Any other action camera will do as well.
Hiking boots or sport shoes: You can’t stay fit if you don’t have any comfortable footwear. Hiking boots can take up lots of space but if you have comfortable trainers they will also work and help you stay active when travelling.
Additional Comfy shoes: I never travel without my Birkenstocks. The most comfortable shoes to travel with. I can walk in them all day every day, highly recommend to get a pair of Birkenstocks.
Rash Guard: If you want to do any surfing or water sports, it’s always a good idea to bring a rash guard to protect yourself from sunburns or rashes. They don’t take up much space at all. I love these ones from Ripcurl. Also these Roxy rash guards are incredible!
Resistance band: These are great for so many different workouts. You can get cheap ones of Amazon and they don’t take up much space at all.
Now, let’s talk about how to actually stay fit when travelling!
1. Walk as much as possible
When I travel I barely ever use taxis or public transportation because I just walk everywhere. Even if it’s a two-hour walk I am excited about the things I will discover along the way. If you have the time definitely just put on some comfy shoes and discover the city by foot.
2. Travel on a Budget
If you are staying in an all-inclusive resort and going everywhere by taxi, it is easy to gain some weight and not stay as fit. But if you travel on a budget you will be moving around a lot. Walking to the bus stop, finding the cheapest restaurant. Walk up the hill rather than taking a bus. You get the idea.
3. Move Around a Lot
This point is kind of a mix between walking a lot and travelling on a budget but do move around a lot. And I don’t just mean lots of walking but also travelling to different cities, lots of sightseeing, in general lots of activities.
4. Cook instead of eating out
If you cook for yourself or cook with others you at least know what types of ingredients you will have in your food. It’s also cheaper than easting out most of the time.
5. Go on Hikes
One of the cheapest activities to do when travelling is often to go on a hike. You won’t just be rewarded with incredible views but also with a great workout and feeling of accomplishment.
You also don’t need to be super fit to hike. I had never really hiked before and signed up for a four day hike in Colombia. It was definitely exhausting but totally doable.
6. Do water sports (surfing, swimming, snorkelling etc.)
If you love to travel to the ocean then make sure to do a lot of water activities. Surfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, waterski or swimming in the ocean, not just super fun activities but also great exercise.
And this is were Go Pro’s come in super handy! The best way to document all your outdoor and water activities. Also check out my essential Go Pro accessories.
7. Eat fruits
If you have ever been to Southeast Asia (well Thailand specifically), you might have encountered lots of street vendors selling delicious fruits or smoothies. If you are travelling in a country that does that, too, make use of it and try to eat all of the delicious fruits you can find along the way.
8. Do home workouts
For a lot of workouts you don’t need to have any equipment and you can do them from anywhere in the world. It might be a little awkward to do a home workout in the hostel but you can always find some workout buddies. If you are staying in a hotel, there might even be a gym or you can do quick workouts in your hotel room.
9. Join Bike tours
I have never really had much interest in joining bike tours when travelling until I went to Colombia. I did a bike tour with my hostel in Medellín and it was such as great experience.
It wasn’t only a good exercise but also I got to see the city from a completely different perspective and it was just a rewarding experience. Highly recommend joining a bike tour.
10. Track your fitness
Tracking my fitness is such a motivation. I don’t only track everything with my Fitbit when travelling but also at home. In that way I can see how active I was, how long I worked out, how many steps I took or how many floors I climbed and more.
11. Join Fitbit challenges
Speaking of Fitbit’s, there is another cool feature that you can make use of: Fitbit Challenges. You can challenge your friends on weekly competitions to see who will get the most steps.
That is really fun especially if you have a lot of outdoor activities planned and know that you will be walking a lot.
12. Drink enough water
Drinking water has so many health benefits but it also helps you keep fit and hydrated. Always travel with a refillable water bottle so you can stay fit and hydrated throughout your travels.
Also make sure to inform yourself before if the tab water is drinkable where you are heading to or not. It is drinkable in a lot more places than you would think so.
13. Take the Stairs
If there is an option to take the stairs or pay for the elevator or cable car up, always opt for the stairs. It also will save you a bunch of money.
Like in Switzerland I hiked up and down to a view point instead of taking the cable car. It took over four hours but it also saved me about 40 USD and it was a great exercise. Also I’ve never taken this many steps in one day, about 43000 steps and smashed the Fitbit challenge that week.
Also climbing up a rock in Colombia was a great exercise and don’t even get me started on those stunning views.
14. Visit Outdoor Gyms
Outdoor gyms are not available in a lot of places or countries but they are such an amazing thing. There are free to use and help you to stay fit while travelling. So also make sure to always bring one set of sport clothes with you.
I’ve seen lots of great outdoor gyms in Tel Aviv and also in South Korea they were pretty common.
And these were some of my best tips on how to stay fit when travelling. Most of these don’t require much commitment and can easily be included in your travel routine.
Talk to you soon x
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