Samantha Brown Always Heads To The Hotel Gym, But Not For A Workout

Samantha Brown is a renowned travel expert who has hosted a plethora of travel shows on the Travel Channel and PBS, including "Samantha Brown's Places to Love," "Passport to Europe," "Great Weekends," and "Great Vacation Homes." She has also spent the last twenty years of her life jet-setting across the world and has visited over 60 countries and 250 cities, so it is safe to say she knows what she is talking about when it comes to traveling.

Brown, who calls herself the "Travel Goddess," has never been shy about sharing travel tips she's learned over her years of visiting different destinations. One of the more uncommon pieces of advice she has written about is that she always takes time to visit the hotel gym — even if she does not work out. The TV personality recently recommended heading to the hotel gym so tourists can check out some of the free offerings they may not have in the lobby or the rooms.

Of course, Brown's slew of travel tips does not stop there, and she has posted several other helpful hacks for people looking to get the most bang for their buck while also feeling truly authentic at their destinations. Some of her other ideas include how to beat jet lag, entertain kids on trips, and fit in with the locals. She also frequently posts some of her favorite spots for people to check out if they are unsure where to even start their journeys.

Whenever Brown chooses to stay at a hotel, she always makes sure to stop by the hotel gym. In a June 2023 blog post titled "21 Travel Tips That Will Ensure Your Trip Is a Success," Brown listed reasons to use the hotel gym. She pointed out that a fitness center is "usually stocked with bottled water and fresh fruit like oranges and bananas" that are all free! Even if a hotel lobby offers these same amenities, gyms are normally more stocked, as most people associate a gym with working out and not free goodies.

Despite not always using the hotel gym to actually exercise, Brown acknowledged that maintaining her health and fitness routine while traveling is important. She wrote about her fitness tips while vacationing in a June 2024 blog post titled, "Realistic Ways to Stay Fit When Traveling." The television personality admitted that it can be difficult to get caught up in not being in her typical routine while she's abroad, but she tries not to fixate.

More than anything, Brown recommended that you "never, ever let worrying about 'staying healthy and fit' affect your trip." She emphasized that traveling should be full of fun and food, so she tries not to count calories or skimp on meals. However, she also shared some helpful health tips that include enjoying food in moderation, staying hydrated, signing up for walking tours, and checking out local run clubs, which might be an unexpected activity but can make you feel like a local in a new city. And you can always take the scenic route to get in those extra steps.

Brown truly has no shortage of wisdom she's shared from her years of travel. She even listed over 20 simple things that people can do to ensure a successful trip, no matter where they are going or what kind of adventure they are embarking on. When it comes to the actual process of traveling, she laid out a few things to keep in mind. For instance, she wrote that people should never use the seat pocket in front of them. It can seem like a convenient place to store small things like a wallet, headphones, or passport, but it can also be super easy to forget these important items during the chaos of de-boarding a plane. It can also be the dirtiest spot on your airplane seat.

The travel expert also included tips for flying with kids — she has two of her own. She learned that an effective system when traveling with young kids was to pre-board the plane alone and set up the seat while her partner stayed at the gate with the little one, waiting to board until the very end. This way, they did not have to worry about extra noise and stress it might cause the baby with the rest of the plane boarding at the same time. She also reminded parents to hit up the local playgrounds and public parks to chat with local parents and get advice on the best kid-friendly spots. Some of the simplest but most practical tips centered around being polite and patient and learning a few basic phrases in the local language.