Camping fitness takes a little planning, because life on the road works against it. Long days behind the wheel and a small living space make it easy to sit for most of the day. You do not need a gym in every town to stay fit. You need a few habits that fit a travelling day, such as moving at every stop and doing a short routine beside the van. This guide sets out what Australia's physical activity guidelines ask for, then shows how to meet them on a caravan or camping trip, with walks in the parks you visit and some care in the heat.

What the activity guidelines ask for

Australia's guidelines set adults a weekly target. As the Better Health Channel's physical activity guidance sets out, adults should build up 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity each week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix of the two 1. Adults should also do muscle strengthening activities on at least 2 days each week, and keep long periods of sitting to a minimum by breaking them up as often as they can 1.

Spread across a week, 150 minutes is 30 minutes on five days 1. On a touring holiday, that can be a walk at a lookout, a swim at the end of a driving day or a session of the routine below.

For older people, healthdirect suggests about 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on most days of the week, and "a mix of exercises that improve aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility and balance" 2. If you have a medical condition, or have been mostly inactive for a while, it advises seeing your doctor before you start a new or different type of exercise program 2. It also says to check with your doctor before you start more intense exercise programs 2. A long, steep walk in hot weather is the kind of step up worth asking about.

In its tips for older people (65 years and older), Better Health lists four types of activity that are needed to keep you healthy 1:

  • moderate activity
  • strength activities
  • flexibility activities
  • balance activities

A trip can cover all four. Walks give you the moderate activity, the routine below covers strength and some flexibility, and balance can be as simple as standing on one leg while you wait for the kettle to boil.

Break up the driving days

Driving days are where the minutes slip away, so build movement into them. The NSW Government advises planning a stop at a rest area every two hours to manage fatigue 3. Use each stop to move as well as to rest:

  • walk briskly around the rest area for a few minutes
  • do calf raises with one hand on the car for balance
  • roll your shoulders slowly and turn your head from side to side
  • stretch the front of each hip by stepping one foot forward and leaning gently into it

A few minutes of this at every stop breaks up the long periods of sitting that the guidelines ask you to avoid 1. It also works as a warm-up. Better Health describes a warm-up of five to 10 minutes as one that gradually warms your muscles and body temperature 4, so a walk around the rest area prepares you for anything more energetic at the next campsite.

If you share the driving, swap seats at the stops so that each driver gets out of the car and moves before the next stint behind the wheel.

A camping fitness routine beside the van

The guidelines ask adults for muscle strengthening activities on at least 2 days each week 1. The routine below uses your own body weight and a few things you already carry. Work through the exercises below as a circuit, rest between them as you need to, and stop if anything hurts.

Strength exercises

  • The van sit. Stand with your back flat against the side of the van and slide down until your knees are bent to about a right angle, then hold. Make sure the van is hitched or chocked and stable first.
  • Step-ups. Use a solid, stable step such as a low retaining wall or a sturdy bench, never a fold-out van step that can move under you. Step up with one foot, bring the other up beside it, step down, and repeat ten times on each leg.
  • Incline push-ups. Put your hands on the edge of a sturdy picnic table, walk your feet back until your body is in a straight line, and lower your chest towards the table.
  • Squats and lunges. These need no equipment at all. Keep your knees in line with your toes and move slowly.

Cardio and stretching

A skipping rope and a resistance band take up almost no room in a van, and between them they add a quick cardio session and more strength work to the circuit. A yoga mat gives you somewhere clean to stretch on the grass in the evening.

Do not wait for a full hour. If you only have ten minutes between packing up and driving off, do one round of the circuit and save the rest for the evening.

Use the parks and the local parkrun

The parks you camp in are the easiest place to exercise. Entry to NSW national parks on foot or by push bike is free 5, and a walk of an hour or two on a park track counts towards your weekly minutes.

Walk safely

Before you set out, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service advises telling family or friends where you are going, when you expect to return and who is with you 6. Its bushwalking safety advice includes carrying at least 2 litres of water per person and checking the weather forecast and park alerts before you leave, because conditions can change quickly 6. If you are heading well into the bush, it suggests a personal locator beacon to use as a last resort, and it warns that walking tracks are not always signposted or regularly maintained 6.

