Most major cities have their version of the subway: Paris’s metro, Mexico City’s underground, Tokyo’s dizzying network of trains. The more sights you want to see, the more the money flies out of your pocket into a ride ticket and your butt is on the (often grimy) seat. Grab a map and work out those calves! Cities in Europe, especially, are walkable. Follow the human river and put feet to pavement, burning calories all the way!
…and rope it onto your traveling pack. Not only is it mildly comfortable to sleep on (as opposed to park benches or some hostel bunkbeds), you can unfurl it and get into mountain pose if you have more than two square feet of wiggle room! Can’t you picture the sun coming up over the Andes while you’re arching back in camel pose?
Every country has traditional dances. Throw yourself into flamenco lessons in Seville, or dabke dance in Beirut! Tired of being envious when you see the litheness of salsa dancers? In Havana, you’ll have no problem finding a dashing amigo to spin you around. I learned how to dance merengue in 20 minutes. Imagine traveling to the Dominican Republic and becoming a pro. Get sweaty on the dance floor!
One thing America lacks that many other countries have are plentiful fruit and vegetable markets. The souks of the Arab world, the open vendors in Africa, the night markets of Taiwan — all sell fruits and vegetables that are probably more local and fresh than any GMO/pesticide-ridden apple you’ve ever munched on. It’s easy to get carried away with the restaurant scene, but another option is to find lodgings with an available kitchen, allot a few days a week for hearty salads and fresh produce and save tons of dough.
If you’re one who frequents hotels, try to find one with a swimming pool. Even if you’re not so much into doing the laps, moving through water tweaks and polishes every little muscle in your body. There’s also, you know, the oceans and seas of the world at your disposal. If it’s not Bondi Beach, you should be shark-free and clear for aqua freestylin’!
Montezuma’s Revenge. It sounds so viciously Aztec-ian, like a brutal sacrifice. It kind of is! Your delicate Westernized guts raging with unaccustomed foreign bacteria can have a pretty ugly outcome. Best to stick to the bottled or boiled water. In many countries the water isn’t “bad,” just full of microscopic beings that haven’t shaken hands yet with the microscopic beings in your intestines. OK, enough of the visceral biology for the day. Do drink water, though! Drink lots of it!
Sitting down for long periods in the same position can be stifling and sometimes detrimental. Get loose! Start with some head shakes, slowly side to side like you’re denying the Queen her tea. Overhead stretching with locked fingers, elongating the neck, annoying the flight attendant by going for a constitutional down the aisles — it’s all crucial to not feeling so much like a zombie when the wheels hit the tarmac.
Confessions of a Nomad offers this fun and easy way to turn your pension in Tunisia or bungalow in Thailand into a Bally Total Fitness. Add or subtract your own ideas…20 minutes every morning and you’ll feel better about the gelato-and-sangria lunch at noon!
Dress like a spy in Russia, wear the least-preferred team’s jersey at a local football match in England, call a Sicilian an Italian, go to Pamplona at the right time…all of these are sure-fire ways to get the authorities or indignant citizens of the country chasing you down the street. What I’m saying is: get motivated to go for a jog!
There’s nothing in the world like turning wanderlust into wanderlove! Travel is like a multi-vitamin for your soul. If you’re the right kind of traveler — gracious, not annoying, open to safe adventures, a people-lover — you have the key to holidaying with health.
