Exercises on Vacation at the Cabin

No Gym? No Problem!

Traveling doesn’t have to mean losing ground in your fitness game. Even though you’re away from your home gym, you can stay fit and maintain muscle mass at the cabin, nature retreat, or campsite. 

These exercises are simple to learn and safe to perform unsupervised. They require little to no equipment, and with some planning, you can make the most of your outdoor ‘gym’ experience!

Here are some innovative exercises you can do on vacation when you’re away from your usual gym equipment.

The Nature Gym Circuit

Lalitha McSorley, owner, personal trainer, and lead Physical Therapist at Brentwood Physio, focuses on pain relief and injury recovery, treating performers from Cirque du Soleil, Major League Baseball players, Olympians, and everyone in between.

Inspired by the mountain ranges in her home province of Alberta, Lalitha has dubbed her uniquely inspired physiotherapy exercise routine “Nature Gym Circuit.”

Tree Push-ups

Any old tree will do; the bigger, the better, actually. I’d advise one to do incline push-ups (video tutorial). This is a variation of the wall push-up, which allows anyone at any level to complete it. It’s nice as it is easier on the wrists and shoulders. It can be done with your hands at varying heights, depending on your level of strength. 


Rock Squats

Find a flat rock or log (something smooth, NOT sharp). Stand in front of it, squat down, and then tap the rock with your butt. This is more advanced and will help you get even looser and think of a more controlled squat. It’s challenging, so to make it easier, if you don’t have mobility, flexibility, or strength, just squat normally. 


Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and squat down while keeping your chest up. Make sure to drive up through your heels to stand back up. I recommend starting at 3 sets of 15-20 reps.


Log Step-ups:

If you find a large log or fallen tree, use it for step-ups to work your legs and glutes (video tutorial). A lot of people do step-ups too fast. Slow it down, and then slow it down even more. Controlled and slow is the best.

Sand lunges:

Doing lunges in the sand is more difficult than it is on solid ground, engaging your quads and glutes even more and also focusing you to activate a lot more stabilizer muscles in your lower body and feet.

Planning Your Vacation Workouts

Is spontaneity more your thing on vacation?

Nico Gonzalez, owner of Fitness Physiques with Nico G and Balanced Body Educator, has a slightly different approach to going away and prioritizing fitness. A lot gets planned, including meals and finding time to work out.

While Nico doesn’t plan every single detail, he finds planning a few activities gives him the freedom to relax, advising to, “Find the right balance you are comfortable with on vacation for a truly enjoyable experience.”

“We are movers, and we enjoy working out in the mornings. Since we are vacationing on Pacific time and we live in Eastern time, our bodies naturally wake up earlier while on vacation. Perfect time for us to get up and do something!”

Quenching Your Workout Thirst on Vacation

Looking to keep active while taking advantage of local amenities if you’re near a city or town?

Here’s Nico’s go-to list for quenching his workout thirst:

1. Light hiking in the morning. Or just plan 30-45m brisk walks outside our AirBnB or hotels. Usually, we find a local coffee shop and pick one that takes a while to walk to. We walk there, have our coffee, then walk back.
2. Plan ahead and look for local fitness studios in the area. They usually have free passes for first-timers or discounts if you buy a small package.
3. When there is nothing else, try an app! My go-to apps depend on my workout needs. If I’m looking for Pilates-based workouts, I always go to Balanced Body video workouts. If there is a treadmill or bike around, I’ll hop on my Peloton app. If I need a dance class or full body strength workout, I use my Apple Fitness + app.

Exercise Tools and Accessories for Travel

What can you stow in your luggage for better workouts on vacation?

Some tools Lalitha recommends to clients and patients to bring on the road include:

• Suspension straps (like the TRX)
• Resistance bands
• Resistance loop bands
• Listening to your body

Lalitha recommends, “Suspension straps are possibly the best piece of tiny equipment I can think of for a total body workout. You can hook them onto a door, tree branch, or even the roof rack of your car. There are tons of exercises you can do with the TRX to target the chest, arms, back, legs, and your core.”

Following suspension straps, she says, “Resistance bands are a no-brainer; you can fit them in your pocket and perform exercises like resistance band squats, rows, and shoulder presses.” Lalitha notes, “The benefit of resistance bands is they allow you to add progressive resistance by making them more taut. I’d go one step further and say get the resistance loop bands. They are even easier to use and are great for glute bridges.”

