Staying in Shape while backpacking Europe

Do out and back runs. That's what I always do until I'm familiar with the area. I assume you'll have access to a tablet or laptop with Wifi. Google map the area of where you are staying. In Dublin, there was a huge park like a mile or two away and I actually did a tempo run.

Some area are great -- like Dublin or Amsterdam. Got in probably 7 miles a day in the AM. Others, like Paris or Istanbul were horrible and I didn't bother going more than 4 miles. The only day I did more than 4 miles was in Paris when I took the Metro down to river and ran along the path.

Do your runs in the morning. Trust me that after walking around the entire day, you probably won't want to run much at night.

Don't worry about the language barrier. Never bothered me at all.

Hi there.

Running in a new area is one of the best ways of getting to know it.

illinoisphotographer has offered some good tips that I use as well. Checking the local maps for good places to run and trying to get the run done in the morning.

I would also suggest you check with the people working at the places where you will stay (they are likely to speak English) if there are any "no-go" areas around.

And memorize (or write down and carry it with you) the name and address of the place where you are staying.

PS: I have just sent you an e-mail with some more information.

This is contingent on your lifestyle, but if you're not out late, getting up early and running the cities when they're (relatively) vacant is a great way to get in some miles, do some sight seeing, and run in cooler weather.

My wife and I hit up the biggies this way. Provided for some pretty cool photo ops - just you and the landmark. Pretty cool having the Colosseum or the Eiffel Tower to yourselves.

We'd go to bed around 10pm, wake at 4am, take a nap after, and wake up around 10am for the day's other sightseeing/travel. Maybe 2-3 days/week and then regular runs on the days outside the big metro areas. I was fitter than when we began our month trip. Still left days for nightlife.

No, but make sure to check out the movie 'Hostel' before you go. Great tips for surviving the trip in there. Lol.

Dude you're going to Europe. If you want to run, just go out and run. This isn't Somalia we're talking about.

If you don't want to get lost, consult a map. openstreetmap.org has good coverage over there. If you are in a big city, run early in the a.m. before the traffic hits and the sidewalks are clogged. This isn't really that complicated.

Language barrier? 90% of Europe English is all you need. Got to go pretty damn far east for lack of English speakers to become a challenge (i.e. Russia). Not to mention, not sure why you'd need to talk to anyone during your run anyway???

I don't think what you are doing qualifies as "jet-setting".

Just run, brah

Don't waste your trip on training. Going out for a run to explore the city is one thing, but training or keeping in-shape is going to waste an awesome opportunity. Don't do it!

Rick Steves wrote:

Don't waste your trip on training. Going out for a run to explore the city is one thing, but training or keeping in-shape is going to waste an awesome opportunity. Don't do it!

^this.

I went on a cross-country road trip with some guys from my team a few summers ago. We hit 5 National Parks, saw the sun rise from the North Rim of the Grad Canyon and drank whiskey in the middle of the desert. One of the guys would start moaning every time he couldn't get his daily run in. Near ruined the trip for everyone else. Don't be like him.

As mentioned earlier, running is one of the best ways of visiting a city. The first thing you should do when you get to the train station or airport or the center of town is to hit up the tourism info booth and get a couple of those free maps they hand out. Take those with you on your runs, and mark where you are staying. So head out in the direction of somewhere that looks cool, and course correct with the map if you veer off course. Or just get lost! That can be a lot of fun too, just following your nose. If you can't figure out where you are on the map, ask someone. People worldwide like to help! Also, be willing to go for long slow runs - you'll inevitable get interrupted - checking out a site, slowing down for clogged streets, getting lost, etc. - but that can be fine training if you stay out for a while.

hit doubles while back packing in africa this summer no problem. don't be so soft!

I'm sure you can keep up your running. I spent a month going from hostel to hostel across Europe last summer; I wasn't running a lot of miles (50-70 per week) but enough to keep moderately fit. I'd be done with training by 9 or 10 in the morning and then have the rest of the day to walk around & see places. I think my core strength suffered more than my running: people give you funny looks when you try to do planks on the floor of an 8-bed hostel room.

Like you I also tend to get lost easily in unfamiliar towns. The best remedy for this, if a town has a river through it, is just to run out & back along the river: that way you only have to remember a few turnings. Otherwise do loops of a park. Run with a map if you want to play it especially safe.

Where in Europe are you planning to go?

I travel a lot for work to developing countries (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) that are a lot more dangerous than anywhere you could possibly go. I just go run.

If you are the type of person who whines all day about how they need to get their run in and never gets it done (like the above poster suggests) then it will make your trip suck. Don't do it.

If you can just go it's a great way to see the city. Just get a map from the hostel and tell your friends you'll be back in an hour (or two, or whatever). Don't run tempos or anything, but getting in 50 mpw should be easy, especially if you have no other responsibilities.

aasdfasdasdgasdasf wrote:

get a couple of those free maps they hand out. Take those with you on your runs, and mark where you are staying. So head out in the direction of somewhere that looks cool, and course correct with the map if you veer off course.

David Wilson wrote:

The best remedy for this, if a town has a river through it, is just to run out & back along the river: that way you only have to remember a few turnings. Otherwise do loops of a park. Run with a map if you want to play it especially safe.

Some great advice above.

I will add church steeples, parks, bus/train stations and shopping malls/big businesses as references.

Like, for example, the Eiffel tower. Let's say you stay in a hostel only two minutes away. Memorize the route to the tower and then go wherever you want. Lost? Look for the tower and head that way and then you know where to go.

This last post was utter genius.

Just get it done. Run every day if you can, but yeah, do it before other people are relying on you. Wake up early and be home before they wake. Don't whinge that you're tired as they'll simply tell you not to wake up early and run... It's not rocket science.

Write down your address and carry a map if you want to; asking locals for directions will help you practice the language.

But do race, as often as the opportunities arise, big city races down to local 5k's; you'll see a different part of the city to others and its a great way to meet some locals with similar hobbies. You might even be shown some cool routes by the locals (especially if the race is Saturday and they're doing their long run on Sunday).

I've had some brilliant experiences racing overseas and couldn't recommend it highly enough.

p.s. this is Europe you're talking about (dare I say it might even be SAFER than running in your local neighbourhood in the States?!)

Running is a fantastic way to see the sights of a city as well as how ordinary people live. You can really get around large parts of the cities and get your bearings. If there is an old town, you might occasionally get lost, but just head for the river/ocean/bay/tall monuments and then you can always find your way. Most European cities have great parks for running and you can also use the great public transportation systems to get quickly to the parks. Plus, if you want to compete in all comers meets, you'll have many options in places like Paris (not Berlin, however). If you want to race in France, be sure to get a doctor's note for your fitness before going, because they'll require it for any racing. If you forget, just stop into a neighborhood doctor there and for about 25 Euros, they'll give you that same certification.

Just go out of your hostel and run, that's not that complicated, is it ? Most Western Europe is safer to run in than North America (traffic and gunwise). Not sure why you would need to speak Schwäbisch or Basque to complete a run...

This is good advice. It's a well known fact that the Eiffel Tower is visible throughout the whole of Europe, so this is your fail safe