How I keep my body pain-free after a long travel day, with this go-to 20-minute full body workout using only one resistance band.
Twenty+ hours of travel. Three airports. Locked hip flexors that won’t let me stand up straight, and a knot in my neck that gave me a pounding headache.
That was the trip home from Bali, where I spent the past few weeks co-hosting a yoga retreat at Bodhi and Floating Leaf eco-luxury retreat centers in Sukawati.
If you haven’t read the full recap of that trip yet, you can catch up on it here: https://jessirosemcmaster.com/yoga/yoga-retreat-bali-2026/ — but the short version is: it was beautiful and heartfilling, but it was the longest travel I’ve done so far.
Hours seated cramped in economy seats, and in transit to our destination, poor sleep and not always the best food. It left my body – who is already prone to achy hips and lower back – a little confused about what it’s supposed to be doing.
So when I landed, before I laid down for a nap. I grabbed my resistance band and woke my body up.
Why a Resistance Band Is the Best Travel Workout Equipment
This is the workout I come back to every single time I travel. Because it’s short – only 20 minutes! Full body – hits nearly every muscle group. And only uses one resistance back – which is small enough to pack in the side pocket of a suitcase. This workout can be done in a hotel room, an Airbnb, or a retreat center anywhere in the world without needing a gym or a pile of equipment.
A “Maintenance” Workout for Travel-Worn Muscles
The bigger reason I built this workout isn’t really about convenience – it’s about how it makes my body feel.
I don’t do this as a hard training session. I think of it as a “maintenance workout.”
Travel days put your body in strange positions – sitting for long periods, standing in lines, sleeping in unfamiliar beds – and the muscles that quietly stabilize your joints tend to go to sleep. This workout wakes them back up. It’s gentle, it’s deliberate, and it’s designed to protect your body rather than push it, which makes it a great form of prehab when you’re away from your normal routine.
A Travel Workout for Back Pain and Injury Recovery
This is actually the same workout I give to clients who are working through back pain or a past injury and want to keep some consistency while they travel – without risking a flare-up.
If that sounds familiar, this one’s for you too. It’s low-impact, joint-friendly, and built to leave you feeling better than when you started, not more depleted.
If you’re someone who wants to stay active while traveling but is nervous about aggravating an old injury or ending up too sore to enjoy your trip, this workout was made with you in mind.
More on the Bali Retreat
Curious about the retreat itself? You can read more about the Bali retreat experience: https://jessirosemcmaster.com/yoga/yoga-retreat-bali-2026/ , and if you’re interested in joining a future retreat with me, join my email list – you’re always welcome.
About Jessi Rose
I’m Jessi Rose, a holistic fitness coach with over 13 years of experience in Yoga, Pilates, strength training, massage therapy, and mindful corrective exercise. My work lives in the space between injury and full activity – helping people move through pain and back into strength, whether that’s in their everyday life or on the road. You can learn more about coaching, retreats, and virtual programs at jessirosemcmaster.com.
