5 ways to stay active on holiday *

*This is a sponsored post commissioned by Function 18

How active on holiday are you? I won’t judge you if your major activity is parking yourself by the pool for a fortnight. Sometimes that’s precisely what you need. Personally, I tend to get itchy feet if I’m in the same place for too long, so I like to explore new places and see what’s going on.

Here are some ideas for easy ways to stay active on holiday without exhausting yourself so much you need another break at the end of it.

 5 ways to stay active on holiday

1. Go for walks

I once clocked up 30,000 steps just by spending the day at Disneyland Paris. A weekend in Amsterdam was about 50,000 steps around the canals across two days. I always wear my FitBit on holiday and it’s amazing how effortlessly you can rack up the steps when you’re exploring somewhere new. Either go for a planned excursion or just see where your feet will take you. Walk around a gallery, see a new city, explore ancient ruins or do some shopping. Look up a lot and enjoy the architecture and street art of somewhere new.

2. Play games


Beach games, Frisbee in the park, crazy golf, kite flying, volleyball or football are all fun ways to spend your days on holiday. Function 18 sell a range of Callaway golf apparel if you want to look good when you’re walking around the links. I am terrible at most of these things but if the wind is up I enjoy a good kite fly. Sometimes I might even let the kids have a go.

3. Try out some new sports


How about mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, rollerskating or surfing? Very good for involving the whole family so you all sleep better at night. Plus you might find a new activity that you enjoy enough to take home with you. I’m not a skier but I can highly recommend exploring the Alps in Summer.

4. Pack your running shoes

Personally I love checking out a hotel gym. It’s up there with rootling through foreign supermarkets and pharmacies as one of the most interesting things to do on holiday. Some hotel gyms are tiny little sweaty cupboards and some of them are like a luxury destination in themselves. The best hotel gym I ever used was at the London Marriott County Hall hotel. The treadmills overlook the River Thames and the London Eye, and the massive pool is lined with palm trees. There’s also a very fine gym at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Florida, not that I made much use of it. A day at a theme park is a workout in itself.

5. Get in the pool


Swimming is such great all over exercise. There’s something very special about an outdoor pool and feeling the sunshine as you swim, so if you have access to a pool on holiday make plenty of use of it. Half an hour of swimming burns up to 400 calories so you can make up for it in cocktails later.

Do you like to be active on holiday? What has been your best active holiday memory so far? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you