i go a-walking...

Do you know what I love about traveling in Europe/South America/Asia (and other countries...)?

I love that we walk EVERYWHERE! Yesterday, for example, I walked back from school (we take a bus with the kids to school, but the counselors have to walk back by themselves), which is about a 45 minute walk. I walked to the store to buy some tennis balls for the kids who want to play tennis. In the afternoon I walked the kids to an area of the city where there is a cathedral and tons of shopping (and walked from store to store making sure they were all OK) and in the evening I walked to a restaurant and then a plaza to play sports with the kids (more exercise!).

One of the counselors on this trip brought a pedometer and we are easily hitting above and beyond 20,000 steps a day (the recommended total is 10,000 steps a day).
There is only one problem with this: my feet hurt.
But honestly, even if I ate chocolate (or gelato or a crepe) at every meal, I don't think I could gain weight because of all the walking that is being done. There are always ways to get in more steps, just by walking around the city that you are visiting (and think of how much more of the city you will be seeing!).

One trend that I am hearing a lot about for big cities in foreign countries are walking tours. Usually much cheaper than the double decker buses that tour a city, they allow you to learn the side streets and secrets that a city has to offer.

So when traveling- get out there, walk around, and enjoy!

(As a side note, I should probably tell you that my program does not allow the kids to take public transportation, so walking is really the only option, unless we take a bus. When traveling on your own, I would encourage you to walk just to get to know the city. You can always see strange and fascinating things on the way to your destination.)