Lalitha would typically recommend everything she mentioned above for people to do at home if they do not have access to a gym or any equipment (granted, they don’t have any injuries). If you do have injuries or a condition that is being monitored by a doctor, always check with your doctor first before making changes to your health.

Lalitha talks about corrective exercises on her website and stresses, “It is important to listen to your body; if any of these exercises hurt or you feel a sharp pain, stop immediately.”

What does Nico bring with him?

• Breathable workout clothes
• Proper footwear
• Water bottle
• Electrolytes
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses

He writes of the list above, “Since I’m on vacation, I make sure I wear my favorite items to motivate me to get the workout done. Be fully prepared so nothing stops you from enjoying your workout.”

Exercise + Tourism

Need some creative ways to get a workout in while seeing the sights? Nico recommends:

• Hopping on a rental bike and enjoying a quick spin in a park, down the beach, or wherever your heart desires. It’s a great way to get a little cardio in and enjoy some fresh air.
• Looking up some destinations on your mobile device that are walkable and make it an enjoyable outdoor experience. Museums, outdoor festivals, shopping in and out of local spots – all good options. Oh and you get some great steps in for cardio health!
• Planning a bike tour. These tours can be as short or long as you like. I have friends who fly to Italy and do 4 days of touring on and off their bikes.

While Nico admits he may be overplanning his vacation workouts, he exclaims, “Let me share with you a little secret: I truly enjoy my workouts. Workout times are for me and I find that time is precious and necessary, all part of my vacation experience. I enjoy my ‘non’ workout time much more when I have checked off my list for the morning workout.”

He cites these workouts are just enough to get ‘the body moving, a little sweat, and boost those endorphins!’ Nico concludes, “Remember, you have already been hitting the workouts hard all year round; these are just little maintenance jolts to keep the furnace burning.”

Exercise Equipment You Can Pack 

• Good running shoes
• Resistance bands
• Suspension straps
• Small rollers
• Tennis ball
• Rumble Roller Beasties

Working Out at Vacation Rentals

When researching where to stay, you may be pleasantly surprised to see the variety of home gym and spa amenities available to you at homes on platforms like Lake.com for vacation rentals.

These amenities are easily discovered with a quick keyword search, and voila, you have a hot tub! Voila, you have free weights!

Mark Lumpkin of STR Cribs outfits vacation rentals in the US, helping them to stand out from the crowd. Over his career, Mark has transformed over 600 homes into Airbnbs and acknowledges that a vacation rental’s gym equipment is often based on the size of the area dedicated to a home gym, which varies from rental to rental.

If the home you’re looking to rent has a smaller ‘home gym’ area, Mark notes you’re likely to find exercise mats, free weights, and possibly a mini stepper. A larger home gym may offer a Smith machine and a treadmill, for instance.

That said, not every short-term stay is equipped to meet the needs of gym enthusiasts; in fact, most don’t have a home gym setup, period. If working out with proper gym equipment is a must for you, be intentional when scoping out a property to vacation at for you and your loved ones.

Pools, Spas, and Wellness Amenities

Depending on the amenities you want in a vacation rental, it would be worthwhile to factor in geography.

For a glimpse behind the curtain of the strategic side of vacation rentals, Mark confides, “In Florida or Arizona, pools are one of the high ROI amenities. In markets like The Smoky Mountains or Poconos, hottubs and barrel saunas work great.”

One of Mark’s Airbnb projects in The Poconos is a literal playground for families wanting to get away from it all. The barrel sauna is in the backyard near the firepit. Off to its side (not pictured here) is a heated, in-ground swimming pool and other goodies, including a small mini golf course, basketball court, and an arcade inside the home.

As a guest interested in fitness and fun, consider seeking out unique amenities unavailable in most vacation rentals for a truly experiential stay. A barrel sauna is rarer to experience than a hot tub, for example.

Whatever you do, be safe when using equipment provided at a vacation rental. Responsible hosts and property managers provide professional signage with rules and instructions for using their amenities.

Booking Your Trip

Whether you train at a professional facility or pump iron in your home gym, being away from your usual fitness routines and exercise equipment is bound to happen. Using the guidance in this article, you can still get exercise and enjoy quality time with your family and friends. 

Explore available vacation rentals on Lake.com and start planning your adventure now.