Well, I just returned from what I can confidently call a “whirlwind” 10-day vacation in Italy…and boy, am I TIRED. Traveling in Europe can take a lot out of you!

Granted, my husband and I are a bit nuts, and try to do all the things! But nevertheless, traveling around Europe can present you with a lot more physical challenges than you might be used to in your daily life. And in ways you might not even think about!

However, if you can prepare yourself ahead of your trip for the challenges you may face, you’ll have enough stamina to keep on going, and have a trip to remember!

Let’s break down some of those challenges, shall we?

Challenge #1: Walking, climbing, and some more walking

No matter how you slice it, there’s a TON more walking in Europe than you would normally encounter in your daily life in the States – especially if you work a sedentary office job like I do.

You’ll likely be walking through large airports, train stations, and to/from bus stations. Traversing large city centres, cavernous museums, galleries, cathedrals, gardens and palaces. Fortunately, there’s a TON more public transport available to help you out – but you’ve still got to get your body and your stuff TO that public transport.

And the stairs, oh the stairs! Climbing into buses, onto trains, and up and down to subway stations. Many tourist sites like churches, castles, lookout towers, gardens and even caves have a TON of stairs. And don’t even get me started on how many stairs you’ll encounter in a city like Venice. So, many, footbridges.

Just ask my poor mom, (who bravely traversed England with me one year after breaking her knee) just how many stairs she encountered on our trip. Answer: MANY.

The solutions:

The solution is quite obvious, you gotta get moving! Get your body ready by adding more exercise into your daily life. But be kind to your body, and be realistic. Give yourself enough TIME to get in shape before your vacation. Like at least 2-3 months… not the few weeks leading up to your trip. You can’t cram exercise like a mid-term exam, these things take time! But it’s not impossible.

The best strategy is to keep exercise at the top of your mind. Get yourself a fitness tracker like a Fitbit, or use the Health app on your smart phone. Tracking your steps is a good way to see how much (or little) you move in a day.

Here’s a little indicator of how much you need to move to tackle Europe: on a regular day at work (where I don’t put in any effort to get extra steps) I average around 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day. During my last three European trips, I averaged about 12,000 to 18,000 steps per day. That’s a huge difference! In preparation, aim to get the American Heart Association’s recommended 10,000 steps per day, and you’ll be in pretty good shape.

With a busy schedule though, cramming extra physical activity into your day can be tough. Here’s a few ways to sneak it in:

• Park far away. Whether you’re at the grocery store, at work, wherever. Add some extra steps by walkin to/ from your car.
• Take lunch break walks. Stroll in a park nearby, or even around the parking lot at work. Raining? Hit up the mall for some laps.
• Take the stairs. Use the bathroom on a different floor at work, or (if you don’t have stairs at work) opt to take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.
• Bathroom workout! You use the bathroom several times a day, why not take an extra minute each time and get some exercise in? Do can easily do 20x squats in a bathroom stall. Too many at once? Do 10x before you go and 10x after. You can get in 20x calf raises too, just while you wash your hands. Aim for at least 100x of each daily. Keep a log and challenge yourself!

Challenge #2: Your luggage, your problem

If you pack it, you gotta haul it. Sure, in theory you might think, I just get on a plane, then take a bus or taxi, and then I’m at my hotel. But the reality of that in Europe might mean than you must haul your luggage through a very large airport, down escalators, onto trains, and up flights of stairs. Then pick them up and put them in a bus or taxi. Then get them out of the taxi and drag them down a crowded cobble stone street to find your hotel. And once you’re at your hotel, you might need to carry those bags up three flights of stairs because your hotel doesn’t have a lift (elevator). All this, while feeling jet-lagged. Phew!

It’s a lot to handle if you’re not ready for it. But knowing what to expect, and doing a little prep work – you’ll be traveling like a champ.

The solutions:

Do yourself a favor and only pack what you can comfortably carry (and lift) yourself. Unless you’re a rich person and can hire a personal porter to follow you around, (and let’s be honest, you aren’t reading this blog if you are), you’ve only got your own steam to rely on to haul your stuff around Europe. Here’s some tips:

• Get streamlined. Don’t bring a large rolling suitcase AND a rolling carry-on bag. You’re gonna feel like tossing them BOTH in the river after hauling both of them for a few blocks- especially on uneven narrow pavement. Bring only ONE rolling bag, and then a bag that allows you to be hands free, like a backpack or shoulder bag.
  

