We find that the best way to stay fit while we are travelling is pretty simple.
We walk – everywhere!
You don’t need special equipment, a gym membership, or a rigid workout schedule.
Just walk as often as you can because walking fits naturally into travel, supports long-term health, and adapts easily to changing locations, routines, and energy levels.
For many active travelers over 55, walking should not be just a way to get from place to place. It should be viewed as the foundation of staying fit, mobile, and independent.
Why Walking Works So Well for Travelers Over 55
As we age, our fitness goals tend to shift.
Our goal becomes less about chasing conventional athletic performance and more about maintaining mobility, balance, endurance, and confidence. Which if you think about it, IS PERFORMANCE.
Walking supports all of these, and is especially good at it in a travel context.
Unlike high-impact or highly structured workouts, walking:
- Is gentle on joints
- Encourages natural movement patterns
- Can be done daily without recovery issues
- Scales easily from short strolls to long exploration days
For travelers, walking also solves the common problem of exercise consistency. No matter where you are on any given day, walking is always available to you.
Walking Is Built Into Travel (If You Let It Be)
One of the biggest advantages of walking as a fitness habit is that it’s already part of most trips.
Think about how often travel naturally involves:
- Walking through airports and train stations
- Exploring neighbourhoods
- Visiting museums, markets, and historic sites
- Taking evening strolls after meals
Instead of seeing this as “just sightseeing,” we intentionally use this type of walking as an integral part of our exercise plan.
The key is to embrace it, and find ways within your walking to challenge yourself to do a little extra. Like walk up the bank, or take the stairs instead of the lift, or take the long way and not the shortcut.
The Physical Benefits of Walking for Older Travelers
Walking delivers a wide range of benefits that are particularly valuable after 55.
Maintains Leg Strength and Endurance
Regular walking helps preserve strength in the hips, glutes, thighs, and calves. These are the muscles that are essential for climbing stairs, standing for long periods, and maintaining independence.
All super important assets when you are away from home and on the road
Supports Joint Health and Mobility
Walking encourages joints to move through a natural range of motion. This helps lubricate the joints and reduce stiffness. This is why getting up and walking around during long flights is high on our priority list.
And the longer the flight, the more you need to walk. The longest non stop flight we have had was Auckland (NZ) direct to Dubai which is about 14200km and took us over 17 hours! In those sort of circumstances, walking becomes a life saver.
Improves Balance and Stability
Navigating uneven pavements, stairs, and slopes is inevitable when you are out and about.
Regular walking helps maintain balance and coordination skills that will hopefully help you avoid nasty falls, twisted ankles, and worse
Boosts Circulation and Recovery
Walking promotes blood flow, which helps reduce swelling, stiffness, and fatigue during travel-heavy days.
It also is a proven counter to the risk of developing Deep Vein Thrombosis, which is something you want to avoid at all costs.
Mental and Emotional Benefits (Often Overlooked)
Apart from the physical aspect of walking (exercise), walking is now well recognized as one of the best ways to support mental wellbeing while travelling.
For many travelers over 55, walking has these additional benefits:
- Reduces stress and mental fatigue
- Helps regulate sleep patterns, especially when changing time zones
- Encourages mindfulness and observation
- Creates space to think, reflect, and enjoy the moment
We always go for a walk in a new place as soon as we can. It helps us get our bearings and to take in and become accustomed to our new surroundings. All of which allows us to settle in better and feel more relaxed.
How Much Walking Is “Enough” When Travelling?
Swings and roundabouts.
There’s no single number that will apply to everyone as everyone has their unique set of circumstances.
When travelling, we don’t often focus on step counts because we are usually way over what we would set as a daily goal when at home.
But if that’s not the case , for whatever reason – a long car journey etc, then it’s probably more useful to think in terms of regular movement.
A good example is when we are in somewhere like Kruger National Park. We can’t just hop out of the car and go for a wander down the road or through the bush. It’s not only dangerous, but it’s also illegal.
But we do take several walks a day when we are in camp.
So, on some days you may walk far more than usual. On other days, especially travel days, you may walk very little. That’s to be expected.
Our goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistency over time.
Making Walking Your Primary Travel Fitness Habit
To get the most benefit out of walking, we find it helps to be a little intentional.
In other words, if you don’t have a long day on your feet planned – think a walking tour of a big city, or a long hike in the bush – then a little planning goes a long way to keeping both fitness and enjoyment of where you are, on track
Start the Day with a Short Walk
Even a 10–15 minute walk in the morning can help loosen stiff joints, improve your posture, and set a positive tone for the day
This is especially helpful after flights or long travel days and fits in perfectly with planning your trip to take into account rest and recovery days.
