I recently took an Alaska cruise with my fiancée while we were both working toward our own health and fitness goals. For us, the trip was not about putting training on hold or trying to turn a vacation into a weeklong fitness camp. We wanted to enjoy Alaska, experience the cruise, eat good food and actually relax. At the same time, we knew that our routines matter to us, so we wanted to find a way to maintain some healthy habits while traveling. That meant thinking ahead about exercise, food, drinks, activities and even how we could avoid getting sick. What happened was a useful reminder that staying healthy while traveling is less about being perfect and more about making intentional decisions.

In this post (and the Youtube video linked here and the podcast episode linked here), the Alaska cruise also gave us a chance to see where our plan worked and where it fell apart. We made some choices that I would absolutely repeat on another trip. We also made a few decisions that I would handle differently next time, particularly when it came to sugar and some of our non-alcoholic drinks. I came home feeling like we had learned something valuable about balancing fitness with real life. If you have ever wondered how to stay active while traveling without sacrificing the experience, this is what our Alaska cruise taught me.

We chose a cruise ship with a gym for a reason

One of the best decisions we made happened before we ever got on the ship. We specifically looked for a cruise that had a good gym and a running track because we knew that having access to those facilities would make it much easier for us to keep training. We wanted the option to work out every day, or at least try to work out every day, without having to completely redesign our routine around the trip. For me, that was one of the biggest lessons from the entire experience: if fitness matters to you, consider it when you plan the trip rather than trying to solve the problem after you arrive.

What made the setup even better was that the gym and running track gave us incredible views of Alaska. We could exercise while looking out at mountains rising thousands of feet above the ocean. That made training feel like part of the experience rather than something we had to escape the vacation to do. I think that distinction matters. You do not necessarily need to choose between working out and enjoying your destination. Sometimes the best solution is to find a way to combine the two.

We made non-alcoholic drinks part of the plan

We also made a deliberate decision about alcohol. We wanted an all-you-can-drink package, but not because we wanted to drink alcohol all day. We simply did not want to think about paying separately every time we wanted something to drink. I enjoy sparkling water and tea, and there were plenty of other non-alcoholic options available. Having those options made it easier for us to stay away from alcohol while still enjoying the social and vacation aspects of the cruise.

That turned out to be a bigger win than I expected. When you are surrounded by people drinking, surrounded by food and surrounded by opportunities to indulge, it can be surprisingly easy to assume that you have to participate in everything. You do not. I had virgin strawberry daiquiris, and my fiancée introduced me to virgin mojitos. We were able to enjoy the experience without making alcohol part of it. That is a strategy that can apply far beyond a cruise. Whether you are at an all-inclusive resort, on a work trip or visiting a new city, having non-alcoholic options you genuinely enjoy can make healthy choices much easier.

We stayed active without overloading the itinerary

When we looked at excursions, we tried to find activities that naturally included movement. Walking and hiking gave us a way to be active while actually experiencing Alaska. But there was an important second part to our strategy: we did not fill every available hour with activities.

That was intentional. We wanted to manage our energy and avoid turning the vacation into another demanding training schedule. We booked two planned excursions during the seven-day cruise, with one official excursion and another that we largely planned ourselves. The rest of the time, we left room to explore, relax and simply enjoy where we were. We saw seven bears in Ketchikan, bald eagles in Juneau, whales, otters and an incredible rainforest. For me, that was a reminder that being active while traveling does not always mean scheduling a workout. Sometimes walking outside and experiencing nature is enough.

We had access to healthy food, but access is not the same as discipline

Another thing we got right was making sure we had the ability to eat healthy. Both my fiancée and I have specific fitness goals, and our training programs are different, so having some control over our meals was important. The cruise made that easier than I expected. We could speak directly with the chef and our waiter about our dietary restrictions and allergies, and we could customize some of what we ordered.

But having healthy options available did not mean we always made the healthiest choice. That distinction became very obvious during the trip. Our meals themselves were often pretty healthy, but we also had plenty of opportunities to eat things we would not normally eat at home. That is where our plan started to drift. The lesson for me was simple: creating an environment where healthy choices are available is important, but I still have to make the decision to choose them.

