Fitness Tips for Travelers

Traveling is all fun and games (okay, or business) until you realize you left your regular workout routine at home. 

Whether you’re jet-setting for a work conference or meeting the group chat at the beach for the week, staying active while away from your usual environment can be tricky. 

But don’t worry — you don’t necessarily have to get up at 4 AM to beat the hotel gym rush or power-walk through the airport like you’re in a ‘90s workout video to get moving while traveling. 

With some creativity and planning, you can keep your energy and confidence up, your body moving, and your fitness goals intact. To help, we’ve compiled eight simple strategies to stay fit while traveling.

When searching for a “home away from home,” you’ll probably focus on priorities like location, convenience to activities, and price — but it’s also helpful to ensure your accommodations allow for easy fitness. 

To make working out on vacation easier, look for places that offer: 

• On-site fitness centers. Even a small hotel gym with a treadmill, some dumbbells, or perhaps a lap pool can help you stick to a fitness routine. 

• Proximity to trail systems or parks. Nearby green spaces or trailheads provide an accessible option for morning jogs, outdoor yoga, or afternoon hikes. Bonus points if the hotel is within walking distance. 

• Access to nearby gyms. If you have a membership to a nationwide gym, check to see if there’s a location at your destination. Some hotels also partner with local fitness clubs to give guests free or discounted access while in town. It can’t hurt to ask — and if they don’t, consider contacting nearby gyms to see if they have a day pass you could try. 

• Rooms with space to move. If none of the above options pan out, just having some extra floor space in your hotel room or rental home can be enough. That’s all you need for bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, and push-ups, or pack your resistance bands. 

Need some ideas? Check out our guides to strength training for beginners and at-home workouts to lose weight.

When you’re checking out your accommodations, take note of what’s around, and be sure to pack some versatile workout sneakers — you never know when you might be able to throw them on and get some steps in.

Depending on how close you’ll be to your event center, the beach, or downtown restaurants, consider walking instead of catching a ride share. Some places might even have bicycles to rent. 

Challenge yourself to continue meeting your daily step goal while traveling. That might mean going for an evening walk, wandering through town like a local, or taking the stairs as often as possible.

We don’t recommend packing your dumbbells, but you can still save some space in your suitcase for some more reasonable fitness tools. 

Consider these low-bulk, travel-friendly ideas that can make it easier to stay in shape on vacation — regardless of where you end up: 

• Resistance loop bands. Loop bands work well for exercises like leg raises, donkey kicks, deadlifts, or arm pull-aparts. 

• Compact yoga mat. Bring your travel-friendly mat if you’re averse to using the hotel room floor for yoga poses or stretching. 

• Fitness app. Download an app that can help you stay on track with your goals and/or provide guided workouts anywhere. The choices are nearly endless — try one that counts your steps throughout the day or one that gives you a quick-hitter 20-minute cardio sesh before bed.

• Jump rope. This quick and effective way to get your heart rate up is a simple hack when there’s no gym access, or the weather is bad (just make sure you have the ceiling height for it). Alternate jumping rope with jumping jacks and burpees for a full-body workout.

• Handle bands. These come in various thicknesses that give you different difficulty levels, so you might pack a lighter one for deltoid raises and triceps and a thicker one for bicep curls. 

• Ab roller. Don’t want to do crunches on the carpet? Work on your six-pack anywhere with this travel-friendly tool.

Who says exercise has to feel like exercise? Instead of forcing yourself to get to the gym when the ocean is calling your name, you can move your body intentionally in unconventional ways. 

Here are some ideas: 

• Hike to get the best views. Rather than driving all the way up to a scenic spot, see if there’s a safe way to get there by foot. The view from the top can be even better after you work hard to reach it. 

• Try some water sports. If you’re in an area where bodies of water are a central activity spot, join the fun. For instance, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, or snorkeling all count as exercise. 

• Roll through the town. See if you can get your hands (or feet) on a rental bike or a pair of rollerblades and hit the sidewalk. Even if you don’t have a destination in mind, exploring your surroundings this way can give you a better lay of the land — and help you take note of places to eat or shop later. 

• Check out the excursions. Lots of touristy places have fun activities pre-planned and ready to go. All you have to do is sign up for activities like zip lining, a ropes course, or rock climbing. And if you can’t find those, maybe there’s a local 5K or similar event going on while you’re there.

Travel can easily become a snack fest, but nutrition doesn’t have to take a back seat just because you’re out of your regular routine. While we would never tell you to miss out on all the local faves, fitness and healthy eating go hand-in-hand no matter where you are. 

As much as you can, focus on building plates balanced with lean proteins, fiber, and healthy fats to keep you satiated, energized, and feeling good. 

After all, you’re not going to feel like taking that 6 AM sunrise hike if you’ve been trying to fuel yourself on empty calories from vending machine candy bars. 

Keep these nutrition tips in mind while traveling: 

• Have protein at every meal. Lean protein helps support muscle maintenance and can help keep you fuller for longer between meals, curbing mindless snack attacks. Opt for protein choices like tofu, beans, eggs, nuts, and seeds, and check out 17 simple ways to add more protein to your plate for more ideas.

• Pack healthy snacks. Whether you bring them from home or grab a few overpriced items at the airport terminal, having nutrient-dense snack foods easily accessible can help prevent less-than-healthy choices. For instance, trail mixes, protein bars, or dried fruit are shelf-stable, convenient, and can provide some fiber-rich carbs.

• Hydrate. Bring a reusable water bottle with you, fill it every morning, and sip on it throughout the day. Not only does this help prevent travel dehydration and keep things regular, but it can also prevent overeating. Tired of plain water? Instead of caffeine or alcohol, grab an herbal tea bag from the hotel lobby. 

• Don’t skip meals. It can be tempting to push through your travel itinerary even if it means skipping meals, but this often leads to dips in blood sugar and overeating later. Just as you make time for meetings or massages, prioritize sit-down meals as much as possible.

Between time zone changes, erratic schedules, and airport germs, traveling can put added stress on your body and make it harder to eat as well as you do at home. 

While vitamin and mineral supplements can’t replace the nutritional value of whole foods, they can support your overall wellness and immunity and potentially help fill some gaps while traveling. 

Some supplements that may be worth considering while traveling are: 

• Multivitamins. If you already take a multivitamin, it makes sense to continue it while traveling. A good multivitamin with minerals can help ensure you get the micronutrients you need while navigating healthy food choices away from home.

• Immune boosters. Traveling exposes you to lots of new germs, so consider having some zinc on hand to help support your immune system if you start to feel sniffles or a sore throat.

• Probiotics. Changes in your routine can lead to changes in bowel habits, and nobody wants to deal with constipation or diarrhea while traveling. While research is limited, you might consider adding a probiotic to your routine, along with any fermented foods you can find at mealtime, like tempeh, miso soup, or sauerkraut.

• Vitamin D. Supplementing with vitamin D, especially if you spend a lot of time indoors, may help you maintain energy, mood, and immune function.

Sleep is often the first thing to go when traveling (hello, jet lag), but getting enough rest is essential for your overall well-being and mental health. It also supports your fitness-away-from-home goals.

If you struggle to sleep in hotels, here are some simple strategies to help keep your rest on track: 

• Stick to a consistent schedule. To help regulate your body clock, try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day.

• Create a sleep-promoting environment. You may not be able to change the existing hotel room aesthetic, but even packing an eye mask or earplugs or using a white noise sounds app can make a big difference. 

• Avoid late-night screens. Research shows that “mistimed” exposures to blue light from phones, laptops, and TVs can disrupt normal melatonin secretion and make it harder to fall asleep. 

• Be mindful of alcohol and caffeine intake. Avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoons, especially if you’re sensitive to it, as this stimulant takes several hours to leave your system. Even though alcohol is considered a downer, it’s known to disrupt sleep quality and promote nighttime wake-ups. 

• Hydrate, within reason. Hydrate upon waking and consistently throughout the day. Just cut it off an hour or two before bed, so you’re not interrupted by midnight bathroom trips. 

Prioritizing your sleep — ideally seven to eight hours per night, according to the experts — isn’t just about rest, though. It also helps ensure that you have the energy and motivation to stay on track with your fitness goals while traveling. 

Read more in our guide to how to sleep better.

Just like at home, a little planning goes a long way when you’re trying to stay fit while traveling for work or play. 

Sure, you could wing it and see what happens, but in our experience, it’s pretty easy to veer off course when tempted (or tired).

If you already have an itinerary set, consider where you can fit in your workouts. That might mean waking up to hit the hotel gym before day one of the conference starts or seeing if some of the other attendees are up for a lunch-break hike. 

On the other hand, if your trip schedule is wide open, make it a priority to schedule your workouts — everything else can fall into place around your exercise routine.

Staying fit while traveling doesn’t mean you have to stick to a rigid workout plan or skip out on all the fun. It’s about making movement a natural part of your time away, fueling your body with good nutrition, and prioritizing habits that keep you feeling your best. 

To make the most of your vacation and your fitness journey: 

• Plan ahead for workouts and nutrition, as this helps keep you on track and prevents regret later. 

• Check out all the options around where you’re staying. Depending on what's nearby, outdoor adventures, the hotel gym, or bodyweight workouts in your room can all be all good bets for intentional movement.

• Aim for consistency, not perfection, and remember that a little effort can go a long way — even if it’s a few minutes with an ab roller and a yoga mat on your hotel room floor most days.

Go ahead, enjoy your travels, move when you can, and know that maintaining your fitness while on the go is totally doable.

For more tips on keeping exercise a top priority when normal routines change, read our guide on how to stay fit during the holidays.