One of the reasons I am able to see so much when I go abroad is because of the fitness that I bring to travel. In addition to a habit of waking up at 4:30 every morning, going to sleep early, and running five times a week, I also do fitness aimed at helping me travel.
Travel can be grueling on the body, especially if you aren’t fit. However, if you start training for travel in advance, your experience will be painfree and fun.
In my biggest travel day ever I walked 56,700 steps. That day started after a 6am arrival at Lisbon Airport and ended nearly 30 miles up the road at Alverca do Ribatejo. Of course that was a trip with specifically scheduled hikes, but I ended the week with nearly 250,000 steps and multiple twenty-mile walking days. Below is the last leg, over twenty miles to Fatima.
Not all trips are going to be hiking specific trips, but even when traveling with others, I have walked 6-10 miles in order to see and experience the city on foot. I remember being exhausted after a day in Istanbul that only made me hungry for more walking.
The best way to experience historic cities is on the ground, and you need a certain level of fitness to do that. View fitness as part of preparing for travel and you will have a great time!
Phrase of the day: 頑張って – Ganbatte – You can do it!