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(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

The first time I went to a BlogHer conference in the summer of 2007, I did a lot of walking. The conference venue in Chicago wasn’t close to the location where I was staying (it was a friend’s apartment, which means it was free), so I used a variety of means to get to where I needed to go — there was public transportation, too, but I remember there was quite a bit of walking involved.

This wasn’t the case at the BlogHer ‘08 conference in San Francisco. I was staying in the same hotel where the conference was taking place, so except for a few excursions outside (usually in the evening…when I was on my way to a bar or party), there was very little physical activity involved. By the time I got home three days later, I was feeling quite sluggish.

We’ll be back in Chicago for the ‘09 conference coming up later this month, but I won’t be staying with a friend this time. Just as I did in San Francisco last year, I’ll be staying at the hotel where the conference is taking place. While this situation could potentially be detrimental, I’m determined not to let the same thing happen again this year.

You see, I learned my lesson. While I had a great time in San Francisco, I didn’t get to see very much of the city. And even though I’ve been to Chicago once before and was able to see a few things during that trip, I know there’s an immense amount of stuff remaining to be seen. I’m only going to be there a few days (and I still plan to spend a fair amount of time inside, participating in the conference and talking to a lot of fabulous ladies), but I’m definitely going to have a better plan of action this time. I’d really like to identify a few places I want to see and make a point to make sure those visits happen. (Preferably I’ll be able to walk there from the hotel, so I can incorporate the whole activity-thing but not be too far away if I need to get back.)

In most cases when I travel, it’s not hard to keep up a decent level of activity. When I visit a place I don’t normally go, I like to walk and explore. I enjoy walking anyway, so in an unfamiliar place it’s really the best way for me to get a feel for my surroundings.

One thing that I’m not so familiar with is business travel — but I can see why keeping up a normal activity level could be difficult, depending on what your job is. I mean, what if you’re expected to stand on your feet in a small area for most of the day, like a vendor manning a table at a conference? You may not be moving much, but it can still be tiring — so there’s a good chance that the last thing you feel like doing when you leave for the day is to go for a walk or lift some weights.

There are a variety of things you can do to stay active while traveling away from home; things you don’t need a lot of equipment for, like walking or running for cardio, or body-weight exercises and resistance bands for building or maintaining muscle. Just make sure you venture out of that conference location (or whatever else is keeping you hostage). I think you’ll be glad you did.

What do you do to work out while traveling?

Related Reading:

Charm City Kim says that she works out every day, even on vacation.

Fit Celeb tells us how to stay slim while taking road trips.

Baltimore Fitness Examiner: Maintain Fitness Levels While on Vacation

That’s Fit has numerous tips for working out while on vacation:
Bike riding on vacation just got easier
Ward off vacation weight gain
Pack your pedometer