When the weather is mild and the trees are draped in crisp, fall colors, it’s hard to resist the urge to squeeze in as much time outdoors as you possibly can, especially before winter hits. Our solution: Plan a vacation that includes some fresh-air fun! Many Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM hotels offer special packages designed just for outdoors lovers.

Go Caving in Kentucky
Lost River Cave offers Kentucky’s only underground boat tour, taking visitors through some of the largest caves east of the Mississippi River. While at the park, you can hike nature trails, go bird watching or visit the butterfly habitat—a whole day’s worth of fun activities.

The Country Inn & Suites, Bowling Green, is only four miles from Lost River Cave, and has an indoor pool and fitness center. The Lost River Cave Package includes an overnight stay in a quality suite, plus two adult tickets to Lost River Cave.

Hit the Links in North Carolina
There are plenty of blue-sky days to spend on the fairways this fall. Birkdale Golf and Country Club in Lake Norman, NC, is an 18-hole Arnold Palmer-designed golf course right outside of Charlotte. This acclaimed course has well-manicured greens and challenging water hazards to keep you on your toes.

As part of the golf package at Country Inn & Suites, Lake Norman, you’ll get a suite with a king-sized bed and 18 holes of golf for two adults at Birkdale Golf Club. Also included is bottled water and various snacks for when you hit the course.

Bike through Lehigh Gorge
The trails that crisscross Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Gorge State Park take you through a railroad bed along the river, making for an unforgettable bike trip. Take the 15-mile ride down the Mid-Way trail, which is 100 percent downhill and takes about 2 to 4 hours to complete. Or for more of a challenge, opt for the 25-mile ride, which takes 3 to 5 hours and canvasses just a slightly downhill grade.

The Country Inn & Suites, Lehighton has biking packages for either route you choose. The packages include overnight accommodations, bike rental and shuttle service for two.

And don’t forget, any stay at a Country Inn & Suites by Carlson hotel always includes our free hot breakfast to help you start the day!

Vacation is time for your family to relax, indulge and just enjoy life. So, who in their right mind—especially kids!—would want to watch what they eat while on vacation? While a family vacation should be a concern-free zone, it’s also important for families to eat well while on the road.

Here are five tips to keep in mind about healthy eating for your family while on your next road trip:

1. Consider “where” you stop. Let’s be frank: It’s challenging to eat healthy when on the road. With mainly convenience stores and fast food restaurants as your roadside options, it’s important to research ahead of time and find grocery stores where you can pick up whole or healthy foods—fruits, carrots, nuts, etc.—or supermarkets that feature a salad bar.
2. Drink lots of water. It’s very important to stay properly hydrated on long road trips, and drinking plenty of fresh water will help flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh and help you eat less. Water also helps to ward off travel lag and heat overexposure.
3. Don’t skip breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it jumpstarts your metabolism. Country Inns & Suites’ Be Our Guest Breakfast offers an array of breakfast options—for kids and parents—to start your day: yogurt parfait, warm oatmeal with fresh fruit and a variety of meat or veggie omelets.
4. Eat frequently, but watch portion size. Eating too many calories in one meal—even if they’re healthy calories—sends your brain the message that leaner times are around the corner, so those calories will be stored as fat. Instead, eat small amounts of healthy foods throughout the day to let your body know it’s OK to burn through those calories quickly.
5. Pack snacks. Often when traveling we don’t have access to food at regular intervals. Because our typical routines get out of whack, it’s better to have healthy snacks—especially for kids—than skip meals and indulge in a big slice of apple pie later. To keep your body humming, pack healthy snacks such as almonds, veggies, yogurt, fresh or dried fruit and hard-boiled eggs.

Getting sick at home is bad enough, but being sick on the road is never part of the itinerary. Away from our usual comfort zone, navigating an unfamiliar landscape while dealing with a bad cold or worse is enough to give anybody a headache. If the usual preventative measures—staying hydrated, frequent hand washing, taking vitamins, getting plenty of rest—fail, here are a few coping tips to get you over the hump.

