How To Stay Fit Traveling On The Road

Whether you travel full-time on the road, travel for work or just go on short getaways it’s important to stay fit on the road.

It’s easy to put off your health when you are traveling, because you don’t have your regular routine or a familiar gym. But with a little creativity and willingness to try something new, there are many ways to get exercise on the road.

You might even discover something fun to shake up your old workout routine that’s getting stale.

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Gym Membership:

One way to stay fit on the road is to get a membership at a gym where they have multiple locations. For example Planet Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Lifetime fitness, etc. These gyms have locations all around the United States. Another bonus is the access to showers, so you can wash up after getting your sweat on.  But the one drawback, is that there may not be a location nearby every time you need one.

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Hiking:

Our personal favorite way to get exercise while traveling is hiking. It’s an easy, low-cost, way to get fresh air, burn some calories and enjoy nature’s beauty. Our favorite ways to find the best hikes are the AllTrails App, Web Searches, or talking to locals. Hiking is great for cardiovascular health, and even has some unexpected mental health benefits for mood, stress, and creativity.  But in order to burn some serious calories, prepare to devote a large portion of your day.

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Go for a run:

But if you don’t have time for a long hike, you can get the same calorie burn in a short run. Most easy hiking trails make great places to run because they tend to be pretty flat. But you pretty much have the freedom to run anywhere, trails around lakes, along rivers, or just on city sidewalks. Plus, it’s also a great way to explore a new place without spending any gas money.

My favorite running app is: Map My Run. It tracks your total miles and pace per mile. 

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Work out apps/programs:

Another great way to workout while traveling on the road is a workout app or program. It’s simply one of my favorite ways to stay fit on the road. Let other people take the guesswork out of choosing what exercises to do. I have the Beachbody app and love their quick 30 minute workouts. I stick to the bodyweight workouts because I don’t have weights with me while I travel on the road full-time. And you can even download a few of the workout programs for when you are out of service range. 

My favorite bodyweight workouts from Beachbody are: Insanity Max 30, PiYo, T25, or yoga retreat. 

Other great workout apps are SWEAT, FitOn, Julian Micheals Fitness, Fit30, etc.

You can also find great FREE workouts on YouTube. For example, type into the search bar: bodyweight workouts, weight loss workout routines, strength training at home, yoga workout, etc. 

Public Parks:

One way Jake and I often workout to stay fit on the road is in a public park. We grab our yoga mats, resistance bands, resistance loops and head to the grass. We lay out our yoga mats on the grass and do our own workout routines. A bonus is some parks actually have a workout course with pull up bars, ab crunchers, tricep dips, etc. 

If you have a yoga mat, and some resistance bands, you can basically workout anywhere! 

Here Is Some Of Our Favorite Gear To Stay Fit On The Road:

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Campsites:

If you travel full-time in a vehicle, than you most likely stop at campsites. And right outside your vehicle is usually a decent place to get a workout in because you are usually parked somewhere flat.

If the campsite doesn’t have a great place to lay a yoga mat down, then we will sometimes lay out a tarp or our CGear Sand-free Mat (use code tworoamingsouls for 10% off) to put our yoga mat on top of it.

Or if it is too rocky, then do some exercises that don’t require you to get on the ground such as squats, jumping jacks, lunges, burpees, tricep dips, resistance bands, etc. 

I’ve also done a handful of workouts inside the van. Just grab the resistance bands and do exercises that don’t require a lot of room. 

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Find an outdoor court/field:

There are a lot of public outdoor courts/fields where you can get some exercise if you have a friend and the right equipment. 

We have our tennis rackets with us on the road and love when we find a public tennis court. Or whatever sport you like, basketball, football, baseball, frisbee, etc. We find that frisbee and tennis are fun ways to mix it up when we don’t feel like working out.

For most sports, you will need a partner, but if you solo-travel maybe see if there is someone in the park who might want to throw around the ball. Basketball is usually the best sport to find people to play with.

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Go For a swim:

One awesome way to get a little exercise while traveling and stay fit on the road is to find a lake or public swimming pool nearby. You can get down to business doing laps or just tread water for some time!

It’s a bonus if you swim in an alpine lake because the water is most likely frigid and your body is burning more calories to regulate your body temperature. 

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Kayak, canoe, paddleboat, SUP, etc:

Another super fun way to stay fit on the road is to get out onto the water. There are a ton of companies that rent out equipment to play with on the water, or even better if you already own the equipment.

This can be a super fun way to experience the water source you are nearby while getting in a nice workout! It might not be the cheapest way to get exercise, but it can be a way to splurge in a city or town while burning some calories!

Simply just research Kayak/Canoe/Paddleboat/SUP rental near me on google maps and it will show you all the rental companies in the area. I would then search for the most inexpensive rental company or one with good star ratings and go on an epic adventure!

Jake and I added the Intex Inflatable Kayak into our vanlife set up, and it is the perfect item to get you out on the water. It packs down small so it can be taken on the road.

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Bike Ride:

If you have a bike, this is an easy one for you to stay fit traveling on the road. But if you don’t own a bike, there are companies that rent out bikes for a reasonable price. Or if you are in a city, you can sign up for different apps that let you rent out bikes such as uber, lyft, razor, etc. But there are also cheaper rentals in some cities where you can rent out a bike for $5 a day. 

For example: In Salt Lake City, there is a non-profit bike share called GREENbike and you can rent a bike for 24-hours for $7. You just rent it from one of the stations downtown and must return it before the 24 hour time frame! 

There are many companies in major cities that rent out bikes. Many small towns have bike rentals as well, but the price might be a little higher for a day rental. Research bike rentals in the location you are visiting and see if the price is reasonable! It’s a great way to get around and get exercise at the same time!

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Yoga:

Many yoga studios have drop in sessions and it can be a great way to get a good workout in while traveling on the road. But, it can get expensive if you choose this route often. So I would learn some great moves inside the class and practice your own yoga in a park, in your van/RV, etc. 

Yoga is a great exercise for physical and mental clarity. Many people pick up yoga as a workout on the road because it doesn’t require much equipment and it can be done almost anywhere!

And a bonus for vanlifers is that we spend so much time crouching inside our van, that it’s nice to really focus on posture and lengthening the spine.

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Healthier Diet

Last, but certainly not least, is having a healthy diet while traveling on the road. It’s definitely a myth that you can’t eat healthy for cheap or while traveling. A lot of vegetables and fruits are relatively inexpensive and can be easy to prepare for a delicious meal! 

We love just dipping raw veggies in hummus or dressings. Or at least having a vegetable side with all our meals.

But you can also do various things such as a veggie stir fries, roasted veggies, substituting cauliflower for fatty meats in tacos or burger, etc. 

Or if you prefer going out to eat, substitute the side salad for french fries!

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Takeaway:

Traveling on the road doesn’t have to mess with your workout routine. It may be more of a challenge to get in a quick workout or choose the healthy meal options. And it may take a little extra courage or planning to get exercise in a foreign place. But, health and fitness should always be a priority whether you are traveling full-time on the road or not! Picking up some resistance bands and throwing them in your travel bag or keeping them stowed away in your van is an easy way to stay fit on the road.

And if you’re having trouble getting started, just try to commit to one or two things per week. And you’ll be surprised the internal momentum you feel once you find a few things you like to do. Let your commitment to getting exercise be your routine, not necessarily being at the gym 5 days per week.  That way, no matter what options you have available, traveling on the road wont stop you from staying fit.