How to Keep Fit When All You Have is a Hotel Room

It’s no secret that most people use traveling as an excuse to not work out.

They assume that just because they don’t have access to a gym or fancy exercise equipment, there’s no point in even trying to keep fit.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Because despite what you may think, you can actually get a really good workout when you’re traveling—even if all you have is a hotel room as your gym.

And best of all, you won’t have to spend an hour a day of your vacation exercising—or shell out $20 for a day pass at an expensive gym.

All you need is a hotel room—and determination

I used to always use traveling as an excuse not to exercise—even on long European vacations filled with French pastries and German beer.

And even though I’d end up walking a ton every time I traveled, I never did a single push up or lifted even one weight. As a result, I’d end up losing much of the hard work I’d put in before my trip… and have to start from the beginning when I got back home.

So a few years ago, I changed my stance on exercise while traveling, and now I work out just as I would normally, albeit with a little less equipment or space.

Workouts you can do when you travel

You don’t need to lug along your kettlebell or throw a pull up bar in your carryon bag in order to get a sweat-inducing workout while traveling.

In fact, all I bring when I travel is a timer and a jump rope.

But if you don’t have room for a jump rope, just a timer—or even an interval timer app on your phone—will work just fine.

Here are some workouts you can do when you travel, no matter what equipment and how much space you have:

If you have equipment, and a little space:

(This is one of the workouts I did in the hotel room on my latest trip)

Set your timer for 18 rounds of 10 x 30 second intervals and then do three rounds of the following (rest on the :10 interval):

1. High knees w/ jump rope
2. Handstand push ups
3. High knees w/ jump rope
4. Walking lunges
5. High knees w/ jump rope
6. V ups

+ 20 Reptile push ups

If you have no equipment, and a little space:

(18 rounds of 10 x 30 second intervals)

1. High knees
2. Handstand push ups
3. High knees
4. Walking lunges
5. High knees
6. V ups

If you have no equipment, and no space (or wall):

(18 rounds of 10 x 30 second intervals)

1. High knees
2. Reptile push ups
3. High knees
4. Pistols (alternating)
5. High knees
6. V ups

If you have no timer, no equipment, and no space:

5 rounds as fast as you can of:

100 High knees
10 Reptile push ups
10 Pistols (alternating)
10 Burpees
10 V ups

The possibilities are endless

You don’t need fancy equipment or tons of space to keep fit while you’re traveling.

All it takes is a tiny hotel room—and a whole lot of motivation.

But if you’re not inspired enough yet, here are 3 more workouts you can do in your hotel room (or, even better, in a nearby park!):

Handstand push ups & air squats
Jump rope & bodyweight exercises
500 rep challenge workout (tip: use a chair for dips)

So stop making excuses. Next time you travel for work or play, don’t give up your workouts just because all you have is a hotel room as your gym.

“The only workout you’ll ever regret is the one you didn’t do.” – Unknown