1. Travel with meds. Depending on where and when you get sick, a pharmacy may not be around the corner, or open, in the middle of the night. Keep a small kit packed with pain relievers, cold/flu medication, antibacterial and cortisone creams, plastic thermometer and anti-diarrhea tonic so it’s handy. On the road, safe is better than sorry.
2. Don’t push it. If you’ve come down with something, forcing yourself to attend a meeting or stick to an ambitious touring schedule can just run down your immune system further. You may also be exposing your colleagues to whatever is bugging you.
3. Let yourself rest. Give yourself a sick day—you would at home. Sleep will help you get well faster and give your body the ammo it needs to fight off infections and viruses.
4. Push fluids. Water, juice, hot tea and soup will help flush your system and keep you hydrated.
5. Adjust your expectations. If you’re functioning but just not 100 percent, pick a few highlights from your itinerary and let the rest go.
6. Ask for help. The front desk staff at your Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM hotel will go the extra mile to be sure you have what you need in your room to feel better.
7. If you need a doctor, see one. Toughing it out isn’t always the smart way to go. Ask the front desk for a local recommendation.
8. Keep important phone numbers handy. Keep these in a prominent place in your purse or wallet in case somebody else needs to make calls for you. Include your emergency contacts, your doctor and a list of any prescription medications or allergies.
9. Know your benefits. As a precautionary measure, call your health insurance company and find out what your protocol is when you’re sick in the U.S. and abroad. For overseas travel, buying short-term supplemental health insurance can put your mind at ease.

Having an exercise bike in the house or a health club nearby can be a great motivator to keep up with exercise, but time on the road can make it easy to let the workouts slide. For those times you’re away from a weekly routine, we’ve brought together some great tips for how to get your heart rate going – some that can even be done in your hotel room.

Exercising In Your Room

Staying in shape on the road doesn’t mean you have to lug around heavy equipment in your luggage (imagine that!). Through some basic exercises, you can do the necessary work to help you stay in shape without actually using any equipment at all. Simple standbys like push-ups are great for your body, and for a higher-level workout, you can alternate with staggered push-ups by using a phone book or other prop in your room. For info on other no-equipment exercises, check out this article from About.Com.

Yoga For Travelers

If you’ve ever participated in a Yoga class before, you no doubt understand some of its unique benefits. Yoga is a simple and effective way to keep your body in tune, but it’s also a wonderful way to relax, especially if you are starting to feel stressed out. iYogaLife has setup a convenient and easy-to-use slideshow that demonstrates some great poses for travelers that you can even do in the airport!

Exercising At Country Inns and Suites

The best way to stay in shape while traveling is to make sure your hotel is equipped with a fitness center. Many Country Inns and Suites destinations offer fitness facilities and a selection of our properties feature indoor or outdoor pools. Use our destination tool to discover if your hotel has a fitness center.

Travel writer Beth D’Addono developed this post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated for her contribution.

Healthy eating on the road can be an important part of your commitment to healthy habits.

Staying in shape and eating right is hard enough when you’re home. Add in the road warrior’s diet of client entertaining, airport fast food and snacking on the run, and you can be in trouble. But with a little forethought, mindful eating while you travel can support your commitment to healthy habits.

• Start your day right. A breakfast high in protein and healthy complex carbs will give you needed energy and derail your urge to snack. The Country Inns & Suites by Carlson^SM Be Our Guest breakfast offers a rotating menu of hot meal options, including eggs and breakfast burritos, served alongside oatmeal, fresh fruit and build-your-own breakfast parfaits.
• Light snacks. Keep easy-to-pack healthy snacks with you at all times. This can include dried fruits, nuts, seeds, trail mix, protein bars and protein powder that mixes easily into skim milk for a quick pick me up.
• Think lean protein and veg. Your regular routine is interrupted, so give your body a break by choosing easy-to-digest foods that still fill you up. Non-cream based soups are always a good idea, from hearty bean or lentil to miso or chicken. A meal of lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish, along with vegetables and a salad, works great for lunch or dinner.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water not only counteracts the effects of flying, it keeps you feeling full and balanced.
• Lunch is big. If you can, make lunch your biggest meal of the day, when you are the most active. Your metabolism will do the rest.
• Your car is not a calorie- and fat-free zone. Sometimes dashboard dining can’t be helped—but remember that every mouthful counts. Stop at farmers markets or grocery stores when possible for fruit and portioned healthy snacks. If you must use the drive-through, the broiled chicken sandwich is almost always better than the double cheeseburger. And don’t supersize—skip the fries and soda.
• Choose entrées wisely. When entertaining clients at a swanky restaurant, skip the bread and fried food in favor of a vegetarian option or an entrée salad. Many restaurants offer tapas-style or small-plate menu items. Ordering two appetizers or a salad and an app is a good way to go. And for dessert, remember that a few bites of dark chocolate are good for you!
• Work it out. Take the time to visit the complimentary fitness center at your Country Inns & Suites hotel. You don’t need an hour to make your efforts count. Fitness experts are pushing for shorter, higher-intensity workouts to help you jump-start your metabolism and stay in shape.

By tweaking just a few of your regular habits, your time on the road can actually be good for your health!

