Q. If the rivers and the airfares don’t rise, we’re contemplating a lengthy trip next year. We’re not gym bunnies but we like to keep moderately fit. Any tips?
A. Relax. This is not going to be one of those uber-exercise guru columns that tell you to pack your trainers and resistance bands and download a 30-minute high-intensity cardio workout app that you must do in the hotel room every morning.
There are plenty of simple, stress-free ways to enjoy your holiday while keeping trim and healthy – and, mostly, they’re the things that you’ve promised yourself you wanted to see and do while you’re away. Chances are, on a typical day’s holiday, you’ll likely be getting way more exercise than a normal workday.
First and best piece of advice I’ve been given comes into play three or so months before you leave home. Invest in really good, comfortable walking shoes and spend the three or so months breaking them in. Two reasons: A, you won’t end up with blisters on your first day in Rome and ruin the next however-long; B, you’ll build up your fitness for the trip and enjoy it more.
When you get wherever you’re going, walk everywhere. Skip the bus, metro, taxi or rental car and hire Shanks’s pony. Travelling is about exploring and getting off the flagstoned pavement, and you can’t do that inside a tonne of tin.
You’ll stumble (hopefully not) into an alley off the high street and wander into a quirky gallery or quiet cafe. For ideas, search for guided walking tours or download a self-guided tour of the place you’re in. You’ll smash 10,000 steps before you know it. Tip: this tip may not apply in many US cities. Be careful out there.
Or run, if that’s your preferred workout. On a morning jog, you’ll see the sights with fewer tourists around.
Many exercise fanatics insist on using stairs rather than lifts/elevators in hotels. Even with security cameras, they’re not always the safest places to get your heart racing. It’s a much better idea to combine sightseeing with cardio pumping by climbing 300 steps to the viewing platform on the cathedral roof or several floors to the restaurant with a 360-degree vista. Tip: this tip may not apply at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.
First World cities and their mayors nurture and respect cycling (Amsterdam, Copenhagen) and others do not (insert example here). It’s not only places you’ve heard about – you can safely ride between historic villages and beaches all the way along the Costa Brava in Mediterranean Spain, seeing and experiencing much more of the area, its people and culture. Yeah, sangria and paella too – we’ll come back to that. Hire a bike and pedal as far or not as you want.
Speaking of the beach, swimming is great low-impact exercise and sunshine is good for the mind and body – in moderation, just like gelato. And you might muscle your way into a game of beach soccer or volleyball with friendly locals.
Let’s get out of town. In most major destinations you won’t have to go too far to find somewhere for a half- or day’s hike even if few can rival my childhood playground, Wellington’s stunning Town Belt. Wherever – Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and NSW’s Blue Mountains spring to mind – you’ll get out into the fresh air, into nature and hopefully encounter not-too-wild life. Someone on the hotel staff will point you in the right direction for a safe route that matches your chosen degree of difficulty.
Ah yes, sangria and paella and gelato. The way I see it, this is your holiday. Remember to enjoy yourself.
How many times are you going to find the way to Amarillo? If you want to go The Big Texan and take on its 72-ounce (2kg) steak challenge - free to anyone who can eat the meat, bread roll with butter, baked potato, shrimp cocktail and salad in less than an hour - you should.
Ditto churros in Spain, pain au chocolat in Paris, the sodium in a Tokyo ramen bowl. You’ll walk it off tomorrow. Well, maybe not in Amarillo, but you get the point.
Last tip, right up there with the one about the shoes: it’s okay to take it easy once in a while. Travel can be stressful and can upend eating and sleeping habits. Every few days, especially on a lengthy trip, take a vacation from the vacation – a day’s snoozing and reading, alcohol-free, will do wonders for physical and mental recuperation. Tomorrow is another holiday.
The First-timer’s Guide is a fortnightly column where we’ll answer your travel-related questions — anything from roaming around Rome to reining in roaming charges. Send your queries and travel tips to travel@nzherald.co.nz with “First-timer” in the subject line.