Many frequent travelers and full-time RVers considered purchasing a nationwide gym membership to keep up with their fitness on the road. Hotel gyms and RV park gyms can often be incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. If your workout routine is important to you, having a gym membership may make it easier to stay consistent.
Nationwide gym memberships have many benefits. Heck, maybe you’re a vanlifer that just wants a good shower! Let’s take a look at the many things to compare when researching a nationwide gym membership.
Nationwide Gyms With Showers
No one wants to work out without regular showers, especially for many days in a row. So don’t let showers be something that keeps you from working out while on the road full-time. Many RVers and vanlifers opt for public showers, gym showers, or aquatic facilities to stay fresh regularly without worrying about water consumption or tank space. A gym membership will at least give you this option to use some of the time, and it’s a nice option to have.
Below are some gyms we like with showers at all clubs, including access limitations:
- LA Fitness – open 5 am-10 pm at most clubs, most days, with reduced hours on weekends. Private showers, lockers, and additional amenities like soap and shampoo are provided.
- Planet Fitness – most clubs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Clean showers at every club, but no towels or toiletries are provided.
- Anytime Fitness – provides 24/7 access and has private showers. Not all locations have lockers, though.
- 24-Hour Fitness – not all clubs are open 24 hours (ironically). All clubs offer showers during their open hours, but no toiletries are provided.
- Orange Theory – As these are small studios, they have small shower facilities. Many studios have a shower sign-up sheet at the front desk, so a shower that fits your schedule is not guaranteed. Studios are only open during class times.
- Snap Fitness – all clubs are open 24/7 with private showers and towel service.
- YMCA – all locations have showers available, but not all are private, and you’ll want to bring your own toiletries and towel. Average hours are 5 am-8 pm on weekdays, with reduced hours on the weekends.
What Gym Has The Most Locations Nationwide?
Many gym franchises are regional or have locations clustered in one region. So, it’s important to consider if you travel frequently to one area, to certain states, a specific region, or even to different countries, in order to determine which membership is right for you. This consideration may have the most weight when you ultimately choose which gym membership is best for travelers.
Below are the number of locations per franchise, including some notes about the coverage area:
- Anytime Fitness – 3,000 locations in the US. Top coverage states are Texas, Florida, and Minnesota, with more clubs in the eastern half of the country, but still decent coverage on the West Coast and mountain-west major cities.
- YMCA – 2,700 locations in the US, including all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 77% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a YMCA.
- Planet Fitness – 2,000+ gyms nationwide. More popular and a higher concentration of clubs east of the Mississippi.
- Orange Theory – 1,314 locations in the US, with studios in 827 cities across all 50 states.
- Snap Fitness – 597 locations in 505 cities across 46 states in the US. Top coverage states include Minnesota, Texas, and Michigan. There is no coverage in Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, or Washington DC.
- LA Fitness – 497 clubs in the US across 20 states. They have the most gyms in CA, TX, and FL, as well as major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle.
- 24-Hour Fitness – 287 gyms in 11 states. A fairly limited coverage map compared to some of the larger franchises above.
What Gym Franchise Has The Lowest Membership Fees?
The all-important question, how much is this going to cost me? For our purposes, we researched a low to a mid-range selection of nationwide memberships, but it’s worth noting there are some smaller, regional sports clubs that offer incredible amenities (we’re talking rooftop pools in New York City) for a much higher fee (check out Equinox all-access for over $3,000/year) if that’s in your budget.
- Planet Fitness – $22.99/mo for their black card membership which provides access to all locations nationwide. This membership allows you to bring a guest every time, so it works well for couples living on the road together. However, there’s a limit of 10 visits per month at non-home locations, and costs $5 per visit thereafter.
- 24-Hour Fitness – $20.22/mo current offer with 1-year prepaid membership, plus a $50 annual fee and a $50 initiation fee. They offer a 3-day free trial pass.
- LA Fitness – $34.99/mo per adult + $99.99 initial fee for unlimited club access nationwide. We think LA Fitness is a great mid-range gym option with lots of amenities and value for the money, including private showers, many have a pool, sauna, steam room, etc.
- Snap Fitness – $36.95/mo per adult + $49.95 initiation fee per person, plus a $20 access card fee, and free cancellations. Offers guest passes and a 7-day free trial.
- Anytime Fitness – Starting at $44/mo per adult, with a current special of only $1 to get started. Plus, they always offer a 7-day free trial.
- YMCA – $48/mo average for one adult, or $66/mo for a two-adult household. Nationwide membership comes at no additional cost, but you must use your home gym 50% of the time. This may work better for part-time RVers or travelers, but not for full-timers who have no home base.
- Orange Theory – Starting at $69/mo for 4 classes. You basically pay per class with their style of all guided workouts. Unlimited classes will cost you up to $159/mo. The first class is free.
In all of our research, we also found an interesting alternative to choosing just one franchise and sticking to their network. Class Pass might be better than a nationwide gym membership, with more than 30,000 studios are the world, in 2,500 cities in the US and abroad. So if classes are your preferred style of workout, you might consider Class Pass with its ten times more studios than any of the franchises we’ve reviewed.
So What Is The Best Gym Membership For Travelers?
After taking a close look at the best nationwide gyms, we have determined one best gym membership for travelers: Anytime Fitness. Anytime takes the top spot for fitness on the go because of their coverage map, they have the most locations of any franchise. They’re also open 24/7/365 which means a workout and a private shower anytime you need it. Plus, the price is still reasonable. Despite being our top choice without considering the price, they’re still not the most expensive option. So if you’re looking to keep exercising with RVing, maybe Anytime Fitness is your answer!
As I sit here listening to the rain hitting the roof of the camper, I’m thinking a gym membership may be the way to go. We have a Quick Set Clam, but the ground is still wet and nasty.
Yes, it is especially messy if you get rain in a highly shaded area that takes several days to dry out. Gyms definitely have pros and cons. I think it all comes down to if you are near them often, and if it is easy to drive there. Sometimes being in a motorhome without a driving vehicle makes it hard to get there. Definitely lots of scenarios to weigh.