In exactly three more sleeps, I’m off on holiday for 16 glorious days. I am so incredibly excited that I have to physically restrain myself from going to the airport right now. First stop is Paris, and after a couple of nights there it’s off to my new favourite football nation, Iceland. Bring. It. On. Now, as far as I’m concerned, there are about a billion excellent things about travelling, and only one (very slight) negative. And that’s that it tends to be more difficult to stay fit and healthy while you’re off on vacation. Difficult doesn’t mean impossible though, so before you throw in the towel and resign yourself to that extra 3kg, check out my top travel tips for staying healthy while you’re off exploring the globe.
Do Your Research
Call upon your old friend Google to lead the way. Check out local gyms, walking tracks, hikes, grocery stores and healthy cafes. Have a friend who’s visited your destination? Get their hottest travel tips and insider info… knowledge is power!
Pack Food for Your Flight
Airline food may have come a long way, but it hasn’t come THAT far. Highly processed and packed full of sodium, it can be a recipe for disaster – or mild discomfort at least. Try to eat a healthy meal before your flight and pack some snacks to keep you occupied on the plane. Think fruit, trail mix (make your own!), bliss balls and herbal tea – peppermint is great for settling the tummy. And remember that you don’t need to eat every time that food is offered to you!
Explore by Foot
There’s nothing cooler than wandering through the backstreets of a foreign city (providing it’s safe to do so!). Forget the red buses, you’ll have heaps more fun discovering hidden gems without a tour guide yabbering over the loudspeaker. And if you’re outside of a major city, hiking is the way to go – make your way to the nearest vantage point and take in the countryside.
Pack a Skipping Rope
If you’re a regular follower of the blog, you’ll have noticed I’ve rediscovered my love of skipping. It’s such a great workout (and it burns serious calories!) and – best of all when you’re travelling – a skipping rope is so small that it’ll fit into the tiniest of backpacks with ease AND you can get a killer workout in just 15 minutes!
Drink Lots of (Clean) Water
Staying hydrated is so important, and so easy to forget when we’re outside our regular routine. It’s also easy to mistake thirst for hunger too, which often results in extra, unnecessary calories. Keep a drink bottle with you at all times and sip throughout the day and night – particularly if you’re doing a lot of walking.
Have a Go-To Bodyweight Workout
Some places aren’t safe for you to be on the streets by yourself. Or the weather will be too cold and there won’t be any gyms nearby. Prepare for these scenarios with a go-to bodyweight workout. It should require little space, no equipment, and you should be totally comfortable with all of the exercises. I’ve got a bunch of them in the Workouts section of my blog here if you need some ideas.
Avoid Total Blowouts
Holidays are not the time to be counting calories and berating yourself for missing a workout, but they also don’t have to morph into an eating competition at every meal. You probably wouldn’t have eggs followed by pancakes followed by pastry for breakfast every day at home, so it doesn’t make any sense to do it while you’re on holidays. Learn the difference between indulgence and stomach ache.
Avoid Hangovers
You’re on holidays and you want to celebrate. I get it. But exploring a new city with a pounding headache and the threat of vomit is not a good time. Have a few drinks, but don’t forget why you’re on your adventure in the first place (assuming you’re not there to be drunk the whole time, that is).
So there you have it… my top eight travel tips for staying healthy while you’re gallivanting across the globe. Got anything to add? Comment below (and please do it quickly, I’m leaving soon!).
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