Outdoor gyms and parkrun

In towns, check the council's website for an outdoor gym near your campsite. Brisbane City Council, for example, lists an outdoor gym among the facilities at Orleigh Park in West End 7.

Parks Victoria describes parkrun as a free weekly community event where you can walk or run a 5 km course, every Saturday morning at 8 am 8. Walkers are welcome, and the events are staffed by volunteers 8. You sign up online and bring your barcode each week 8. A junior parkrun for children aged 4 to 14 runs on Sunday mornings at only a handful of parkruns in Australia, Westerfolds parkrun among them 8. A parkrun can be a good way to meet people in a town you are passing through.

Stay safe in the sun and heat

Outdoor exercise in Australia comes with sun and heat to plan for. Cancer Council Australia recommends sun protection whenever UV levels reach 3 or higher 9. Its advice is to apply sunscreen to clean, dry skin at least 20 minutes before you go outside, and to reapply it every two hours or after swimming or heavy sweating 9. Add a hat that shades your face and the back of your neck, and its SunSmart app tells you when you do and do not need sun protection 9.

In hot weather, Better Health advises exercising before dawn or after sunset, the cooler parts of the day 4. It also says to "drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise" 4. Water loss can increase in hot weather and with prolonged exercise 10. Thirst and dizziness are among the symptoms of dehydration 10. Fresh water is the best drink for keeping your body hydrated, because it contains no kilojoules 10.

On a walk, carry at least 2 litres of water per person, as the NSW parks service suggests 6. At camp, refill your bottle before you start a session rather than after it.

Eat well from a small kitchen

Food is the other half of staying well on the road. Better Health says to eat at least 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit each day 11. Half a cup of cooked green or orange vegetables is one serve, as is a cup of green leafy or raw salad vegetables, and one medium apple counts as a serve of fruit 11.

Camp cooking does not have to mean sausages every night. Meals that cook in one pan or one pot suit a small kitchen and carry plenty of vegetables:

  • burritos filled with beans, vegetables and lean meat
  • a stir fry of fresh vegetables with chicken or tofu
  • a vegetable and lentil curry that keeps for a second night
  • a salad with a cooked grain and a protein such as chicken or chickpeas
  • pasta with a tomato sauce full of vegetables

Shop at local markets and farm gates when you pass them, and plan meals around what will keep in your fridge until the next town. Our family camping tips explain how to keep cold food at a safe temperature in an esky.

Make it part of the trip

The habits that last on the road are small ones. Keep your walking shoes by the door of the van, plan a longer walk into each new place you visit, and tick off your strength sessions on a calendar until they become routine.

Be considerate if you exercise early in a caravan park, where your neighbours may still be asleep. Our guide to caravan park etiquette covers how to share a park with other travellers. If you are planning a long trip after you finish work, our retirement travel tips include ways to slow the pace, and our guide to touring Australia on a budget lists low-cost days out that keep you moving.

Sources

  1. Better Health Channel, Victorian Government, Physical activity - it's important, accessed 29 October 2026
  2. healthdirect Australia, Physical activity guidelines for older people, accessed 29 October 2026
  3. NSW Government, Rest areas, accessed 29 October 2026
  4. Better Health Channel, Victorian Government, Exercise safety, accessed 29 October 2026
  5. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Fee collecting national parks, accessed 29 October 2026
  6. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Bushwalking safety, accessed 29 October 2026
  7. Brisbane City Council, Orleigh Park - West End, accessed 29 October 2026
  8. Parks Victoria, Combine nature, running and community through parkrun, accessed 29 October 2026
  9. Cancer Council Australia, Be SunSmart, accessed 29 October 2026
  10. Better Health Channel, Victorian Government, Water - a vital nutrient, accessed 29 October 2026
  11. Better Health Channel, Victorian Government, Fruit and vegetables, accessed 29 October 2026