Tell Your Friends to Go Take a Hike

Why, in the name of exercise, should you jump up and down doing calisthenics in your hotel room, work yourself into a sweat in the hotel fitness center or swim endless laps in the pool?

The consummate way to stay fit and trim when you travel is simply to take a walk.

Travel and walking go hand in hand. Travelers need exercise. Hours of sitting in cars, planes and sightseeing buses can cause swollen feet, stiff joints, backaches, fatigue and a drop in alertness and concentration.

Exercise can help us overcome these problems, along with the stress of travel and the effects of jet lag.

Walking is as good as and safer than more strenuous exercises. Walking increases the amount of oxygen delivered to every part of the body, improves muscle tone and results in that feeling of general well-being. Walking substitutes for exercises you do at home.

Staying active when you travel often reduces complications of illness and the need for medications. Exercise can also reduce the need for some of the general medications that travelers take: aspirin, tranquilizers, sleeping pills and laxatives.

Fun and Free

Walking is fun and free. You need no equipment, no gymnasium, no reservations. You can walk any time, anywhere and for as long or as little as you like. You can walk along a beach, through the woods, on city streets, in a park. You can walk around the deck of a cruise ship and, when the pilot permits, in the aisles of an airplane. In bad weather you can often find indoor shopping malls where you can walk several miles without seeing the same store twice.

Walking burns calories. Slow walking (about 2 m.p.h.) burns about 250 calories an hour, about the same as a leisurely bicycle ride. A moderate walk (about 3 m.p.h.) burns about 350 calories an hour, the same as slow jogging, tennis, rowing or recreational swimming. A fast walk (about 4 m.p.h.) burns about 400 calories an hour.

Even strolling, visiting museums and window shopping are good for your health, says the American College of Sports Medicine. These may burn fewer calories, but the activity does increase oxygen flow and keeps muscles and joints lubricated.

Ask responsible people about interesting and safe areas for walking. Avoid areas that are badly polluted. Walking along a busy truck route for an hour is about as healthy as spending an hour chain-smoking cigarettes.

In developing countries, watch out for traffic and broken sidewalks. According to Walking magazine, the most hazardous countries for pedestrians are Hungary, Yugoslavia, West Germany and Austria. The safest is Japan.

Information about walking is available almost everywhere: tourist offices, national park offices, hotels. There are books and magazines on walking in bookstores, libraries and newsstands. In bookstores that cater to tourists, look for cassette tapes describing local walking tours.

Dozens of gadgets make walking healthier, safer, more comfortable and more fun: lightweight, easily adjustable baby carriers; flashers and reflectors for night walking, plus special shoes and socks with high-tech features.

Some wristwatches can be used to calculate your speed, distance and calorie use. There are belts with holders for drinks and snacks, thermometers that calculate the wind-chill factor and many other items. Also check camping supply stores, camping catalogues and outdoor-oriented magazines.