The biggest mistake was eating too much sugar

If there was one thing I would change about the Alaska cruise, it would be the amount of processed sugar I ate. Before the trip, processed sugar was extremely uncommon in my normal diet. During the cruise, that changed dramatically. For the first half of the trip, I was having some kind of processed sugary treat after almost every meal.

And I did not stop at one dessert. There were days when I had a donut at breakfast, cake or pie at lunch, and tiramisu or crème brûlée at dinner. I also love soft serve ice cream, and there were times when I had it more than once in a day. I weighed myself before and after the trip and gained about three pounds. I cannot say exactly what caused that change, but I believe the combination of sugary desserts, sugary drinks and eating more indulgently than I normally do played a role.

I do not think the answer is to eliminate all enjoyment from a vacation. That would defeat the point. What I would do differently is create some boundaries around indulgence. Instead of treating every day of a weeklong trip as a cheat day, I would probably choose two or three days where I was more relaxed with my food. That would allow me to enjoy the foods I really wanted without turning every meal into an opportunity to overindulge.

We learned an important lesson about getting sick while traveling

Another lesson came after the cruise. We had been careful about wearing masks at the airport and on public transportation while traveling to Seattle, where we caught the ship. We also had a personal approach to masking on planes based on whether there appeared to be sick people around us. But while we were in Ketchikan, we took a bus where several people were coughing and appeared to be sick. We did not have our masks with us.

A few days later, after we had returned home, we got sick. We retraced the trip and realized that the bus was a likely point where we could have been exposed. That experience reinforced something I already knew: getting sick while traveling can disrupt much more than the vacation itself. When you return home, you are already trying to get back into your normal schedule. Adding an illness to that transition makes everything harder. For future trips, I want to be more consistent about keeping masks available and not becoming complacent simply because I have been careful earlier in the journey.

Even non-alcoholic drinks can contain a lot of sugar

There was one more thing I would change about our drinking strategy. Avoiding alcohol was a success, but I eventually realized that some of the non-alcoholic drinks I was choosing contained a lot of sugar. My fiancée recognized this before I did. I kept ordering drinks like strawberry daiquiris, piña coladas, lava flows, mojitos and even some Sprite.

These drinks were not part of my normal routine at home. I usually drink sparkling water and tea, and when I make smoothies, I do not add sugar. So while I was technically sticking with non-alcoholic drinks, I had replaced alcohol with a different form of indulgence. Toward the end of the trip, I started choosing tea and sparkling water more often, and that is what I would prioritize on a future vacation. I do not need to eliminate a fun drink completely, but I could make it an occasional treat rather than something I order every day.

What I would do differently on our next trip

Looking back, I do not think the goal should be to make a vacation perfectly healthy. That is not realistic, and it is not necessarily desirable. The better goal is to create a few simple guardrails that protect the habits that matter most to you while leaving plenty of room to enjoy the experience. For me, those guardrails would include choosing accommodations with access to exercise, building movement into the trip, leaving downtime in the schedule, keeping healthy food available, limiting processed sugar and being more prepared for crowded transportation.

Most importantly, I would approach the trip with more awareness rather than more restriction. I want to enjoy the food, the drinks, the scenery and the experiences. I also want to come home feeling good and ready to return to my normal routine. That balance is possible. It starts with deciding ahead of time what matters to you and then making choices that support those priorities.

The biggest lesson from our Alaska cruise

Taking an Alaska cruise during training taught me that fitness does not have to disappear when you travel. At the same time, trying to maintain your routine does not mean you have to turn your vacation into a rigid training camp. We found some great ways to stay active, including using the ship's gym and running track, walking and hiking during excursions, and simply getting outside to experience Alaska. We also found areas where we could improve, especially with sugar, indulgent foods, sugary non-alcoholic drinks and protecting ourselves from illness.

If you are planning a trip, I encourage you to think about your own priorities before you leave. What do you want to maintain? What are you comfortable relaxing on? What would make you feel great when you return home? You do not need to get every decision right. Our Alaska cruise certainly showed me that I did not. But if you make a few intentional choices before and during your trip, you can enjoy the experience while still taking care of your health, fitness and overall well-being.

DISCLAIMER: THIS INFORMATION IS MY OPINION AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. PLEASE CONSULT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER FOR GUIDANCE SPECIFIC TO YOUR CASE.