According to the results in a just-released study by Expedia.com®, the most active travelers are Australians, with a full 55 percent believing it is important to exercise while traveling. Americans come in a close second, at 53 percent. The people least likely to prioritize exercise while traveling can be found in the UK, with only 43 percent identifying exercise as important.
Expedia’s 2017 Expedia Fitness Breaks Study, executed in partnership with Google Consumer Surveys, is the result of a survey that asked questions of more than 7,000 residents of seven countries
The highest percentage of people who outright refuse to exercise while traveling can be found in France, at 23 percent. Only 10 percent of Americans say they “don’t work out while they travel” at all, the lowest percentage in the field. The rankings on both metrics follow:
Other Highlights/Findings from the 2017 Expedia Fitness Breaks Study:
- Globally, among those who do exercise while traveling, 22 percent claim to do so to balance indulgent food, an opinion shared most by the French (31 percent), the Australians (29 percent) and Americans (27 percent).
- Fitness activities also facilitate authentic experiences when traveling, with 16 percent of the French and 13 percent of Aussies exercising because it allows them to “see new areas of the destination.”
- Simply walking/exploring a new city is, by far, the most popular exercise undertaken while traveling, an opinion shared by 47 percent of all respondents.
- Exploration walks are most popular for Australians (just over 56 percent), the British (just under 56 percent) and Canadians (53 percent).
- The French are most likely (34 percent) to take guided walking tours, also enjoying long runs when traveling. Germans are most likely to hop on a bike (28 percent).
- Americans are most likely to modify their typical workout routine when away from home (42 percent). A full 41 percent of Australians do the same, while only 20 percent of the Spanish–the least in the field–alter their regular regimen.
- Many exercise-focused travelers simply “create my own workout” in some fashion when traveling. Canadians lead the way (47 percent), closely followed by Americans (45 percent) and Australians (just under 45 percent).
- Just under a quarter (24 percent) of the French “find local fitness activities” to undertake, the most in the field, while the British (11 percent) are the least likely to do so.
- When it comes to accommodation, Americans (39 percent) are most likely to “expect fitness offerings at your accommodations” while traveling, followed by Canadians (just under 39 percent) and Australians (33 percent). The French, at 14 percent, are least likely to expect such features.
About the Survey: Expedia.com conducted the Fitness Breaks study using Google Consumer Surveys, a Google service that enables polling of a demographically representative sample of people online. The study was conducted from December 1-30, 2016, and included responses from 7,059 adults.
