Do you need to exercise on holiday? Recently, various types of fitness trips and active holidays have become popular. But why should you exercise on holiday? Of course, the best way to combine a fun activity with your holiday is to get exercise and an experience at the same time.
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Fitcation - the new trend
Fitness holidays have become hot, topping trend report after trend report. The major travel agencies organise yoga trips, fitness trips, wellness trips and even trips with marathons or triathlons on the agenda. Themed weeks are not uncommon, for example, combining outdoor activities with healthy food, spa and meditation. Recently, it has become popular to call these trips 'fitcation', and perhaps spice them up with an activity that gives a holiday feeling, such as windsurfing, wave surfing or kite surfing.
How can you exercise on holiday?
We are honestly not best at exercising on holiday, but sometimes we try. When we travelled around Europe for a whole year by campervan we tried hard not to be too sedentary. Now we'll be travelling around Ireland in a campervan soon, so maybe we could do a little less hiking? Here are our 11 top tips for more (and more fun) exercise on holiday:
1. walking
Walking on holiday is a great way to look around and get some exercise, whether in the countryside or in the middle of a city.
What do you need? Comfortable shoes and comfortable clothes depending on the weather, and preferably a rucksack instead of a shoulder bag if you have to carry something.
Our experiences? We walk all the time when we're travelling, especially when we're in a city and want to look around. So it comes naturally!
2. Jogging
What almost always works is jogging. You can jog both in cities and in nature, and one of the advantages is that you can look around at the same time.
What do you need? Good running shoes, training clothes, water and maybe a small "key holder". I have to drink a lot when I run, so I usually attach a hydration belt around my hips.
Our experiences? Unfortunately, we think jogging is boring, but there have been times when we have jogged on holiday, including a month on the coast in Albufeira, Portugal.
3. cycling
Among other things, cycling is ideal for many people travelling by camper van and taking their bike with them. In many towns and cities, as well as on campsites, you can also rent a bicycle and take a look around.
What do you need? Comfortable shoes, clothes for the weather and perhaps a rucksack.
Our experiences? We do not have a bicycle in our motorhome, which means that we cycle quite rarely. On a few occasions we have rented bikes at campsites, including on Öland and in Poland.
4. work out at the gym
If you're staying in a slightly larger or fancier hotel, or on a cruise ship, there is often access to a gym. Some larger campsites may also have gym equipment, but this is less common.
What do you need? Training clothes
Our experiences? When we stay in hotels, it's usually a few nights in a row and we rarely have time to train. On a few occasions it has worked, including when we stayed ten days in a hotel in Canada and I was at a conference.
5. running your own training programme
One option is to bring your own training programme with you. For many years we have run a programme that we have on a CD. The programme can then be run in the hotel room, or why not outside the motorhome.
What do you need? Training programmes (online, on paper, etc.), training clothes and any equipment such as resistance bands.
Our experiences? When we travelled around Europe with the motorhome, it went relatively well. We felt uneasy about running the programme in public view at the campsites, so we bought a "training tent", i.e. an ordinary awning ...
6. swimming
One activity that is often taken for granted on holiday is swimming. Swimming is also a gentle way for the body to stay in shape.
What do you need? Swimwear and towel, if you also want to go snorkelling, you may want a cyclops.
Our experiences? Of course we swim on holiday, and sometimes there is more swimming and sometimes less.
7. kayaking
Last but not least, don't forget that you can stay fit by doing active activities while travelling, such as hiking, cycling or kayaking.
What do you need? Comfortable clothing for the weather, including swimwear.
Our experiences? Paddling is not something we do regularly, but we have taken the opportunity a few times, including in Stockholm, New Zealand and Thailand.
8. mountain biking
Mountain biking is a great way to stay fit and experience the destination at the same time.
What do you need? Trainers or hiking shoes and comfortable clothes for the weather (helmets can be borrowed from the mountain bike hire company).
Our experiences? We have tried mountain biking twice, once in Malta and once downhill in Switzerland. Two fantastic experiences!
9. climbing
Another way to stay active on holiday is to try climbing. As well as being physically active, you can take on an exciting challenge.
What do you need? Sneakers or hiking shoes to get to the climbing site and comfortable clothes for the weather (climbing equipment can be rented from the organiser).
Our experiences? We have only tried outdoor climbing once, in Gozo, Malta. Awesome experience!
10. ride
Riding on holiday is usually a great way to experience nature, often in places where cars can't go, while keeping fit.
