How Families Can Get Active While Traveling
How can you get active when you are traveling with kids? If you are anything like us, you know that it can be SO HARD to carve out time to stick to our fitness routines when we are traveling. Throw a couple needy (but adorable!) kids into the mix and it feels almost impossible!
We love to travel, but we also love to stay active as a family! So how do we balance our need to workout with our passion for exploring? We’ve rounded up some of the best tips out there to help us all stay active while traveling with kids! Read on, and when you’re done be sure to check out our other two posts related to family health and wellness here & here!
Plan ahead when you travel to prioritize staying active!
Plan ahead
Step one: plan ahead. Parents never have a ton of relaxing downtime when traveling with kids, so it’s important to set yourself up for success!
Pack wisely. Pack some compact equipment (resistance bands, jump ropes, foldable yoga mat) or plan to use your own bodyweight! Also, pack neutral or black sneakers so that you can wear them with more than just your workout clothes.
Create a workout schedule. Figure out which workouts you will plan on doing. It could be a hike one day, a HIIT workout another day, and snorkeling the next! Regardless, make sure you are carving out time during your family trip to be active.
Figure out where you will exercise. Are you staying in a hotel with a gym? Might you have space in your Airbnb? If not, can you easily jog around the neighborhood or head outdoors for your workout? Being able to visualize where you will workout in advance will make it easier once you get there!
Set a goal, but make it realistic. For example, if you are going to be on vacation for 1 week, make a goal of two 30 minute runs during your week! It’s an easy enough goal to make space for without totally taking over your vacation.
Set yourself up for success. Make sure you are getting enough sleep while you travel and try not to change hotels or locations too often. It is really hard to work out when you are exhausted or packing/unpacking every 2 or 3 days!
Bring the gym with you. Find workouts you can do from your phone that require minimal equipment. I personally love the free workouts on YouTube from Tone it Up. Or, find some music that gets you excited to move and turn it up while you do your own workout! My go-to is on SoundHound and I’ve linked it here, but find your jam and turn it up!
A quick run on the beach can do wonders for the whole family!
Sneak it into your daily routine
These are tips that you can follow when you are traveling with your family as well as at home, but either way, they are great for sneaking some extra movement into your day!
Make the most of your down time. Is your partner on a quick work call or are you waiting around for your next activity? Grab the kids, lace up your kicks, and pop outside for a quick power walk! You will get some extra steps in, and your kids will get to burn some energy. If you’re up for it, suggest a short race with the kids to get your heart rate pumping!
Is your family more of the lounge-at-the-beach type? Nothing wrong with that (and also, we are DEFINITLEY that type family)! Take a walk on the beach while you are there. The extra resistance from the sand ups the benefit! Bonus activity points: if you are trying to get your child to nap, strap them in the baby carrier for your walk. Your quads and hamstrings will thank you later!
Break up your workout into 10 minute chunks. 10 mins of a high-intensity workout has been proven to have the same health benefits as 45 minutes at a lower intensity! If high intensity isn’t your thing, try for multiple 10-minute workout breaks throughout the day. One of our favorite travel bloggers, The Blonde Abroad, has a great workout you can do in your hotel room in 10 - 15 mins!
Try to stay active all day. Vacations and family trips naturally great for this. You are typically spending more time walking exploring than you would at home working your desk job. Or you’re spending all your time chasing after your kids. Turn on your smart watch to track your steps and embrace that hustle!
Take the stairs. As much as possible, use the stairs instead of elevators. If you are traveling in Europe, stairs will likely be your only option. If you are traveling with really little kids who can’t or won’t take the stairs, consider bringing a baby carrier so that you can carry them up the stairs when they are too tired!
Try to set aside time to workout, either on your own or with your kids!
Set aside time to workout
If sneaking it in isn’t your thing, dedicate some time to your workout. I know that I feel most productive and accomplished when I’ve set aside a big chunk of time by myself to get it done.
Try working out during nap time or before the kids wake up. It’s probably the last thing you want to do on vacation, but some days it might be just what you need. A little alone time can go a long way in the self-care department!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask your partner or another family member to switch on and off; one of you can watch the kids while the other works out. Then, return the favor on the next day! If you like to workout together or are short on time, consider getting a babysitter. Check out our video on how to find a great babysitter no matter where you’re traveling!
Try a local fitness class. Try a class at a local gym (TRX, spinning, you know the drill). Many local gyms offer their first class or workout for free, so the only thing you need to figure out is how to sneak away from the kids!
Build healthy activities into your plans to keep the whole family active
Work it into your itinerary
Another great alternative is to work exercise and activity into the overall itinerary of your trip!
Plan your trip around an activity the whole family can enjoy. How about learning to surf in Costa Rica or hiking the Swiss Alps?
Take a race-cation! I hadn’t heard of this until recently, but it’s a vacation that involves a race! Sign up for a race in a location you want to visit. You’ll train for your 5k, 10k, triathlon, etc. at home, and then get to go somewhere fun for the actual race!
If you can’t commit your entire trip to an activity, try making some of your excursions fitness-based. Sign up for yoga on the beach, a bike tour around town, a walking tour, or some other activity that gets your whole family moving!
Ward off jetlag with a walk. When you first arrive at your destination, try to go for a walk and explore your new digs instead of taking a nap. This will help you stretch your legs after a long flight, acclimate to new surroundings and places you want to check out later, and can help you get adjusted to time zone changes more quickly!
Skip the tour bus. If unpredictable nap schedules keep you from booking excursions, explore your destination on your own with a walk around town, window shopping, a bike ride or hike! Bonus tip: You will stumble upon some oh-so-instagrammable gems when you’re walking that you would have never noticed in a car.
Sometimes you just gotta dance it out!
Do it together
I have to admit, working out with my kids almost never works and I give up super easily. I’m including these tips as extra motivation and motivation (for you and me both!) that even a few minutes of physical activity beats sitting on the couch watching TV!
Use your kids as free weights. I’m not joking! Strap them into your baby carrier for squats or raise them over your head to give your back and shoulders a workout!
Let them workout with you. Sometimes, our kids just want in on the fun! Teach them a yoga pose or two while you practice, show them jumping jacks. A huge bonus to this is that this will help lay a positive foundation for kids and their relationship with their bodies and exercise!
Dance it out together. I’m borrowing this tip from our earlier blog post because it’s just so good! Turn up your favorite happy tunes (or your kids’ favorite songs) and have a family dance party! Liesel and I have had more than our fair share of dance-offs to the “Party Freeze” song
Are the kids (and you) getting stir-crazy inside your accommodations and ready to head outside? Why not take your workout with you? Beaches and playgrounds are great places to sneak in a workout! Nerd Fitness has a great workout that you can do at the park linked here. Not in to lunging across a crowded beach? Try hide & seek with your kids outside. They will love it, and so will your heart rate!
Being active outdoors will create lasting memories for the whole family
Wrapping it up
Staying active while traveling with kids doesn’t have to be difficult and it can actually be FUN. There are so many ways to stay active while you travel and incorporating just one or two of these tips could make a huge difference for you and your family. If you make it a point to sneak fun, active excursions or plans into your trip, your body will thank you… and your kids might just sleep better at night too! But above all, have fun out there and make sure that you aren’t stressing. You can always make up those daily step goals once you get home, but you CAN’T make up great family memories. So have fun, be active if you can, and ENJOY!
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