Staying in physical shape while traveling is sometimes difficult.  Given, you’re on the “carry everything in a huge backpack and forget to eat” diet (or, if you’re unlucky or eating a lot of fruit, the “Delhi Belly” diet), but sometimes you would like to exercise in a more directed way.

Many gyms offer “trial memberships” that are good for one or two weeks.  This allows you to use all the gym facilities for free, and may include other freebies like a personal fitness assessment, free gifts, or consultation with a personal trainer.  Goodlife Fitness in Canada has a particularly good “perks” package.  Another upside to these free gym memberships are that they often have pools, hot tubs, shower facilities, and grooming products available in the locker rooms.  Hostel doesn’t have a shower?  Use the one at the gym!  Many gyms offer short term “student” memberships in month-long installments.

Many yoga studios offer free classes for first-time students, and often have an option for “karma yoga”, or classes for trade.  If the yoga studio you are interested in doesn’t have this option specifically listed, ask if you can do work around the studio, like cleaning up, sorting files, or restocking store shelves, in exchange for yoga classes or a fee reduction.  Student IDs can often also net you discounts; this includes ISIC cards.

Dance studios sometimes also have introductory offers for first class free, or sometimes have community nights where you can join in with locals for a night learning how to tango, salsa or foxtrot.  Some studios give discounts if you sign up for a series of classes, as well, so if you’ll be sticking around somewhere long enough, consider this.

Free fitness classes and community classes (think tai chi in the park) are usually listed in local newspapers and on bulletin boards in coffee shops and at studios.  Ask people where they go to work out, and whether they have recommendations for places you could go.  Remember, there’s always basic stuff as well: jogging, long walks, dancing around to music in your headphones, resistance training using your backpack (how many reps can you do?), and even things like partner stretching and yoga with your travel buddy.