Traveling is a true pleasure, and our bodies are getting used to the change of eating habits, sitting in confined airline seats for over 8 hours and; the time difference, not an issue. Let's look into some basic advice and elaborate on the most fun part – the exercise.
The facts
The center of Disease control and prevention advices on how to prepare for a trip, what to expect, eat and drink and suggests to bring anything that can protect you like sun block, repellent, limited alcohol use, and respecting the host countries rules and regulations.
Besides the prevention here is some detailed advice on staying healthy during the trip, from the International association for medical assistance (IAMAT)
The do's
- Drink boiled or bottled water, or use water purifiers / tablets.
- Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly with water and soap or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer, especially before handling food.
- Eat thick skinned fruit that you can peel yourself, such as oranges and bananas.
- Eat well cooked food while it's hot.
- Use anti-mosquito measures, including sprays or lotions containing DEET.
- Wear seat belts in vehicles and a helmet when riding a bicycle, moped, or motorcycle.
- Stay fit and be well rested.
Avoid
- Ice cubes in drinks.
- Unpasteurized milk and dairy products.
- Shellfish and large fish.
- Food from street vendors.
- Excessive sun exposure.
- Contact with animals and insect bites.
- Swimming in fresh water.
- Unprotected sexual contact.
Staying alert after the trip is also highly recommended, as you will be able to notice when something is affecting the body as a result of a happening during the trip.
Bike your way through the stay
So let's pick up on how to make exercise and the overall stay fun and see how we can stay fit, and stay fit in style. Hotels are converting rooms to gyms and clearly taking the offering extremely serious. Yet it is up to the individual to look and understand all the alternatives.
On an average business trip, exercise tends to be forgotten, taxi's are right outside the door, and meetings rule the days! The best way to see the city is by foot or by bike. You can see the signs, bicycles all over the city provided by hotels, and hotel maps with walking routes. Bugaboo the baby stroller brand, even provides stroller friendly routes.
Walking is of course great even though it is a low impact form of exercise, and is in that sense also closely related to bicycle motion. Impact is the amount of stress the activity puts on your body. The bicycle gets you faster from a to b and has the significantly better health affect when cycling on unleveled roads. Both forms of exercise come with good burning of calories, riding the bike burns 140 calories in 20 minutes, compared with 110 calories during a steady walk.
Style and exercise
But let's be honest, traveling in style comes with a bicycle and walking is rather uncool. The bicycle dates from 1817 when Baron von Drais invented a ‘walking' machine that helped him getting quickly around the royal gardens. In 1865 pedals were applied directly to the front wheel, and the velocipede was reality. Much later the pneumatic tire was invented, by Dunlop, and made biking finally a comfortable experience too.
So now the selection is huge, with the sincerest apologies for the taxi companies. Hotels can offer anything from a vintage, a stuffy but charming city bicycle, to a mountain bike.
With the selection of the bicycle hotels awaken to an entire new opportunity to reflect their brand in the city, and reflect the guests, needs and demands
About the author
Jeroen Gulickx is originally from Holland, where he obtained two business degrees. Later in life he also certified as black belt in Six Sigma. He is Managing Director and founder of Mocinno International, a hospitality consulting company that started in 2005, focused on delivering incremental revenues for hotels, spa's and also hotel suppliers. Jeroen is well travelled and has extensive experience in the luxury travel segment. The main capabilities vary from streamlining cost and operational models, strategy yielding, business development, and marketing to digital marketing. Mocinno International works with a network of highly experienced, energetic and yet innovative people, based in key locations.
Jeroen leads Mocinno International originated projects and the highly skilled team and International partners and agents in many key locations