Early in the morning before sunrise, the last stars shine on the blue-black back of Lake Superior. To paddle on such a morning among the Apostle Islands is to kayak among the constellations. By Jeff Rennicke

From June through early October, these 21 islands sprinkled like stars off Wisconsin’s north coast (a 90-minute to two-hour drive from Duluth, Minn., are rainbowed with colorful kayaks. Sandy beaches, black bears and bald eagles, and the lee shores of wild islands, make this one of the best freshwater sea-kayaking destinations in the country. Paddling the islands can be a connect-the-dots affair. A good nautical chart is a must. You can find one online at the Office of Coast Survey site. GPS and compass skills are helpful.

The most popular paddle is a day trip to the Mawikwe Sea Caves, a mile-long maze of burnt orange cliffs carved by the waves, with some caves as big as cathedrals, others as small as a kayak.

Farther out, lighthouses—the largest collection in any national park—and wilderness beckon. Trips to the outer islands are overnight ventures, ranging from a half-day to two weeks—14 days is the camping limit set by the National Park Service (NPS).

 At Raspberry Island you can step back in time as you tour the island’s lighthouse with a National Park Service ranger . Tour the historic Manitou Island fish camp, or walk the silent hallways of old brownstone quarries.

Outer Island, Devil’s Island and some of the more distant destinations sport big waves, wild shores and a designation as national wilderness areas. Still, there are trips suitable for any skill level. Paddling alone beyond the inner islands is best done by moderately experienced paddlers. Those with less skill can go safely with a guide.

Local adventure companies such as Living Adventure offer equipment rental packages with everything you need, including kayaks, life jackets, paddles and paddling instruction. Rental packages start at $32 for eight hours, depending on the type and size of the boat.

Guided trips range from half-day excursions starting at $59 per person to overnight adventures starting at $294.

Campers on the islands will find varying accommodations, from the developed sites of Stockton Island, complete with picnic tables and fire pits with grills to primitive back-country sites (camping permits and a fee required; contact the NPS). But from any camp among the Apostle Islands, paddlers can slip their boats into the early morning waters, silently push off and, with barely a ripple, find themselves paddling among the stars.

Kayaker and photographer Jeff Rennicke is the author of Jewels on the Water: Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands. www.jeffrennicke.com

Golftown USA is the city’s self-proclaimed moniker, and with more than 120 public and semiprivate courses arranged end to end over the 60-mile strip called the Grand Strand, the name certainly fits.  By Larry Olmsted
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When professional golfers need new clubs, they don’t go to the corner store. They get their clubs custom made at places such as TaylorMade Performance Labs, where they can wear sensors all over their bodies as a giant computerized simulator precisely measures every aspect of their swing. So can you.  By Larry Olmsted
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Although travel is a rewarding and fun experience, jet lag, exotic foods, and long hours sitting on a plane or cooped up in business meetings can take their toll. Clearly, this is not the time to stint on exercise. But exercising in the summer heat, especially in an unfamiliar climate, requires special vigilance. Here are some guidelines.  By Phyllis McIntosh.
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Nothing beats a top-notch walking tour for experiencing a city with all your senses. If you haven’t looked into them lately, you might be surprised at the variety of walking tours that are now available. Here are a few options that are worth lacing up your shoes for. By Mark Caskie

BOSTON
The Histrionic Academy’s Path to Independence tour follows the Freedom Trail through downtown Boston. And your guides go beyond simply dressing in costume; they perform in character. You’ll be led by the likes of Cpl. Jonathan Hoyt and Capt. David Hawkins, sharing the latest Revolutionary War developments.  

NEW YORK
Chances are good that even if you’ve never been to Central Park, you have an idea of what it looks like from the scores of movies shot there. On Location Tours’ Central Park movie sites tour takes you to the places where scenes from some popular favorites were filmed, such as The Boathouse Cafe in When Harry Met Sally.  

TORONTO
A Taste of the World’s Kensington Foodies Roots Walk gives you a chance to combine two passions, walking and food. Toronto’s multi-ethnic heritage is on display with aromatic tea from the Middle East, South Asian snacks, and Belgian chocolates and truffles. Be sure to skip breakfast so you can enjoy all the treats.

CHICAGO
The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park tour takes you through a neighborhood where the influential architect once lived and worked. Today, the blocks near his house contain many examples of his Prairie Style design. Combine your tour with a visit to his home and studio for a day with all the Wright stuff.

SAN FRANCISCO
Sure, there are lots of tours of Chinatown, but how many are guided by a comic?
Foot! Comedy Walking Tours’ Chasing the Dragon tour will give you a look inside this neighborhood and keep you entertained along the way. Your stand-up will lead you to Chinese herb shops, dim sum restaurants and—of course—a fortune-cookie factory.

Try a few walking tours, and you may just get hooked. They are the perfect way to get to know a city, providing a little fresh air and exercise in the bargain.