Get Inspired for Fit Travel in the New Year

When you think about vacations, you might envision lounging on the beach or kicking back in the ski lodge, depending on your preferred climate. However, vacations can be a fitness-friendly adventure that won’t leave you seeking the relief of a stretchy waistband once you return home. In fact, wellness vacations have become much more common around the world, so it is not hard to plan a trip that promotes your fitness. As you look forward to your travels in 2016, think about these tips for fitness-forward travel in the New Year.

Pick the right destination

There are tons of beautiful places that you can only see by taking a hike, biking along a rustic path, or taking to the skies on a zip line or hang glider. By choosing a spot that is somewhat off the beaten path, you can keep moving throughout your trip while also getting some great photographs and stories to bring home with you. You might also choose to take a vacation for a cause – such as rescuing coral communities while scuba diving or building homes in South America.

If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, and you want to travel more conventionally and stay in a hotel, you might look to hotels that have taken on new fitness and wellness initiatives to help frequent travelers minimize a disruption in their routine. For those who do travel often, it can be hard to stay active, get enough rest, or eat right on the road, and many resorts and hotels are beginning to recognize these challenges. You might see more than a fitness room with a couple of treadmills in modern hotels, as venues offering a whole fitness experience are coming into demand with a more health-conscious population. With these innovative lodging solutions on your radar, you might actually learn some fitness tips to bring home with you by trying out a group yoga session, spin class, or morning group run during your stay.

Try a new activity on vacation

Even if your trip is not planned around physical activities, you can incorporate some movement with a new activity like surfing, rafting, or bungee jumping. Not only can these activities give you a big adrenaline boost, but they will get you moving to help burn calories from big vacation meals.

Make the trip about the fun, not the food

For many people, vacations are an excuse to indulge in not-so-healthy foods and alcoholic refreshments. Instead of splurging on food for your upcoming vacations, try dedicating more of your budget to activities and outings rather than meals out.