While the marvelous advances made in technology over the past decade or so have given many people the opportunity to not only work from their homes, but theoretically from anywhere, there are times when each of us finds ourselves on the road, either for business or for pleasure.

Of course, on the road is where you’ll also find your nemeses – namely, lethargy, convenience food and the hotel bar.

It’s very easy, however, to take measures to ensure that you not only maintain (or improve) your fitness whilst away from home, while at the same time actually enjoying your vacation or trip.

Back in June of this year, I challenged myself to see if I could run a minimum of twenty minutes every day for one entire year. This week, I passed the 100 consecutive days mark (and 400 miles overall), and this haul included a recent three-week holiday in Mississippi, where I was not only tempted (and enjoyed) good old-fashioned Southern cooking, but subjected to temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit, fairly problematic running conditions, and occasionally hostile local drivers.

Think Ahead

Before you get on that plane, spend a few days thinking about the things you’ll need to bring with you to take care of all of your workout-related business. This includes obvious things like running (or gym) shoes and clothing, your MP3 player and any other paraphernalia you typically need. In fact, bring more than you need – who knows how often and easily you’ll be able to wash your gear?

The easiest way to make sure you don’t leave anything important at home is to go through the process (either mentally or actually) of packing your kit for your normal workout. Make sure everything is clean before you leave, and that electronic items are fully charged, and that you can pack the chargers, too (and any adaptors that you will need).

You should also give some thought to things that you have around your home that may not be easy to replicate whilst you’re away – your favourite energy bar, for example, or sports beverage. Don’t make the mistake of assuming what you need will be easy to locate on the other side. Spend some time researching local stores in your destination on the Internet, checking their inventory and where necessary calling ahead. If in doubt, pick up what you need before you leave.

If you’re a runner, you should research the area around your hotel for potentially routes. Consider using a site like MapMyRun.

If you prefer the gym, again, Google what’s available in your destination, and then make some calls. Many gyms will be happy to pick up a little business for a visitor who is in their area, even if it’s only for a few days or a week. It can cost your surprisingly little, too, and if you can prove experience they typically wave any kind of induction.

On The Plane (Or Boat, Or Train, Or Car…)

Plane food isn’t the cuisine nightmare it used to be but you don’t really know what you’re getting until it actually arrives – and God only knows when that’s going to be. It makes sense to pack some small but nutritious snacks in your hand luggage – nuts, energy bars, dried fruit, and if you think you’re going to be hungry pretty quickly, maybe something like a turkey sandwich. And always bring a bottle of water with you. It’s very easy to dehydrate on long flight and you don’t want to be completely at the mercy of the stewardess.

At The Hotel

Scout the area. If you haven’t already figured out some great running routes, take the first opportunity to walk around the block a bit. Ask the hotel manager if there are any trails or known running routes in your area. If he doesn’t know, ask him for details of the local sports hall or gym, and call and ask them.

It often pays dividends to get in a workout as soon as you can. When I recently visited Mississippi, after a 12-hour flight (with a change, accompanied by my three children) and hour-long car drive to where I was staying, and then dinner, I still found the time (and the energy) to go outside (in the 100-degree heat) and do a twenty-minute run. In the dark. At 8pm, even though my body was still on UK-time, and thought it was 2am. This was very important – it set a precedent for the rest of the trip. If I could get out there and get it done feeling like that, then the rest of the vacation would be easy.

Food, Glorious Food

I have a pretty firm policy when it comes to dieting when you are on holiday, and that is: don’t. Don’t go completely mad and eat everything you possibly can, but dieting on holiday takes all the fun out of a trip, especially if it’s to an exotic new location with strange but wonderful foods. Enjoy yourself. Take in a little (or a lot) of the local cuisine. That’s what you’re there for.

At the same time, however, you’ll need to step up your fitness routine to make sure that well-deserved excess doesn’t go straight to your love handles. The rules away are the same as the rules at home – if you consume more energy than you expend, you will gain weight. It’s one thing to gain a pound or two whilst on a two-week vacation abroad, quite another to come back home to find yourself five to ten pounds heavier.

Put in the workouts – preferably as early in the day as you possibly can, as the longer you leave a workout, the more ‘day’ will get in the way and become a potential problem – and you can almost eat whatever you like.

Be Mindful Of Local Customs. And Locals

Things can be quite different to what you’re used to at home. People are strange when you’re a stranger, and all that. Where I was staying in Mississippi, the local folk clearly didn’t see too many runners. And the reason why was quite understandable – the heat was so extreme that to even consider running in such hostile weather was tantamount to madness. Especially if you were doing so up and down the interstate.

But none of that mattered to me – I had to get it done, but this meant putting up with some pretty insane drivers (some of whom simply refused to use the full width of the road), verbal abuse from a few of the more colourful characters, various attacks by flying insects (giant dragonflies seemed to really like, or possibly dislike me) and general looks of bewilderment from all and sundry. None of this stuff was really terminal, but it pushed me to not only be extremely mindful of where I was on the road at all times (always running towards traffic, as I at least then had half a chance to leap out of the way), but to also seek out alternative routes where I was less likely to encounter any potential problems. The last thing you want to do is take that wrong turn into Deliverance country, after all.

The Hotel Room Workout

If there’s no gym in your area or you can’t or don’t want to run, you can still burn a boatload of calories by following this simple but effective hotel room workout.

Push-Ups – Push-ups are a great warm-up exercise and very effectively engage the ‘push’ upper body muscles of the chest, shoulders and triceps

Standing Jumps – Stand on the spot, and jump as high as you can. As soon as your feet hit the floor, repeat, aiming for a bouncing motion.

Burpees – Burpees are an excellent calisthenic exercise that, when performed correctly, increases strength and explosiveness, while burning lots of calories. (Learn more.)

Squats – You don’t need weights to take advantage of the full-body workout provided by the squat. Your own bodyweight will do, certainly when you do a very large number of reps. Try squatting for fifty times over three sets. Or if that’s too easy, try one hundred or more.

Crunches – Throw your legs up on your bed and slowly perform a set of crunches, aiming for a slow rise to the crunch position, which you should then hold for a few seconds, and then repeat.

Do this circuit-style, following a given number of repetitions or minutes for each exercise, and then go immediately to the next, resting only for a minute or two once all exercises are complete.

Two circuits of this, if performed correctly with enough repetitions, is a challenge. Three or four will test the hardiest of travellers.