Whether you are home or away, some simple tips and tricks can make it easier to stick to your healthy routine.

Recently, I took a trip. I planned to stay at a hotel I was familiar with, which has a nice indoor pool (I enjoy doing laps as an alternative to running or walking outside or biking) especially if I am visiting someplace where the weather may be inclement (such as New York in the winter months). The hotel I selected has a nice gym as well, which would have made it easy to stick with my machine and strength training routine since I would be staying there for a week.

When I booked, I saw nothing on the website indicating that any of the amenities, such as the indoor pool or fitness facilities were closed for renovation. Fortunately, a friend who had recently stayed at this particular hotel told me about his recent experience, that the pool and fitness areas were closed for remodeling for several months and the website said nothing. The hotel did accommodate guests with complimentary passes to a sporting club about a mile away, but for people expecting the convenience of an in-house facility, this doesn’t sound very convenient.

Especially for people dealing with losing weight or sticking to a healthy routine after years of being unhealthy, any unexpected glitch such as this has the potential to demoralize or derail even the most dedicated of us. I called the hotel and inquired, based upon the information I learned from my friend. Indeed, the pool and fitness were closed for at least another month. I proceeded to cancel my reservation and explained that I wouldn’t have made it had I known this was the case, and the website should clearly state that the pool and fitness facilities were being renovated, but that accommodations were made in the form of vouchers to a nearby health club, so that at least guests would be able to make an informed choice in advance. I know that things like an indoor pool and fitness center don’t matter to everyone — for years they didn’t matter to me, but when we are trying to stay healthy, such amenities are very important factors in deciding where to stay so we can stick to our routine with ease even when we are traveling.

Some obvious advice: let the buyer beware! Despite what amenities are featured on a website, it behooves each of us to pick up the phone before booking a stay somewhere to verify that the amenities we expect will in fact be available. I never had this happen before in over thirty years of travel, and despite any unforeseen glitches, I would have managed to make do with the alternate arrangement, but I wouldn’t have been happy. Instead, I did additional research and found an alternative hotel in a convenient location with similar amenities that were open and available for use. The best advice: do your homework in advance and call with any questions. I have stayed places where the pool didn’t open until 9 a.m. (I like to do my exercise first thing in the morning, like at 7:30 a.m.). This pool was of little use to me when I was out doing business or sightseeing all day when I returned to find the pool had closed at 6:00 p.m., so I couldn’t take a before or after dinner swim.

Be sure to ask questions and make sure that the facilities you are anticipating utilizing are in fact available for your use at a time that fits your schedule.