What do you need? Good shoes (preferably with a small heel to avoid slipping through the stirrup) and comfortable clothes for the weather (helmets can be borrowed from the organiser).
Our experiences? We rode on a few occasions, including in Sweden, Iceland, New Zealand and Mongolia.
11. skiing
The perfect activity for winter holidays is of course skiing. You go skiing for the fun of it and to experience the glorious winter - and you get a great workout in the process!
What do you need? Ski clothing, goggles, boots, skis, poles and helmet (ski equipment can be rented).
Our experiences? Yes, we go on skiing holidays regularly, that is, every ten years, haha. About ten years ago we went skiing in Sälen and last year we went skiing in Austria.
Do you exercise on holiday? What are your best tips?
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Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
This is an eternal dilemma. Now we have trained bad shoulders and backs at the gym this winter and now we are going on a trip for a month or so. Heavy dumbbells are not something you pack in the motorhome, but a set of rubber bands can go along (whether they are then used is another question).
Hiking and walking is something we do more when travelling than at home and in the motorhome there are also two 7-speed, folding mini-bikes, which are perfectly fine to get around on. (No electric bikes as long as we can pedal under our own power).
25 April 2018 - 6:17
Helena says:
Both hiking and cycling are very good exercise! If you also manage to combine with rubber bands, it will be even more versatile training! 🙂 How sad, by the way, if this is true that you can not drive a heavy motorhome in Albania with a regular driving licence (suppose someone checked!?)! I have not thought about it at all. I have read all the rules on the Motormännens website, but I could not find anything about this. Affects many ...
25 April 2018 - 7:15
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
We have emailed M as it is not clear anywhere what applies. We've been told that our rules with pre-1996 B licences apply within the EU, but he should email M's counterparts in Albania and Serbia and get back to us. It doesn't seem worth taking a chance. The police can be zealous and there may be a minor accident, not fun without a valid driving licence. ......
25 April 2018 - 16:32
Lennart says:
Cycling will probably be a part of the future.
We may be getting into old routines.
25 April 2018 - 6:54
Helena says:
Cycling is good exercise! 🙂
25 April 2018 - 7:16
Birgitta in Umeå says:
As we are in Greece most of the time, we see many hikers there. We also have Swedish friends who do hiking there, mainly in Crete.
Hiking is neither 'walking' nor 'climbing'. Therefore, you need different equipment. As well as checking out hiking trails. The same applies in our Swedish and Norwegian mountains. And in many other countries.
Unfortunately, we ourselves are afflicted with bad backs and legs. We would love to hike just like we did in the past.
25 April 2018 - 14:43
Helena says:
I agree, hiking is neither walking nor climbing. The reason I didn't include hiking as one of our top tips is because we are super bad at hiking, unfortunately. Maybe we can get a little better at Ireland? In a way, hiking feels like the perfect holiday exercise!
25 April 2018 - 19:18
Alexandra says:
Fitcation, never heard... very strange name I must say haha. Probably sounds best if you look at it in English and not Swedish 😉.
Whether I train on holiday or not varies, if I am away for 1 week or a weekend, I do what I feel like. However, I usually have my training clothes with me. But if I am travelling for several weeks, I train, the body needs to move ... that's just the way it is.
Of course, people often walk more when they are away and that is good, walking, cycling, swimming and so on is good and it is better than nothing, but it is not enough to stay in good health. Nor do you reach the WHO's minimum standard for promoting health, because you also need muscle-strengthening activities.
But of course it is always harder to keep good habits when the habits are broken and everyone can do what they want! 🙂
25 April 2018 - 14:45
Helena says:
Haha, ok, I keep reading the word in English then 😉 Completely agree that there is a difference between a long or a short trip. If you are away for a week, you can do exactly what you feel like doing, I think! The longer the trip, the more important it is! Also agree with you that it is good to combine the cardio training with muscle-strengthening activities 🙂 (Does not always get it, unfortunately ...)
25 April 2018 - 19:21
Lena - good for the soul says:
Yes, indeed. I train almost the most on holiday. That's when you have time, I think. Going for a run at ten in the morning and seeing the city wake up is one of the best things! Or along a beach, or a forest trail for that matter.
Hug Lena
25 April 2018 - 20:05
Marina says:
Of course, there are many different ways to keep going on holiday, it's just a matter of doing it 😉 It's often the case that most people on holiday are walking anyway, so a bit of exercise is probably in order for many.
25 April 2018 - 20:57
BP says:
It is enough with (long) walks for me, preferably with pit stops on the way;-)
25 April 2018 - 22:31