July 17, 2026, 7:01 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
The view of the sea is stunning, the delicious breakfast buffet is tempting–only the gym is missing. For many, this is the moment when training is skipped or cut short until the trip home. However, a summer vacation doesn’t have to be a forced break from personal fitness. Simple exercises in the hotel room can train the entire body. FITBOOK author Tony Poland spoke with personal trainer Markus Bremen about this.
No gym, little time, an unfamiliar daily routine–on vacation, regular training quickly takes a back seat. With body weight, some creativity, and just 20 minutes, almost any hotel room can be turned into a small gym. Staying active on vacation not only benefits your muscles but also supports circulation, metabolism, and well-being.
20-Minute Workout Without Equipment
Personal trainer Markus Bremen knows from experience that many people underestimate this surprisingly large range of possibilities. “Many think nothing can be done on vacation without a gym–but the body only needs three things for an effective training stimulus: a little time, body weight, and some creativity. A hotel room already offers more possibilities than most people think,” he says.
For an effective workout, you don’t need dumbbells or expensive equipment. The fitness expert recommends a simple full-body circuit that can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes. Five rounds with as short breaks as possible between exercises and a one-minute break between rounds are enough to challenge both muscles and the cardiovascular system. The plan includes:
- 10 squats
- 10 push-ups
- 10 lunges per leg
- Plank (20 to 30 seconds)
- 10 repetitions of a rowing variation for the back
The exercises engage almost all major muscle groups and can be easily adjusted to individual fitness levels–such as through easier or more challenging variations.
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“It sounds simple, but done correctly and with speed, you can really work up a sweat,” says Bremen. The exercises engage almost all major muscle groups and can be easily adjusted to individual fitness levels. Especially on vacation, it’s not about setting personal bests but regularly challenging the body and maintaining the training routine. The short time commitment makes it easy to fit the workout in before breakfast or in the evening after a long day of sightseeing or at the beach.
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Make the Most of the Hotel Room With a Towel and Miniband
Exercises for the back are also possible without a gym. Markus Bremen recommends a simple trick: “Wedge a towel in the top of the door and close the door, tying a knot at the end of the towel–you’ve got an improvised pull handle for back exercises.” With rowing movements, you can now train the back muscles, a part often neglected in classic bodyweight training.
The hotel room gym becomes even more versatile with the following tool. “I always have a miniband or strength band with me–it weighs nothing, fits in any luggage, and replaces almost all the cable equipment from the gym,” reveals the personal trainer. “With it, you can target shoulders, glutes, and back without relying on weights.” Regular travelers will find this band to be one of the most practical fitness gadgets ever.
On Vacation, Train Consistently Rather Than Perfectly
Many athletes also often make the mistake of trying to maintain their usual training routine while on vacation. However, this is often neither necessary nor sensible. “What many underestimate: Traveling often stresses the body–different time zones, changed eating habits, often poorer sleep,” the expert notes, adding, “You don’t need to try to make up for the full gym routine.” A short, intense workout is often more than enough–what’s more important is staying active and not adding stress to the nervous system with training pressure, says Markus Bremen.