15 Ways to Stay Healthy on Your Next Vacation (And Still Have Fun)

May 21, 2017
wta_admin
5 min read

Have you ever come back from vacation feeling a bit lethargic, and like you’ve indulged just a little too much? Do you struggle with getting back into a healthy routine, or with continuing your overindulgence long after you’re back at home?

Unless you specifically plan a trip based on your health and wellbeing it can be difficult to stay fit when you travel, even for the most health-conscious among us. Travel can be stressful, and it’s easy to the good wellness habits you’ve worked hard on slide. So how do you stay healthy on your next holiday? With these wellness vacation tips!

Walk everywhere you can

Don’t forget to pack your walking shoes, because the best way to see a new place is on foot! Instead of watching the sites pass by through a taxi or bus window, get amongst it and stay healthy when you travel by walking wherever you can. Some destinations might require you to take transportation, but wherever you can, walk it. In many European cities like Rome, Paris, or London, the sites are closer than you think!

If you're enjoying a beach vacation then take a walk alongside the ocean every morning, or look for a local hike away from the beach to add something different to your trip.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Rent a bicycle

Renting a bicycle is a great option for staying healthy on the road, especially if the distances between sites are a little further. Many cities now have public bicycles for use, or try asking your accommodation where you might hire a bike.

Cycling is a fun way to explore a city, especially if it's how the locals do it too. Just make sure you brush up on the road rules for wherever you are first!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Book a fitness-friendly trip

Book a wellness trip for your next vacation if you have trouble staying healthy when you travel. Going on a yoga retreat is a great way to relax your mind and body and see some of the top places to travel around the world. You can take advantage of optional activities for some extra adventure!

But yoga retreats aren’t the only type of wellness vacation. Trips that involve hiking, or are an entire hiking adventure will definitely keep you fit on the road, if not improve your fitness! You may be able to go on a horse riding trip or spend time learning a new sport like windsurfing. Wellness travel is all about finding what’s right for you!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Have a go-to traveling exercise routine

Even those of us with the most regular exercise regime can find it hard to keep up with our fitness when we travel. The key is to have a go-to exercise routine for when you're away. Body weight exercises are a great option because you don’t need to bring anything with you, and you can usually find all you need within your accommodation or at the local park. A chair or a park bench work just as well as a gym bench, and you can do exercises like pushups or squats no matter where you are!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Track your vacation activities

If you find it hard to keep your fitness routine going while you’re on vacation then make a conscious effort to track your progress. It’s easy to let a couple of days without exercise slip by and before you know it, a week has passed! At the end of each day make a note of all the physical activities you’ve done, even if it’s just walking down to the pool and taking a dip! It’ll help to motivate you to make an effort and decide your activities for the next day.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Join a local class

Just because you’re away from home it doesn’t mean you can’t participate in any fitness classes. Staying fit and healthy when you travel can be as easy as joining a local class. Casual yoga classes are often run at beachside locations or find a gym that lets you pay per class. If you want to try something different while you’re traveling then look for a casual dance class. It’s a fun way to improve your fitness and you don’t need to worry about embarrassing yourself since you won’t be back!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Plan active adventures

Vacations aren’t all lying on the beach, so between sun sessions fit in some adventure activities! Staying healthy on holiday doesn’t have to be boring, it can be adventurous too. Take a surf lesson or look up a local hike. Swim in the ocean every day and improve your fitness battling the waves.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Stay hydrated

One of our top wellness tips is to stay hydrated, both and home and when you’re away! Dehydration can often be mistaken for hunger, so pause when you have the chance and have a refreshment, or take a refillable water bottle with you wherever you go.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Don’t skimp on the sleep, and relax

Our bodies need rest and relaxation, especially when we’re crossing time zones, physically traveling a lot and carrying luggage wherever we go. Make sure you use some of your hard earned vacation time for sleeping!

Find ways to destress, like reading a book, listening to music or meditating in the morning before you start your day.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Enjoy the local food in moderation

Traveling is all about experiencing new things, especially new foods! But the trick is not to go overboard. Don’t stuff yourself with that delicious new food until your full, instead eat little and often throughout the day. This way you get to try even more!

To help you stay healthy when you’re traveling, try to commit to one healthy meal a day. This will keep you in a healthy frame of mind, and you’ll feel better for it.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Pace yourself

We travel to see new things, and it can be hard not to overdo it trying to see ALL the things! Stay in a better frame of mind by pacing yourself. There’s no point pushing yourself to see too much and not enjoying it in the process.

Plan in some rest days to balance things out and to give yourself some flexibility if you don't in all the things you want to do on the other days. Enjoy experiences rather than ticking items off a list just to say you've done it!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Find a fitness-friendly buddy or group to travel with

Traveling with a healthy minded friend can help you to stay on track with your fitness because you can motivate each other. Decide before the trip what you both want to achieve and how you’ll be health conscious while you’re traveling.

You can also join a group trip that involves exercise as well as adventure, or create your own!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Cook some of your own meals

Not only is cooking for yourself a more budget-friendly way to travel, it also gives you a chance to check out the markets and supermarkets and see how the locals do it. Better yet, take a cooking class and learn to cook some of the delicious foods so that you can enjoy them when you're back at home too!

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Wear sunscreen

The health of our skin is so important, and while you might choose a sunny destination so that you can get a tan, don’t overdo it! Blistering red skin isn’t a great look and backpack straps on sunburn are definitely not fun.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

Find time to stretch

Stretching is great for your body and can really help you relax. Starting your day with a stretching routine while you’re traveling will give you time to tune into how your body is feeling and prepare for the day ahead.

Check out our yoga poses you can do at your desk because they work for when you’re abroad too! You’re bound to find a chair at your accommodation that you can use, sit on the end of your bed with your feet flat on the floor, or sit crosslegged on the floor.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

 

Don’t forget to indulge yourself

Worrying about your health and fitness so much on your vacation that you can’t relax is doing you more harm than good. Taking a vacation is a way of giving yourself a mental break. You should enjoy yourself, so live a little! Just don’t overdo it so much that you feel worse later. Have a great night out, but the next day give your liver a break. Explore a city on foot all day, and treat yourself to an indulgent meal at night.

Stay Healthy on Vacation

 

A vacation should be good for your mind and body and staying healthy when you travel doesn’t have to be hard if you keep these tips in mind. And if you want someone else to do the wellness travel planning for you, then check out our yoga retreats and group trips!