Pre Travel Routine

[Emma]

What do you folks do to get ready (physically) before you leave?
I'd like advice for me (cardio about 3 times a week) but also what would be a minimum needed fitness level in your estimate?

[WillTravel]

I'm sure the younger you are, the less you have to do, although exercise is good for everyone of course. And I think younger people get conditioned a lot quicker.

I've been trying to walk about 5 or more miles per day, with a significant uphill component, and going swimming now and then. It would be good if I were visiting the gym too, but this is working pretty well, and I do have fairly good strength (relatively speaking). When you are in Europe it's pretty easy to walk 10 or more miles per day, so the better your endurance the more you can enjoy. Before my last trip I tried to walk three hours per day starting three weeks beforehand, and it really helped. I'm not doing quite as much right now, although it would be good if I were.

To give an idea of what you might need to do while traveling, try walking up three flights of stairs with your luggage, then walking 500m through a tunnel, then down two flights of stairs, out the door, and then walking 1000m or so to wherever you are staying. Then once you get to your hostel, there's probably no lift, so up you go three flights of stairs again . Then you might have to hoist yourself into the top bunk sans ladder. Down you get and proceed out the door to see the town, which you will want to walk from end to end. Repeat this as needed .

If you have the budget for it, you can take taxis and stay in places which aren't strenuous to reach, but it will take a lot more planning. In short, the stronger you are when you leave, the better!