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Why I Always Pack My Running Shoes on Holiday
This isn’t really about running. It’s about the small decisions that keep you tethered to yourself when everything else is different.
It Didn’t Always Mean I Used Them
For years, I packed my running things for holidays and, for just as many years, I never actually used them.
At the time, it came from a very different place – the idea that I should run. That it would somehow balance out the cocktails, the buffets, the slower pace. It felt like something I needed to do to earn the indulgence, or to feel slightly better about it all.
Unsurprisingly, that version never really stuck. The trainers would stay in the suitcase, untouched. The intention was there, but the reason behind it wasn’t strong enough to carry it through.
What Changed Wasn’t the Holiday. It Was Me
The shift didn’t come from suddenly becoming more disciplined. It came from a point in motherhood where I had started running again at home and realised how much of myself I had quietly lost by not doing it. Running stopped being about fitness and became something much more fundamental – a way to reconnect with who I was.
So when we went back to Ibiza, somewhere I hadn’t been in nearly twenty years, packing my trainers felt different. It wasn’t about what I thought I should do anymore. It was about continuing something I didn’t want to lose again, and doing it in a place that already held so much meaning for me.
That distinction, between running because you feel you should and running because you don’t want to lose the version of yourself it gives you back, is the whole thing. Everything else follows from it.
It Stopped Being About Exercise Altogether
That trip completely changed how I see running on holiday. It wasn’t structured, it wasn’t timed, and it certainly wasn’t something I forced myself to do every day. It became a simple, open-ended experience – a run until I felt like heading back for breakfast.
Some mornings it happened, some mornings it didn’t, and that was the point. When I did go, it felt like space. Like clarity. Like a way of moving through the place I was in rather than just sitting within it. It turned something that once felt like effort into something that felt like freedom.
That shift is also why I think about travel differently now – not as a break from the life I’ve built, but as an extension of it. How travel made my life bigger in motherhood is worth reading alongside this if that idea resonates.
What Packing Them Represents Now
Now, when I pack my running shoes, it isn’t really about running at all. It’s about identity.
It’s a small but very real way of reinforcing the kind of life I’m choosing to live in motherhood – one that feels expansive rather than restrictive, one where I’m part of it rather than just managing it. It represents the fact that my needs are no longer an afterthought. Not as something that comes at the expense of my family – but as something that makes me better company for them.
It’s not about doing more or being better. It’s about choosing a version of myself I actually like.
And just to be clear – this does not make me a matcha-drinking wellness person. We fully commit to the buffets, the cocktails, and the slower afternoons. It’s a genuine balance. The running doesn’t cancel anything out. It simply adds something back in.
The Shift That Made It Actually Work
The reason this now works so easily isn’t because I try harder. It’s because I stopped treating it like a task and started treating it like part of the experience. It became less about routine and more about rhythm – something that fits around the day rather than dictating it.
Once that clicked, it stopped feeling like something I had to motivate myself to do and started feeling like something I wanted to include.
How I Actually Make Running on Holiday Work
None of this sticks if it feels complicated. The only reason I do it now is because I’ve made it as simple and low-pressure as possible.
Going early is the thing that makes everything else work. I’m not naturally an early riser, but early mornings on holiday feel different – quieter, cooler, and there’s something about being up before everyone else that makes the day feel bigger. More importantly, it removes the decision later. Realistically, you are not going for a run at 5pm when it’s boiling hot and you’re halfway through cocktails and lilo races.
One set of kit is enough. A quick rinse after and it’s ready again. I also lay everything out the night before so there’s no disruption in the morning. Removing the decision-making entirely is the point.
Attaching it to something else is what carries it on the days motivation doesn’t. If I can’t be bothered – which still happens – I don’t rely on willpower. I attach it to exploring a new area, finding a coffee spot, seeing more of where we’re staying. That shift makes it feel like part of the holiday rather than something separate from it.
The first day is always easy. Usually just a walk or a very relaxed route. Sometimes I repeat the same route all week because it’s familiar and effortless. The goal is simply to move. There’s no pressure to make it impressive.
Building it into the family rhythm made a huge difference. Once my partner knew it was something I wanted to prioritise, we worked around it together – alternating mornings, keeping it flexible. It added just enough structure without making it feel rigid. How to keep running while travelling covers the practical logistics of this in more detail.
And it doesn’t have to be running. This whole post is about movement, really, not specifically about running. Many places offer tennis, cycling, classes, swimming. Even walking more or exploring on foot gives you the same shift in energy. The key is that it feels easy and enjoyable, not forced.
A Small Decision That Changes Everything
What I’ve realised is that packing my running shoes isn’t about doing more while I’m away. It’s about not losing that version of myself again – the one that feels clear-headed, capable, and present.
Because when movement is part of the trip, even in a small way, everything feels different. You see more, you experience more, and you feel more connected to where you are.
So now, when I’m packing for a trip and that question comes up – do I bring the running shoes? It’s not really a question anymore.
It’s just part of who I am.
Come and Talk About This
If running and travel is something you want more of in your life – or if you’re figuring out how to hold onto yourself while also navigating family holidays – this is exactly the kind of conversation that happens inside the Active Happy Mum Club.
Join the Active Happy Mum Club on Facebook →
Or find me on Instagram @activehappymumlife.
FAQs: Running on Holiday
Q: How do I actually motivate myself to run on holiday? The honest answer is that motivation is the wrong thing to rely on – especially on holiday when the whole point is to relax. What works better is attaching the run to something you actually want to do: exploring a new area, finding somewhere for coffee, seeing more of where you’re staying. That reframe makes it feel like part of the holiday rather than a duty on top of it. Going early also helps enormously – before the day has started, before the heat builds, before the decision gets harder.
Q: Is it worth packing running shoes for a family holiday? If running is part of your regular life at home, yes – and not primarily for fitness reasons. The rhythm of a holiday can be wonderful and also slightly destabilising, particularly if movement is something you rely on for your mood and mental clarity. Having your shoes with you means the option is always there, even if you only use them twice. The weight is worth it.
Q: How do I fit running in around kids on holiday? Early mornings before the family is up is the most reliable approach – it doesn’t require anyone else to adapt and it’s done before the day begins. If that’s not possible, agreeing a rhythm with your partner in advance (alternating mornings, for example) tends to work well. Running buggies are another option if your children are young enough — some resorts have good paths for them. The key is deciding in advance rather than trying to find a window when you’re already in the middle of the day.
Q: I always pack my trainers but never use them on holiday – how do I break that pattern? The “I should run” motivation almost never holds on holiday. The shift comes when the reason changes – from something you feel you ought to do to something you actually want to include. That usually means letting go of what the run should look like (timed, structured, a proper session) and replacing it with something much more open-ended. Five minutes. A walk that turns into a jog. Running until you find somewhere for coffee and then stopping. Starting that small, with no performance expectation attached, tends to break the pattern much more effectively than trying harder.
Q: What if I just want to fully switch off on holiday? That’s a completely valid choice and some trips genuinely call for it. What’s worth distinguishing is whether you’re choosing to rest or avoiding something out of habit. Full rest is valuable and sometimes exactly what’s needed. But if you know from experience that you come home from holidays feeling flat, sluggish, or slightly disconnected from yourself – even after a good rest – it might be worth trying just one or two easy runs and seeing if it changes the quality of the trip.
Read Next
How Travel Made My Life Bigger in Motherhood
The Active Mum’s Guide to Seeing the World Without Giving Up Movement
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