Choose Walking-Friendly Routes
When planning your walk, be mindful of what you want to achieve with the walk. It will also largely depend on your location as the terrain at your disposal may only be flat, or very hilly.
The bottom line here is use what you have at your disposal and adapt according to your needs and capabilities on the day.
Break Long Days Into Segments
Instead of one long, exhausting push, break walking into:
- Morning exploration
- A rest or café stop
- Afternoon wandering
This approach reduces fatigue and makes walking more enjoyable.
Walking Gear That Makes a Real Difference
Walking may be simple, but the right gear matters, especially if you are walking all day and/or the weather is overly hot/cold/wet.
Comfortable Walking Shoes
Without a doubt, our no.1 walking priority is comfortable foot wear. Even the most brilliant outing can quickly turn into an endurance test if your shoes are causing problems. Sore feet are never a good thing!
So we go for supportive, well-fitted shoes that we have worn in and are comfortable wearing for long periods. We confirm this BEFORE they get packed for the trip.
Lightweight Daypack
A small backpack is great for keeping your hands free while still having the capacity to have water/food/camera/binoculars etc immediately available to you.
We often use one of our laptop bags for this function so think about that option when you are looking for a laptop bag for your travels.
Comfortable Socks
We have found that our socks are as important as our shoes. A crummy pair of socks can quickly turn the best fitting shoes into a nightmare.
So again, pre trip testing is advised.
You should also consider investing in some compression socks.
They are traditionally used on long flights, but are equally useful for those days when you know you are going to be on your feet for prolonged periods of time
Weather-Appropriate Clothing
Breathable layers and sun protection make walking more comfortable and sustainable.
If you have a full day of walking, we have found that dressing in layers is a good way to counter the change in temperature through the day as well as the vagaries of the weather. Of course this ideally means you have thought about this before you buy any “travel” clothes.
In our case, we hadn’t done this but over time we have discarded clothes that were more of a hindrance than a help. Then, bit by bit, we have replaced them with fit for purpose functional clothing that is suited to a multitude of weather conditions.
This multi – functionality is especially useful when we find ourselves moving from summer conditions to winter conditions, or vice – versa, on the same trip. And now days, with the vagaries of climate change induced weather, you don’t even have to change hemispheres to experience these very different weather conditions in short succession.
Walking With or Without Purpose
Walking doesn’t always need a destination.
Some days it’s enough to take it easy and just wander:
- Walk aimlessly through a neighbourhood
- Explore local streets
- Wander through markets or parks
For example, we have spent literally hours wandering around the historic center of Naples (see pic above). The whole neighborhood is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that showcases 27 centuries of history.
A true win/win situation.
On the other hand, when we have to be somewhere at a specific time, then we walk with purpose to reach that destination on time and inevitably that means a higher pace for a longer period of time.
Both outings are equally valuable to us and the variety keeps the walking interesting and sustainable.
When Walking Needs a Little Support
While walking is a great way of keeping fit, it doesn’t necessarily take care of all your fitness requirements for travelling as you get older.
For example, lugging that 23kg suitcase off the conveyor belt at the airport and then having to pick it up/take it down/ multiple times before you can unpack requires more than walking fitness.
That’s when a bit of weight training, body weight exercises, yoga, stretching and the like come in handy. Because without that, you could still wake up next morning and hardly be able to move because your shoulders and lower back ache like hell.
Been there, done that and it’s been both a painful and humbling experience!
So, walking works is a brilliant foundation for travel fitness, but as you get older, don’t ignore the needs of your core and upper body. They will probably need a little help in order to help you to have the best travel experience possible.
Walking as a Long-Term Travel Habit
Perhaps the greatest advantage of developing a walking habit is that, for most people, it’s a sustainable form of exercise that you can benefit from well past your travelling days and deep into your twilight years.
It readily adapts to changing fitness levels, travel styles, and destinations.
For travelers over 55, that makes it one of the most reliable and enjoyable ways to stay fit and active.
A Final Step
Staying fit while travelling doesn’t have to be complicated.
Walking is:
- Free
- Flexible
- Joint-friendly
- Easy to incorporate into your travel plans and maintain anywhere in the world
By embracing walking as your primary fitness habit, you support not only your physical health, but also your enjoyment of travel itself.
If, like us, your goal is to keep exploring, keep moving, and keep enjoying travel well into later life, then walking is one of the best habits you can build.
One step at a time
