Maintaining a physical fitness routine is an important part of overall wellness, especially when on the road. Between the additional stressors of travel and cramped transportation quarters, moving one’s body and keeping up strength become an important way to combat stiffness, cramping and muscle strain as it carries you through the new motions you will ask of it on the road.

Using your luggage

Luggage rows: While it is overall infeasible to bring a set of weights on the road, your bag loaded with some of its heavier contents can make a useful stand in. Bend over slightly with your suitcase to your chest and extend your arms repeatedly to complete a set of rows, or stand straight and push the bag towards the ceiling for a weighted overhead press.

Using your towel

Towel pull-apart: Many exercises rely on tension that comes from an elastic band or weighted pulley system, neither of which may be available in your chosen accommodation. You can replicate some of the effects by using the bathroom towel. Hold it out in front of you with your hands together, then stretch it wide pulling both hands wide apart, using the tension to stimulate your shoulder and upper back.

Using the desk

While the bed may be sufficient for something like supporting you and your room service order, it may not be sturdy enough for all your in-room workout needs. Try using the desk instead, when the exercise requires a more solid base with a higher rise. Decline push-ups, where you put your feet up on the desk and lean forward towards the ground before using your arms to raise and lower yourself, are a great way to intensify a basic exercise within the compact space.

Using your chair

Squats: Depending on your experience with the motions, it can be difficult to perform even basic exercises correctly without the guidance of mirrors and machines. Combat this limitation by using your hotel room chair to help find the bottom of your squat by placing it behind you and using contact with the seat to tell you when to return to standing.

This story was created by Detour, a journalism brand focused on the best stories in Black travel, in partnership with McClatchy’s The Charlotte Observer and Miami Herald. Detour’s approach to travel and storytelling seeks to tell previously under-reported or ignored narratives by shifting away from the customary routes framed in Eurocentrism. The detour team is made up of an A-list of award-winning journalists, writers, historians, photographers, illustrators and filmmakers.

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