Contents

A Change of Scenery

A run with a view

One of the things I really like about running is that it doesn’t take a huge amount of equipment to do it. Running shoes, appropriate clothes, and optionally some form of fitness tracking watch, and you are good to go.

The gear required for running can easily fit into a small bag, a corner of a suitcase, or a backpack. I really enjoy cycling, but the size of a bike and helmet isn’t exactly something you can fit under your seat in a plane!

Since starting running, I haven’t travelled without taking my running gear with me.

Isn’t it supposed to be a holiday?

This post is slightly topical. The Running Channel Podcast did an episode on whether you should run on holiday or not. To answer whether I think it is a good idea, I listened to this episode while running on holiday 😂.

Running helps with my mental health. The time to think and process whatever I’m feeling that day has been a huge benefit (especially recently). Also, my physical health impacts on my mental health. Doing something that improves my physical health has the added benefit of improving my mental health.

Holidays for me are all about taking a break from day-to-day life, to feel refreshed. This is all in an effort to improve mental health. This goes hand in hand with why I run, so I couldn’t imagine not running while on holiday.

Discovery

One side benefit of running in a new place is because of naturally covering more distance, and wanting to plan routes (usually to make sure I end up back at the hotel or close to it by the end of the run!), I discover more about the area I’m staying, as well as seeing the similarities and differences in life in another county or country.

I’ve been able to find the local shops, landmarks, parks for the kids to go on, and all sorts of other things along the way.

I also love seeing the differences in how people live, the style of houses, the difference in plant life/vegetation, all of it just helps me feel a little more connected with the place I am visiting.

Places I’ve ran in

Other than where I live, I have run in the following places: -

  • Cornwall, UK
    • All around the St Ives area
  • Fuerteventura (Canary Islands)
  • Le Mans, France
  • Efteling, Netherlands

I am also going to be running in Helsinborg in Sweden in a weeks time too.

This year is the first year I have ran in a different country. By the end of 2025, I will have ran in 5 different countries (if you include the one I live in). Running in this many countries may not be possible every year, but I intend to try and run in at least one other country than the UK every year for as long as I’m able to.

Photos

I don’t take many photos while running, but I try to take a few if I’m in another country.

Cornwall

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Carbis Bay (near St Ives) looks almost nothing like any other UK seaside town. It also was my first experience of running up a real hill, and….it hurt!

Fuerteventura

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Running while the sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean was an amazing experience. The vegetation in Fuerteventura is really interesting, being close to the equator but with a constant sea breeze.

Le Mans, France

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Running through the quaint village of Arnage, through the French countryside, while hearing the sounds of Le Mans Hypercars/LMDhs/GT3s was a great experience. Taking a break from the racing, but still being able to hear it was just what I needed.

Efteling, Netherlands

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If you have kids and can go, Efteling is a great experience. Running round the grounds, seeing all the bicycle infrastructure, going past Dutch farms in one direction, and past Dutch suburbs in the other, fantastic.

There’s also nothing quite like running along and hearing fairy tale music coming from behind you!

Should you do it?

I love running while travelling, and it is becoming an essential part of a trip away for me now.

It entirely depends on what a holiday means to you though. If it is about resting physically and mentally, then adding running to that may not be for you. However if, like me, you view a holiday as a chance to recharge mentally and physically, then I think it is definitely worth trying.