Ever pack workout clothes for a vacation — only to unpack them, unworn, upon returning home?
Perhaps the destination matters.
Data from exercise apps, which track users’ physical locations and search history, show travelers are likely to be more lively in some locations greater than others.
Fitness app Strava shows travelers are likely to exercise after they visit smaller cities in Europe. The app, which has 100 million users in 195 countries, shows travelers are more lively than locals, in:
- Split, Croatia
- Dodecanese Islands, Greece
- Lagos, Portugal
- Las Palmas, Spain
- Nord-Aurdal, Norway
All are warm, coastal cities in southern Europe, excluding Nord-Aurdal, which is an element of Norway’s Valdres region — a serious draw for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy mountain climbing, cycling, fishing and skiing. The small municipality of some 6,400 people is about 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Lillehammer, which hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics.
Conversely, the corporate’s data shows travelers are less lively, in comparison with locals, in parts of the Caribbean and Central America, namely:
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Dominican Republic
- Philippines
- Venezuela
- Costa Rica
Those that struggle to exercise on vacation can take heart in knowing that even lively travelers are likely to ease up from their usual routines on holiday. Nearly 4 in 10 runners cut their running times by no less than 30% during their summer vacations in 2022, based on Strava’s data.
Fitness classes booked abroad
Data from the fitness membership app ClassPass shows where Americans are signing up for fitness classes after they travel abroad.
From January to September 2023, American travelers booked classes essentially the most — not in major tourist draws like Paris and London — but in:
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Montreal, Canada
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Madrid, Spain
- Barcelona, Spain
- Dublin, Ireland
- Toronto, Canada
- Vancouver, Canada
- Berlin, Germany
The app doesn’t operate in Italy, a representative of ClassPass said.
A bunch of girls participating in an outside jump fit boots class in Barcelona, Spain.
Tempura | E+ | Getty Images
As for the sort of exercise that travelers book, ClassPass said the preferred classes are:
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Strength training
- Cycling
- Barre
The highest U.S. city for outdoor activities
A lady practices yoga in Sedona, Arizona.
Jenniferphotographyimaging | E+ | Getty Images
With a population of around 10,000 people, Sedona is a well-liked travel destination for physical and spiritual wellness, with many interested in so-called “energy vortexes,” which some imagine to have healing properties.
“For trail activities on the beach or within the mountains, we see the very best variety of activities happening in the summertime within the U.S., specifically in July,” Meaghan Praznik, a representative from AllTrails told CNBC.
