The obvious answer is that they enable you to keep up your wonderful jogging habits, even when you’re in a far-off location. This helps you avoid that feeling of lungs burning and legs moving through sludge that often comes with picking running (or any type of exercise) back up after a week or more off.

However, that’s not my sole motivator for waking up on vacation days, pulling my running shoes on, and setting out on morning jogs. There are other benefits that I’ve experienced that are even more compelling. Three, in fact!

1. help off-set jet lag

Let’s be real. Jet lag is a bitch. It’s so frustrating to be in a new place with so many new things to see, only to discover that all you want to do is go back to bed. It’s even more frustrating when you’re awake at 2:00 AM, staring at the ceiling, wondering why you have a sudden burst of energy when the entire day was just spent peeling your eyelids apart from one another.  

Now, there’s still a lot to learn about the effects of exercise on our circadian rhythms. For example, does the duration of your exercise matter? Are different people affected differently? Does the time of day you exercise matter? 

Still, many studies seem to point to the fact that exercise does have an effect. 

It certainly doesn’t hurt. Plus, there’s an added benefit to running in the morning, getting that bright light in (which we know with certainty helps guide that circadian rhythm) can help set your body clock with the timezone of the location you’re currently in. If you don’t like to jog, I would still lace up my running shoes and go for a morning walk.

2. Get a sense of place

I have a terrible sense of direction. 

Really. 

Place me in a new location and I can’t tell you right from left. 

The only thing that helps is exploring locations in real-time, making wrong turns, getting lost, and then finding my way again on foot. 

While traveling, I like to wake up early, step outside of the Airbnb, hotel, or hostel that I’m staying in, and pick a direction that looks fun (usually one that doesn’t seem to have a big hill). Then I take off in that direction and figure my way through streets, alleys, roads, etc. I use my Maps app to help guide me when I’m ready to return to my starting location but through this process, I’m able to get a better grasp of the area I’m staying in. 

This is also where I like to call out that I’m no serious runner. I don’t care about mileage and I don’t care about split times. I’ll often stop to take a closer look at the landscape or see inside a little coffee shop, taking mental notes to remember for later. I’ll also often stop because I’m lost and will have to re-navigate to find my way back to my hotel.

3. See more of the places you’re visiting

This usually goes the opposite way, but if everyone else decides not to jump off the bridge (but you really want to), why should you be able to?

At the start of this blog post, I mentioned that my most recent trip was mainly centered around pub crawls (something myself and my two travel companions wanted). I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t absolutely love this. I did! 

However, I also had an itch to see more.

That’s why I love adding a morning jog into one or two days of my travels. It’s the perfect way to see places that your traveling companions may not be as interested in. In London, I was able to see Holland Park as I jogged along its tree-lined path and past its elegant water features. In Galway, I was able to see more of the Spanish Arch, smell the sea, and watch as young scientists pulled in samples from the surrounding landscape.

This benefit to jogging in new places was actually something I discovered while studying abroad in college (don’t worry I won’t go into “my favorite study abroad moments” here).

We had very strict schedules in certain places (Croatia, Bosnia, Vienna). However, a small group of us would wake up early for a quick run through the cities and we were able to jump into the Adriatic Sea and wander through the curving streets of Budapest.

The challenges of jogging while traveling

I must, of course, also acknowledge the challenges of jogging while traveling.

1. First, the packing is awful.

   Unless you have a washing machine at each of the places you stay at, you’ll need multiple workout clothes sets as well as your running shoes. This can take up quite a bit of space in a small carry-on. 

   • Tips: I will prioritize one or two workout clothes. They usually fold up fairly small. I’ll pack laundry strips (these are flat) and will handwash the clothes if necessary. For shoes, I usually wear my going-out shoes on the plane, fold up a small pair of Vivobarefoot walking shoes into the corner of my carry-on, and then make room for my running shoes.

2. it’s crucial to be aware of yourself while you jog.

   Even here in San Francisco, I’m always keeping my wits about me as I jog, especially early in the morning. There are certain neighborhoods to avoid, traffic to watchout for, and poop on the sidewalks to avoid (sorry SF but it’s true!).

• Tips: I’m not a very adventurous traveler, so don’t often stay in places where I feel unsafe, but when in doubt, I like to ask someone at the hotel or the Airbnb owner about places to avoid. A quick bit of research about the area you’re headed to ahead of time is also useful – the internet is, in fact, good for something. Finally, if I’m ever in doubt about my safety, I’ll choose not to go.

3. Finally, sometimes sleep > exercise.

   There were a couple of days on this last trip when I decided that the previous night out warranted sleep more than it did a jog. Sleeping in on those days was crucial.

• Tips: Don’t be too strict with yourself! If your body needs sleep, let it sleep. You can also ask your traveling companions ahead of time if they’re okay with you going on a later-morning jog. After one particularly late night on this trip, I knew that if I wanted to jog, it would have to be a late morning jog (10:00 AM rather than 7:00 AM). So, I asked what my traveling companions had planned and they wanted to sleep in until around 11:00 AM, making it the perfect hour for me to head out, come back, shower, and head off to breakfast together.

I know this all seems very brick-to-forehead, but I did feel it would be nice to write this out. Moreso than ever, I love incorporating morning jogs into my travels (even if my travels are simply taking me to another part of California). There’s something about getting that morning view of your surroundings, the quiet of it all (even if cars are still honking and there are some other bleary-eyed folk about), and having this time to yourself that really adds to the experience.