HOW I MANAGE TO STAY ACTIVE WHILE TRAVELLING

I’ve been often asked how I manage to keep up with my workouts while travelling. It’s not easy, but when it comes to working out, I never compromise. I always find a way. It required a bit of planning in advance, but it’s totally doable.  

My top tips

👉 Plan in advance: Before arriving at a destination, I check all the gyms in the city on Google. Then I send them emails to double-check if their gym is still open (sometimes it can be temporary or permanently closed and it’s not always shown on Google) and ask if they accept short-term subscriptions or one-time visit payments. I also check their timetables and if they’re open on weekends. I had experiences when gyms were closed on weekends, even though Google was showing they are open.

👉 You need to make it a priority: On day one when I arrive at the destination, I go straight to the selected gym (or in some cases, I visit multiple so that I can see what machines are available). I take photos of the machines and then I go home and make a plan for my upcoming workouts based on the machines available. I know that this sounds like a lot of planning, but this actually gives me peace of mind, as my workouts are a priority thus I act accordingly.

👉 If it’s a hotel stay, I always choose a hotel that has a gym. This seems easy when you have a filter for that on most hotel booking websites, but in reality, it’s much more difficult than expected. As many hotels do mention that they have a gym when in reality they only have two or three cardio machines. Thus, before booking a hotel, I try to find photos of the actual gym.

👉Be flexible: Learn to work with what you have and make the most of it. Many times you only have a few dumbbells or only upper body equipment. If you’re not sure what to do, you can find plenty of exercises one click away, just search online for inspiration. Personally, I’m not picky and I actually enjoy being challenged to find ways to train with minimum equipment. Also, there are cases where you cannot simply get a short-term subscription. For example in London, I ended up getting a short-term swimming pool subscription, as it was my only option. All the gyms I checked have asked for a minimum of 3 or 6 months membership.

👉 Have a backup plan: I always travel with my set of resistance bands. In case nothing will work out as planned and I’m stuck on a mountain with no gym, I use my own body weight and the resistance bands to get a good sweat and keep my body active. I also enjoy a lot of cardio Tae-Bo workouts which I can do anywhere. Lastly, you can run anywhere or just climb some stairs to get your heart rate up.

And don’t forget, as they say ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way!’ You just need to find it.