  Meet “Eva Tortuga” my badass pink turtle suitcase

• Get good luggage. A good quality suitcase that rolls on four wheels is a life-saver. I recommend a hard-sided mid-size, like this one. I call her Eva Tortuga, she’s from Samsonite and she’s a freaking champ. She’s large enough, but not too large, and durable enough to get abused by baggage handlers, crammed into trains, and hauled up stone steps.
• Beef up! If you don’t ever lift and haul things in your daily life, dragging luggage around is gonna tire you out. No need to become a body builder here, but a bit of body prep will go a long way. Believe me, I wish I had prepared more, my back is killing me from Italy! Get yourself into an easy arm workout routine in the months leading up to your trip. This doesn’t have to be a huge commitment! Check out this 5-minute routine that will get you sorted out (without weights, or push-ups). Yay! Or take up swimming, it’s a great arm workout!

Challenge #3: Being uncomfortable

If you live in the US, you’re used to having a lot of space. In Europe? Not so much. A lot of things are tiny. Tiny streets, small chairs, cramped lifts (if there is one), squashed subway cars, buses and trains. It’s basically like eeking your way down the aisle in a crowded theatre all.the.time. Not to mention the 8+ hours you’ll spend crammed into an airplane seat to get there.

The more comfortable and flexible you are, the better time you will have squeezing around Europe. I asked my mother what was the #1 thing she wished she had done before her first overseas trip. Her answer? While she had the trip of a lifetime, she wished she had lost some weight before her trip – so she wasn’t so uncomfortable.

The solutions:

• Lose some weight. We’re all trying to drop some weight, why not give yourself a goal to work towards? I’m always more motivated when I have a specific goal in mind, and prepping for a trip is a great goal! Dropping some pounds will make it easier to move around, and its good for you! Get your exercise in by using some of the tips above. Or aim to get 30 minutes of exercise in at least 4 days a week. 30 minutes is nothing, you can do it!
• Eat clean. Cleaning up your diet by eliminating processed food, reducing your sugar and alcohol intake, and loading up on fruits and veggies can greatly impact how you feel. It can also help you lose weight! After our trip, my mom was finally convinced to change her diet. By following just these few diet changes, she was able to lose over 20 lbs. AND increased her energy and overall wellbeing. Click here for more tips on clean eating.
  

  Yup, airplane legroom is tight. Get yourself stretchy before you go!

• Improve flexibility. Have you tried putting on socks and shoes while cramped in an airplane seat? Well lemme tell you, that shit is hard. Do yourself a favor and take a yoga class! Not into that? No problem, try some of these stretching exercises at home to improve your flexibility.
• Stay comfy. What you wear plays an important role in your comfort level too. Get yourself some good walking shoes and try them out extensively BEFORE your trip. Nothing kills a vacation faster than blisters, so keep your feet happy! Also, pack comfortable clothes you can move around in, and pack layers! This was you can easily add or remove layers to regulate your temperature.

Extra tips:

Training for a specific challenge

If you know you’re in for a specific challenge, why not “train” for it like you would an upcoming athletic event?

On our recent family trip to Slovenia, (a naturally very fit country BTW) all members of our group were challenged in new ways. For my mother in law, she trained herself to be able to confidently climb the 99 stone stairs up to the church on the island in Lake Bled by walking the stairs at work on her lunch break everyday. She climbed ’em with no problem!

For the rest of us, we planned to make the climb up Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain. I got my booty in gear for that journey by trying to fit a hike in every weekend, and doing as many bathroom break squats as I could handle!

Know what you’re in for

Map out how far you’ll need to walk between known points, and get a real-world feel for it. For example, before our our mother-daughter England trip I mapped out the walking distance from our rental flat in Oxford to the bus station. Approx. .3 of a mile. This happened to be about the same walking distance from my mom’s apartment to her mailbox. This gave her a real-world distance to practice so she knew how far she needed to walk multiple times a day.

Give yourself a break

Travel is tiring, especially travel in Europe. There’s the excitement of wanting to see EVERYTHING compounded with lack of sleep, so much walking, and a time change. It’s a lot to deal with! It’s totally OK to sloooooow it down if you need to and give yourself a break. You worked hard to give yourself a vacation, its OK to cut yourself some slack too. Who knows, you might find some interesting characters to take a break with. 🙂