The philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre famously wrote that “Hell is Other People”. I wouldn’t go quite that far, but trying to work out at the hotel gym is a special kind of hell, because of the other people also trying to work out there. There’s nothing bad about these people – they are (like me) just Type A personalities either on a work trip and trying to keep their workout routine consistent while traveling, or on vacation and trying to get their Type A to-do list done before they relax for the day.

The real problem is that the space is cramped and everyone is fighting over the same limited equipment. We are all blindly, and often without the benefit of a commonly shared language, navigating our way around the workout room and each other, as we compete for scarce resources like a bench, clean mat, resistance band, or set of matching dumbbells. It’s like the Tower of Babel, but with stationary bikes.

Over years of traveling and sticking with my fitness routine, I have found that the key to working out while away from home is flexibility and having a range of strategies in place for when things don’t go as I would like (which is 99% of the time). 

Here are my travel-friendly fitness strategies:

• Make a game plan so that you can head into the hotel gym prepared and confident. Scope out the hotel’s fitness amenities well before you plan to work out, preferably right after check in. Note what type of equipment and space is available so that you can decide what type of workout is available to you.
  
  
• Have a reliable and simple workout you can do that doesn’t require a lot of equipment or space. My “go to” hotel gym workout just requires a mat and one set of dumbbells and includes a 4-6 set circuit of squat to press, bent over rows, stationary lunges, one-legged RDLs, pushups and planks marches. It’s full body and cardio training in one, especially if you don’t rest between exercises. 
  
  
• Pack the essentials: Bring easy to pack equipment like sliders, an inflatable pilates ball and resistance bands so you can workout in your hotel room and avoid the gym all together. These pieces of equipment are light and easily packable and can be a lifesaver when the hotel gym is crowded. They work best if you have at least a yoga mat-sized amount of clear space in your hotel room. If you don’t want to give up precious real estate in your suitcase, skip packing these items and look for bodyweight only, no-equipment workouts available online, like strength, yoga and pilates. 
  
  
• Go at odd times. It's admittedly inconvenient, especially if you are working all day, or trying to do fun vacation activities that require being away from the hotel during the day. But the hotel gym is much quieter in the early morning (think 5-6 am), middle of the day (2-4 pm) or late evening (8-10 pm) than it is in the mid morning, noon or early evening. If you want easy and unobstructed access to space and equipment, consider scheduling an off-peak gym session.
  
  
• Make a new friend and share the hotel gym equipment. If someone is monopolizing a piece of equipment you want to use, you can always ask to “work in” and take turns. This one can be tricky while traveling internationally, because of language and cultural differences. But it’s always worth a shot! And you may have more fun and push yourself harder in the presence of a workout buddy. You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
  
  
• Go to a class at a local gym or fitness studio. I know– the benefit of the hotel gym is that it’s conveniently located and free, or at least baked into what are becoming pretty crazy hotel prices. But it doesn’t do you much good if you can’t actually access the gym when you need to workout. Lots of cities have franchised gyms or studios (think F45, Orangetheory, Barry’s Bootcamp, Pure Barre, Spinco, Club Pilates etc.) that offer consistent high quality programming. Or Google around and look for a locally owned gym or studio. These places are usually pretty awesome and often have intro deals (which means you may just get that free workout after all). 
  
  
• Improvise. While vacationing with friends recently, I realized that a beachfront hammock makes a decent substitute for a TRX. We had a great time challenging each other to come up with “Hammock RX” exercises like plank to pikes, hip thrusters, one-legged lunges, inverted rows, hamstring curls and suspended push ups. It was an awesome workout and we had a sunny, sandy, sweaty blast.
  
  
• Find other ways to move! Variety is said to be the spice of life – and this holds particularly true in the context of fitness. When visiting a new place, consider what you can explore on foot or by renting a bike. Walking in particular is among the most underrated forms of exercise, and the benefits are good for body and soul – especially if you get to sightsee and take in local culture (and food!) while you do it. If you are a regular gym goer, you may not take a lot of active rest days. You might be surprised by the fitness gains your body makes by taking several days off strength training and getting those steps in. 

No matter what you decide to do, be sure to give yourself some grace and recognize that it can be hard to workout while away. It won't be perfect and that is perfectly OK! Moving is what matters.

If you try these tips, or have some of your own, please let me know in the comments!