Hey guys,

I am going on a couple tours starting August for about 5 weeks.

I am a pretty active person at home. I realize I won't be able to keep up the same workout routine that I have now while in Europe, but I would like to try and get some exercise in.

Do people exercise while on tours? I am probably going to bring my jogging clothes, but I wanted to see if other people have found there is time to exercise while on a Contiki tour.

Any insight/thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Being on tour means LOTS of walking. I bet lots of people get a lot more exercise on tour than they normally do.

I probably walked more during 1 day in Paris than I Would normally in 2 weeks.

One of the girls on my tour would get up earlier than everyone else and go jogging pretty much everyday..
You do walk heaps either way and guess you could sum up how much time you want to spend exercising compared to seeing the sites

I'm throwing in my gym membership so my exercise routine at the moment consists of a personal trainer twice a week and long walks during my lunch hour.

If I'm walking all day, I think that's more than enough for me.

i dont think there was any1 who went outta there way to becoz of all the walking you do.. and if you want the extra perhaps walk the eiffel?

Agree with everyone else here.

You are going to be walking A LOT (around 35,000 steps according to my trusty pedometre!)
I found it hard on my Euro tour to complete exercise.

That being said, if you're up early enough go for a run...stretch whatever you like to do. I love running and thrive on it. The best run I've ever had was at the Grand Canyon on Contiki.

on my tour there wasn't really any time for exercise unless you wanted to spend your free time exercising instead of seeing the sights. but i went on the european magic tour and we had practically one day in each place so my schedule may be a little more cramped than yours. but like they said there's a lot of walking, but i didn't think it was too much. maybe again that was just my tour. for me, most of the walking occurred when we were on our own, able to venture about the city. other than that there wasn't an excessive amount of walking that went on with the whole tour group. in my case, i wouldn't count on having spare time to exercise but again that may just have to do with the particular tour that i took (it was 9 days and 11 countries)

So is it safe to say that one might come back a few pounds lighter??!!!! I too am worried about not exercising and even gaining a few extra pounds from all that great food...but I hear that you are on the go so much you might actually come back a few pounds lighter!! A trip around the world = instant diet!

It was hard to find time to "exercise" on Contiki. But keep in mind that you WALK EVERYWHERE. There were a few days where we walked around for 8 hours. Not all of it was fast paced but you are on your feet, moving around all day.
On the other hand, there is tons of food everywhere. The Concept tours have great food at the campsites. I went to France, Italy, and Greece. Some of the best food I have ever had, but not the healthiest. I didnt gain weight on the trip, but I didnt lose any either. A lot of people felt like they were gaining weight though.

THE SERVICE STOPS ARE THE DEVIL. There are not many healthy options at the service stops, which is why I think some people gain weight. My advice for people looking to eat healthy and get exercise on Contiki it:
- Dont eat the junk from the service stops. Save your calories for the great local cuisine, not pringles and fanta.
- Take the stairs. If time permits, and you feel up to it, climb to the top of the sights instead of taking the lifts.
- DONT GO FOR A RUN/WALK ON YOUR OWN!!! in strange places, it is easy to get lost, take a friend with you.
- STRETCH at the service stops, it will make the rest of the drive more comfortable

I didn't "exercise" at all on the trip, and the walking alone made me lose 5 lbs....