{"id":9427,"date":"2021-05-14T10:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-05-14T04:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/?p=9427"},"modified":"2022-01-15T11:41:40","modified_gmt":"2022-01-15T06:11:40","slug":"how-to-travel-with-a-yoga-mat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/holiday-packages\/how-to-travel-with-a-yoga-mat\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Travel with a Yoga Mat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIf you practice yoga once a week, you will change your mind. If you practice yoga twice a week, you will change your body. If you practice yoga daily, you will change your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re a traveling nomad like me or a yogi looking to continue practice on an extended vacation, learning how to travel with a yoga mat is a necessary skill for a consistent practice. Let\u2019s be real\u2026 long flights, new environments, stressful travels\u2026 these are the perfect conditions for a \u201cI need yoga right this minute\u201d meltdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my favorite parts of carrying a yoga mat and practice around the world is how simple it is to stop, drop, and yoga. In the middle of the airport, in the tiniest of hotel rooms, or even on a bus aisle, you can throw out your mat and have yourself a badass yoga practice. Anywhere. Anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you gotta have a mat!<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"However,<\/a>
Image Credit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I get asked about my advice on traveling with a mat all of the time. My biggest piece of advice for travelers, and honestly all of my students, is to choose a mat unique to your needs. Everyone is different and we are blessed to be living in a day and age with plenty of yoga mat choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I personally chose a normal mat (non-travel) that I knew would be super durable. I like to take my practice on my hiking trails and in exotic environments, so I wanted something that would put up with a rocky landscape. It is super thick, heavy, and not the easiest to travel with. However, I never regret bringing it along. I travel with a Jade Yoga Mat<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jade Yoga Mats<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Jade<\/a>
Image Credit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jade Yoga mats are eco-friendly and are made with natural rubber, so you won\u2019t find any of the synthetic crap in their mats. One of my favorite things about the company is their commitment to the environment. They have partnered with an organization called Trees for the Future and plant a tree every time a yoga mat is purchased. So, you can feel good about spending some nice money on a beautiful mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use the Harmony Mat<\/a>, which is their standard mat. It is perfect for a non-slip practice and is sturdy enough to handle me tossing it around and getting it super dirty. The downside of this mat\u2026 it is about 5-6 lbs depending on the length you choose. It doesn\u2019t fit well in a suitcase, so I always carry it on to flights (read more about this below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jade has also produced a few travel versions of their famous mats. The travel mat<\/a> is a lighter weight mat that rolls up and only weights just over 3 lbs. It is a tiny bit thicker than traditional travel mats, so it is perfect for a light mat that still provides a decent level of support. However, if support is not your biggest concern and you are looking for a mat that can fold up really small, the Voyager Mat<\/a> is perfect for you! It only weights 1.5 pounds and can fit in most backpacks! Pretty much, a miracle mat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Travel Mats<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Other<\/a>
Image Credit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Manduka is another famous yoga mat brand that has incredible quality mats, but prices to match. Their travel mat is called the eKO Lite mat<\/a> and is also made of natural, durable material. It still weighs a decent amount though. about 3.5 lbs. They also have a smaller, foldable mat called the Superlite mat<\/a>which is similar to the voyager and only weights 2.2 lbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lululemon <\/a>also has a travel mat version, called the (un) mat, for those who are a big fan of the brand. I personally find their mats to be too slippery for my personal preference, but I have friends who love<\/em> their stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are looking for a budget friendly option, Gaiam<\/a> has a great variety of mats and I used their stuff for years before committing to an expensive mat. Their foldable travel mat<\/a> is a great option and weighs about 1 lb! Plus, it is about half the cost of the name brand versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traveling with the Mat<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Traveling<\/a>
Image Credit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you are wanting to carry a normal or heavy duty mat, I would suggest not attempting to shove it into your suitcase. Firstly, they are usually pretty heavy and you don\u2019t want to be worried about travel weight restrictions. Secondly, they can take up a lot of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I simply bring mine with me as a carry-on. You can choose to use a yoga mat bag, but I just use a simple strap. I find that there is no question about what it is when I pass through security and I have never had a problem carrying it on board with me, domestically and internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, if you are using a foldable travel mat, you can easily pack it in your suitcase or carry-on bag. They are light and hardly take up any extra space. It really just depends on your yoga mat and travel needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I personally love<\/em> carrying mine on with me because I can enjoy some deep stretches before or between flights. This is especially<\/em> handy on long international travel days. I don\u2019t care about getting funny looks at the airport. My body is 10x happier at my final destination if I have practiced yoga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It really is up to the individual yoga student and what your travel plans are. It doesn\u2019t have to be hard! Plus, if you really don\u2019t want to travel with a mat, you don\u2019t have<\/em> to. I find that most studios around the world will let you rent them on site and some hotels will have one or two in their gym. Up to you if you want to risk the chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Book This Trip Now<\/span><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf you practice yoga once a week, you will change your mind. If you practice yoga twice a week, you will change your body. If you practice yoga daily, you will change your life.\u201d Whether you\u2019re a traveling nomad like me or a yogi looking to continue practice on an extended vacation, learning how to travel with a yoga mat is a necessary skill for a consistent practice. Let\u2019s be real\u2026 long flights, new environments, stressful travels\u2026 these are the perfect conditions for a \u201cI need yoga right this minute\u201d meltdown. One of my favorite parts of carrying a yoga … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[82,81,67],"class_list":["post-9427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holiday-packages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9441,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9427\/revisions\/9441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9427"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripbibo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=9427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}