When you’re taking your workouts on the road, especially when traveling for business, simplicity is the best policy. After all, there are only so many dumbbells you can pack in your bags before you’re over the airline luggage weight limits. And, if you’re like me, you try as hard as humanly possible to avoid checking bags to save both time and money, especially now that most airlines charge to check bags. But lucky for you, workouts away from home don’t have to mean a lot of extra gear or clothing. Now that you’ve retired the hooded sweatshirts and long running pants to greet the warmth of summer, you can pack just a few items to work out on the road—no extra bags required!

Clothing Matters
If you’ve scouted out your destination beforehand and plan to try a new gym, the right gym bag can also work well as a carry-on for the airplane. Plus, many gym bags can not only fit tons of items, but are also usually flexible, so they can be easily pushed under the seat in front of you during the flight. And these days you don’t have to sacrifice style for function. I have a cheery yellow bag that is a perfect size for my “small personal items” on planes, plus it has multiple pockets inside that are great for storing personal electronics, books and other carry-on necessities.

Whether you’re planning to hit a new class at a local fitness facility, just going to the hotel’s gym, hitting the streets, or running the stairs in your hotel stairwells, one thing is for certain: You can’t exactly go nude. Push those limits of decency in the privacy of your hotel, sure, but at the very least, you’ll need supportive shoes if you’re planning to get your sweat on. If you’re like me, you wear your tennis shoes anywhere and everywhere, so they pick up the inevitable sand, dirt and grit that you carry in from outside. Even if your shoes are confined to an inside treadmill, you probably don’t want to throw them in with your finer items. And because it’s not a good idea to get your business slacks all dusty, one great solution to the shoe-packing problem is to wrap them up in a plastic grocery sack. Not only will you protect your clean clothes, but you’ll also get bonus environmental points for packing them in a reusable sack.

As for the rest of your workout gear, you should be more than able to pack several days of workout clothes without even noticing. Extra socks take up almost no baggage space, and shorts, T-shirts and sports bras can be rolled up tightly and tucked into little nooks and crannies in your bag. Plain men’s undershirts worn under daytime suits and button-ups can even double as workout tees, meaning no extra packing is even necessary for the fellas.

If you happen to be a swimmer, your workout packing is even easier. Simply throw in a swimsuit or pair of trunks, a simple cover-up and some flip-flops to get you to and from the pool, and you’re set.

Portable Props
Now that we’ve covered attire, let’s tackle equipment. While the dumbbells I mentioned above might not be a great solution for weight training on the road, that doesn’t mean you can’t fit in some strength workouts from your hotel room. Resistance bands are a fantastic item to throw in your suitcase to maintain your growing muscles on the road. Plus, they take up almost no space. Ladies can even fit them in tiny purses, since they fold up and weigh close to nothing. There is really no excuse not to pack one.

While walking is an awesome no-equipment-required cardio activity, if you insist on using tools with your workouts, pack a jump rope. Jump roping is an awesome way to pack in cardio action, and again, a jump rope takes up almost no space. Jump roping is an incredible workout, too, and I have no idea how I managed to jump for hours in elementary school. You can even fake jump rope, which requires no equipment at all, just your calf muscles and your best Rocky Balboa impression.

Heading Home
Unfortunately, once you’ve fit in all of that sweat time during your free time, you’ve got to deal with the aftermath of the sweaty clothing. Damp clothes become a breeding ground for bacteria—and with that bacteria comes a not-so-fresh smell. Your best bet for stink prevention is to hang clothing after a workout. This will let your wet clothes dry out so that you don’t have clothes that are still wet (and trust me, way worse) two days later. If you’ve got a swimsuit, also be sure to hang it to dry overnight before packing it up for the return trip home.

Remember that plastic bag you brought your shoes in? Throw all of that dirty gear in there, keeping clothes tightly rolled up to minimize the space they use. You can also use the plastic laundry bag supplied at the hotel. Keeping the worn clothes in the bag will prevent other clothes from getting damp and will give any remaining clean clothes a shot of getting back to the closet instead of going straight to the laundry.

Hopefully, in your time away from home on business, you’ll have had the opportunity to get out and dirty up every single piece of workout clothing you took with you. Think how satisfying it’ll be to unpack and show your husband, wife or dog the dirty proof that you kept up your workout regimen on the road. But after that moment of satisfaction, if your dog doesn’t run off with your shorts, just make sure you empty all of the used clothing and start on laundry. While time may heal all wounds, time only makes gross workout gear smellier.

So now that you know how to pack like a pro—and avoid making everything else in your bag smell like dirty socks—there’s no reason you can’t take your workouts on the road. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a sometimes-exerciser, the goal is that you get into such a routine that a small trip out of town is just a blip on the radar and not a reason to fall off the workout wagon.

—Erin