By: Jessica Armijo, Regional Personal Training Manager

Whether “over the river and through the woods” or over the jetway and through TSA, holiday travel can be an exercise in itself. In many ways, your commitment to exercise is what prepares you for the more rigorous aspects of life, like “I have a tight connection” airport sprints or heaving luggage into overhead compartments without straining your back. On the other hand, traveling can feel disruptive to your exercise habits. Thankfully, there are some simple and convenient ways to incorporate exercise into your holiday travel so you continue to feel energized, happy, and active throughout the season and into the New Year.

One important caveat to mention: We recommend “training while traveling” because exercise is an important part of your routine and hopefully exercising regularly makes you feel good. You don’t need to exercise while traveling to avoid losing your fitness gains, or to offset calories consumed from holiday treats, or to fit into your favorite outfit. We hope you exercise if and because you want to, and if you want to, here are some tips for making it happen.

During Your Travels

The government pullup bars are not available in airports yet, so let’s not worry about that this year. For active individuals, fueling and hydration are the most important ways to make travel days better. Bring an empty refillable water bottle through security and fill up on filtered water in the terminal. Look for fresh or dried fruit, yogurt, and nuts for airport snacks (or bring your own). And reframe your outlook on the long walks between gates or terminals, that’s going to be a lot of your exercise for the day.

If you’re driving, much of the same advice holds true, particularly around snacking and hydration. But driving provides opportunities to stop and walk and stretch your legs. The simple workout below can be accomplished quickly in a park during one of your stops.

Upon Arrival

Although it’s tempting to arrive at your destination, toss your bags in the closet, and take a nap, you’ll likely feel better if you immediately head out for a 15-20 minute walk. This walk is good for facilitating circulation, particularly if you’ve been sitting for hours, and can be a good way to destress and transition from travel mode to holiday mode.

If you’ve traveled across time zones, it’s best to acclimate to your current time zone quickly. Generally that means going to bed at an appropriate time where you are. Resting on the plane is key, and so is going to bed at the appropriate time for your destination time zone. Sometimes this will mean staying up longer than normal, and sometimes it will mean going to bed earlier, but more often than not, you’ll wake up feeling like you’re on a normal time schedule.

Your Zero Equipment Hotel Room or Guest Room Workout

One set through the exercises below can be a good way to loosen up and activate your muscles a bit before you get on your way in the morning. If you’re looking for more of a fitness workout, repeat the routine 2-3 times.

Up-Downs: This is a good way to start out because this whole body movement gets your blood and joints moving before the rest of the exercises. Start standing, then lower into a crouch and place your hands next to your feet. Step your feet back until you’re in a pushup position, then step your feet back to your hands and return to a standing position. These are like Burpees without the jumping. Since this is the first movement, you don’t need to go fast, just smooth and steady. Complete 10-15 of these.

Walking Lunges: Find the longest stretch of space in your room (or hallway). Starting at one end, take a large step forward and lower your hips until your forward thigh is about parallel to the ground. You want your forward knee over your foot, not in front of it. Drive with your forward leg to return to a standing position and immediately take a similar lunge forward with your other leg. Complete two lengths of your room (three if it’s a really small room…)

Windshield Wipers: Lay on your back with your legs extended and pointed straight up. Your arms should be out to your sides, hands palms down for stability. Keeping your shoulders flat on the floor, lower your legs to the right in a controlled motion until they reach the floor. Using your abdominal muscles, lift your legs back up over center and down to the left. Continue without pause for 30 seconds. An easier version of this exercise is to bend your knees to 90 degrees.

Pushups: There’s a reason pushups have been around for an eternity; they’re simple and effective. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width, keep your body straight from your shoulders to your ankles, and complete 5-10 pushups. To make these easier, start from your knees instead of your feet. To make them harder, put your feet up on a chair.

Superman: Lay on the floor face down, with your arms reaching above your head, palms down. Lift your right arm and left leg off the floor at the same time about 3 inches, return them to the floor, and then lift your left arm and right leg at the same time. Continue alternating like this for 30 seconds.

Travel-Friendly Fitness Gear

The workout above requires zero equipment, but there are some fitness tools that can fit conveniently in your luggage. A set of resistance bands fits almost anywhere and you can use them for everything from bicep curls to overhead presses, and squats to upright rows. A couple of mini bands can slip into a backpack and they’re great for exercises like clamshells, monster walks, and hamstring kickbacks. If you have a little more room and creativity, a suspension trainer (like TRX) is very portable and useful if you have somewhere to hang it (e.g., doorjamb or sturdy anchor) or something to loop it over (e.g., thick tree branch or beam). And, of course, a pair of running shoes and some activewear doesn’t take up much space, either.

Celebrating the holidays with family and friends is the primary reason for traveling during the holidays. Exercising while traveling is a bonus and a way to stay active, explore the outdoors, and maybe take short breaks from all the people (if that’s what feels good). Follow these tips and you’ll hit January 1 feeling great and ready to take on big goals for 2026!