Exercising while traveling

Hard to answer without knowing any details of your itinerary. But some general statements- certain cities are better for running than others. London is probably the best- you can jog a huge loop from Kennsington Gardens through Hyde Park to Green Park, by Buckingham, through the Mall all the way to Trafalgar Square. Dublin's Phoenix Park (which for some reason, few tourists visit) is another good park for running. Certain areas, particular in the Benelux countries and Germany, also have designated bike lanes which you may be able run in (or better yet, rent a city bike). The Englischergarten in Munich is also a great running spot. Finally, multi-use trails criss-cross the German countryside.

Hi, Sara. My husband has run in just about every place we have visited. He runs marathons, so he cannot afford to get out of shape. He usually gets up early and goes out for a run at least every other day. He just takes off and sees what he can find. Some times he asks our B&B hosts where a good place to run is. He has never had a problem finding some place to run.

I am a walker, not a runner, so I get all the walking I need in the course of the day. We hike and walk all over the place where ever we go. Unless you are training for a marathon or something like that, I think you will probably get all the exercise you need from walking. Of course, it depends what you like to do on vacation.

My husband and I do not run as much on vacation, but we have some wonderful memories of the runs we have done. Hyde Park in London, up the Lauterbrunnen
Valley, etc. Also, we try to do some hiking and biking while we travel. I do take running shoes. I have found that one way to handle foot fatigue is switching up my shoes every couple of days. My running shoes are a nice alternative to my walking shoes. I get enough use out of them to justify giving them space in my luggage.

Since I'm walking miles a day when I travel, I never worry about running. You can always start your day with some push ups, sit ups, thrusts, squats and stretching in your room before heading out.

"Will I even have time for it?"

I don't believe anyone here can answer this question, but you.
I didn't see many people running in Europe, but I guess you can do it on less traveled streets.

Most better hotels have weight and other exercise equipement, but one can find "exercise" just about anywhere in Europe, unless you make a point of taking transportation. This is one of the most "walker-friendly" places in the world and you should have no problem walking 10KM-20KM a day unless it is snowing or raining.

Plenty of stairs to climb.
Music to dance to at night.
There are heated swimming pools; just ask around.

I'd just head out the door and go somewhere. It's easiest to get back if you stay on one street or find a public transit stop on the way back. Otherwise, there's mapmyrun.com where lots of people have shared paths and you can make your own and print a map.

In Europe, I'd suggest carrying a water bottle on your runs. The weather can vary across destinations and you can't really stop in a cafe to rehydrate and get a snack since they're so stingy with the water. I bring a handheld bottle traveling with me and just keep the top off going through security to show that there's no liquid inside. Nathan makes some nice handhelds, as does Ultimate Direction.

If you want to do other fitness activities, stop and lift a rock and do pushups. My old personal trainer used to take us out on the trail near her house sometimes and do river rock curls.