Fitness Tips for Travelers

Often, the key to staying healthy is sticking to a routine. However, when you’re traveling, it can be tough to maintain your regular schedule. Whether you’re a frequent flyer, a road trip junkie, or just the occasional traveler, there are plenty of ways to stay on track—as long as you plan ahead. These seasoned travelers know the ins and outs of staying healthy when you’re far from home.

The Experts

Jessica Marshall
Former D1 collegiate basketball player with a kinesiology degree from Rice University. Marshall works as a flight attendant and flies about 20 times each month, on average.

Trevor Perrmann
Former guitarist for an Austin-based cover band, the Spacerockers. For the last three and half years, Perrmann and his bandmates were on the road almost every weekend, driving an average of three to five hours each way.

Staying Mentally Fit

JM: Podcast: Serial and In The Dark
Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

​TP: Podcast: The School of Greatness
Book: Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Diet

JM: I like to pack a paleo wrap, using a gluten-free tortilla or collard greens to wrap the protein in.

Bring an empty water bottle to the airport. They now have filtered water at airports, so once you get past security fill up so you don’t have to spend $5 on a bottle of water. For each flight you should drink three liters of water because flying dehydrates you.

TP: I'll do a meal prep on Sundays and have food for the entire week, including the weekend. Usually it’s complex carbs, fats and protein—sweet potatoes and brown rice, fresh fruit, veggies,  and chicken is the easiest thing. Put it in tupperware and then pack it in a cooler.

Exercise

JM: There’s almost always a treadmill in hotel gym facilities—which is great for interval workouts. If you don’t know where to start, search YouTube or Instagram for programming. I would also recommend ClassPass, especially if you are open to trying different studios. For something more familiar, OrangeTheory has over 500 locations and the membership pricing is very reasonable.

TP: For the first year or so, I had a 24-Hour Fitness membership. Look into getting a widely accessible gym membership to fit in a little bit of weight lifting and high intensity work. When I didn’t have access to a gym, I’d make sure to get outside and go for a long walk.

Make time to focus on mobility if you’re going to be in a car, van, or bus for a long time. Travel with a foam roller and lacrosse ball to work on that during pit stops or breaks.

Pro Tips

Every hotel always has extra mini fridges that they will provide if your room doesn’t come with one. And, you will always have access to a microwave either in your room on or in a common area.

Bring a green supplement and/or protein powder with you. It’s easy to pack and a convenient way to get your veggie or protein intake.

Traveling this Summer?

Try something new! These studios are wildly popular in other cities:

Barry’s Bootcamp
HIIT
Located in 15 cities in four countries

The Dailey Method
Barre and Cycling Mix
Located in 63 studios in four countries

The Next Big Thing:

Shadow Box
Boxing
Two locations in NYC and growing—touted as the ‘SoulCycle of Boxing’