7 Epic Travel Fitness Adventures (For All Levels) and Solo Travel for Transformation with Heidi Nicklaus (+ Jason’s Ultimate Travel Blunder)

Oct 28, 2025

Heidi Nicklaus, founder of HeidiRunsAbroad, transitioned from higher education to help travelers maintain wellness on the road. She shares how a transformative solo trip and couchsurfing spurred her epic travel adventures. From glacier kayaking to running marathons under the midnight sun, Heidi offers practical tips on blending fitness with exploration. She contrasts structured workouts with active travel and reveals her adventure bucket list, inspiring listeners to move and explore the world with purpose.

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ANECDOTE

Solo Trip Sparked A Whole New Life

Heidi left a long-term higher-education job and took a 4.5-month solo trip that changed her life.
Couchsurfing during that trip led to meeting her future partner and eventually moving to Sofia, Bulgaria.

ANECDOTE

Travel Triggered Relationship Reassessment

Heidi used her solo travel to reassess a marriage and eventually separated while remaining friends with her ex-husband.
The trip helped her accept multiple life chapters and embrace uncertainty in her thirties.

ADVICE

Choose Intentional Exercise Or Active Sightseeing

If you prefer structured workouts, treat gyms abroad like home: buy a day pass and use familiar equipment.
Otherwise, choose active sightseeing—hiking, running tours, or kayaking—to explore while moving your body.

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What would your travels look like if you planned them around the most epic, life-shaping active adventures you could dream up?

Heidi Niklaus is the founder of Heidi Runs Abroad LLC, where she helps travelers, expats, and digital nomads maintain their wellness routines on the road. With a background in higher education at Rutgers University, she pivoted into fitness instruction, became a long‑term traveler, and is now planning her move to Sofia, Bulgaria.

In this episode, Heidi shares how a divorce, a career pause, and a couchsurfing connection sparked a global lifestyle. She also shares her active travel and fitness adventure bucket list, ranging from volcano sunrises and glacier kayaking to a marathon under the midnight sun.

You’ll hear how Heidi traded structure for uncertainty and why she now helps travelers maintain their wellness routines on the road. She shares practical insights on how to blend movement with exploration, and why fitness doesn’t have to take a back seat just because you're abroad. Heidi’s bucket list and personal stories will challenge how you think about travel and inspire you to create your own list of active travel adventures.

What’s one adventure you’ve always thought about doing, big or small, that would get you moving and exploring? I'd love to hear what they are, and I hope you’ll share them by sending me an audio message.

Tune In To Learn:

How couchsurfing and solo travel unlocked a new chapter for her
Why fitness wasn’t always part of Heidi’s life, and how she made that shift
Advice on staying active and finding the balance while traveling (even on “vacation”) • The difference between intentional exercise and being physically active while traveling
Why labeling your trip a “runcation” or “active adventure” actually matters
The seven fitness adventures on her bucket list (plus three bonus picks)
How movement during travel doesn’t need to be a “workout”
Nutrition tips to balance indulgence and wellness abroad
How to start your own bucket list to help you prioritize your travels
And so much more

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