Weekly Travel Feature

Get in Shape before you Travel

Prepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International

I heard talk that the best way to see the remote hill tribes in northern Thailand was by mountain bike.  I’ve always been keen on biking so I didn't think it would be a problem when I went to northern Thailand and rented a mountain bike. Peddling a bike on flat land and up and down mountainsides, I soon discovered, are two different things.  After that rigorous first day, I spent the next three days in agony, recovering from sore muscles. In fact, I could hardly walk.
  
Hiking and biking are not the same as doing aerobic exercise once or twice a week. If you are planning to go on a hiking vacation, or to go biking even if it's only around the city, make sure your body is ready for this kind of vacation. Lovely mountain scenery won't be worth a hoot if your muscles are screaming or your heart and lungs are on the verge of shutdown.
   
Any athletics-oriented vacation—whether it's hiking, biking, skiing or whatever—calls for preparation. Not being in good condition can have repercussions ranging from sore muscles to total collapse.
   
First, you need to be in good cardiovascular shape, according to Dr. Robert Scott of Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Scott was visiting Thailand and I met with him at the Author’s Lounge at the Oriental Hotel. Dr. Scott is advisor to many of the movie stars. "Good health does not necessarily equate with physical fitness," he said, which came as a surprise. "The lungs and heart must be able to endure rigorous exercise. Hiking, especially up and down mountainsides, and at high altitudes, puts increased stress on the entire cardiovascular system."
  
Second, said Dr. Scott, you need to strengthen the specific muscles that are going to be used. "Regular aerobic exercise—aerobics classes, jogging, running, brisk walking, and the use of stair machines, stationary bikes and treadmills—is necessary for fitness. But they must be done on a regular basis."
  
If you plan to carry a backpack, strengthening the back is also important.
  
And third, you need to be nutritionally conscientious. A diet high in complex carbohydrates will give you extra energy. Dr. Scott emphasised that good nutrition is important all the time, but it becomes essential before embarking on a trip that is going to make physical demands.
  
"Eat lots of carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, and plenty of fruits and vegetables, and drink at least eight glasses of water a day. And no carbonated sodas. Juices are great."
 
Most experts agree, the best way to get into shape is to take long walks, or hikes, up to 8 or 10 miles a day before the trip starts; three or four miles if it's up and down, hilly or mountainous.  An exercise programme should begin at least two or three months in advance. One must get into a routine and stick to it.
   
Paul Srivorakul, coordinator for a health club at Berkeley University, California, recommends combining a regular programme of aerobic exercise with hiking up to 10 miles a day before a trip. "If you're not in shape," he says, "you're going to get winded and tired, especially at high altitudes." 
  
The change from low to high altitude can be a problem even for very fit people. Such a conditioning takes a few days. Paul believes that workout training with another person helps.  "Sometimes that competition is what we all need."  The best recommendation, of course, is working with a sports trainer or coach.
  
Other experts in the field recommend working out on a stair machine, starting at 20 minutes and working up to 30 or more, for cardiovascular conditioning as well as strengthening the major muscle groups in the legs.
  
And last, but no less important, your hiking boots also need conditioning. Tour leaders flinch at the sight of new, untested footwear. Boots with ankle supports should be worn until they are comfortable; the newer lightweight boots break in much more quickly than heavy boots.
 
Times have changed, certainly. I remember not so many years ago when hotels didn’t have health clubs and exercise rooms. There was no demand. Back then when you arrived at your hotel, often even before you went to your room, you stopped at the bar or cocktail lounge and had a drink or two. Then after you went to your room and showered and cleaned up, you went back to the bar. Those days are gone.
 
Today there isn’t a major hotel, and many small ones as well, that doesn’t have a health club, and many are pretty fancy, with saunas and steam rooms. Spas have become the rule of the day. Some people travel these days just to visit famous spas around the world. There’s even talk that some airlines are going to install treadmills.

I wonder what the trend will be in twenty years from now.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. Dear ROH. I am very interested in your Fly-drive programme. I see that there are many different types. Would it be possible to rent a car in Bangkok and drive all the way through Malaysia to Singapore? Thanks you. Jane Samson, Seattle, WA.

A. Dear Jane, I am sorry but that is impossible. Both Avis and Budget vehicles are licensed only for Thailand. It is possible however to drive to Hat Yai, drop your rental car off there, and catch a shuttle bus to Penang and rent a car there to drive to Johor across from Singapore. Singapore these days has some tough restriction on vehicles entering the country. Rental cars cannot enter but once you are in Singapore you can rent a car there. You can leave your car in Johor and get a bus across the causeway into Singapore. It is a bit more complicated but it is possible.  Good travelling. —HS

Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)

Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited.