Traveling With a Yoga Mat: Full Guide

You can use this article as a resource to help you choose the best travel yoga mat.

There might be yoga mats in the gyms or studios where you go, but nothing compares to using your own mat. There is no need to question whether your yoga mat has been cleaned when you have it with you.

For anyone who travels long-term and wants to keep up a regular practice, bringing along a dedicated travel yoga mat is well worth it.

Why Travel With a Yoga Mat?

Yoga is a simple physical activity that can be continued while traveling. And with the right travel yoga mat, you can practice almost anywhere. Here are a few good reasons to bring your own along.

Hygiene

For your practice, you can head to the fitness center at your hotel or the closest yoga studio to your Airbnb. They do have mats available for use, but it’s worth considering the other people who may have practiced on that same mat.

Using your own mat means dealing with only your own germs instead of sharing one. It’s also handy any time you want to lie down in a public space, like an airport or the beach.

Practice Anywhere

Bringing your own yoga mat means you can practice wherever you want. Stumble across a quiet park you’ve never been to, with a setting that’s perfect for some meditation? You can start practicing right away with a travel mat on hand.

If you enjoy doing yoga, you probably like visiting places where it plays a real role in the local culture. Bringing your own mat means you can take full advantage of those spots instead of constantly renting one or practicing on bare floor.

Whether it’s a beach, a train station, or a forest clearing, it doesn’t matter. A portable yoga mat keeps you ready wherever you end up.

Last-Minute Yoga Participant

Joining a local class on short notice is a lot easier with your own mat. No need to worry about being the extra person who can’t use a studio mat or showing up empty-handed. Just roll yours out and join in.

Extra Cushion

Wrought-iron café chairs can be rough on bare skin, but a travel mat doubles as a portable cushion. Use it as a seat while you relax at a café.

Mats are also handy for lounging on park grass, or in a pinch, for sitting or lying down on the ground at an airport or bus stop.

Connect and Make Friends

Travelers meet a lot of people on the road, and a yoga mat is a great conversation starter. It’s an easy way to make friends with other yogis, and running into someone else with a mat can turn into an impromptu shared session.

How to Carry a Yoga Mat When Travelling?

With the benefits of bringing a yoga mat covered, here’s how to actually carry one on the road.

For extended, adventure-style travel, look for a backpack with external straps, the kind typically meant for trekking poles or a tent.

These stretchable or compressible straps typically hold items vertically along the height of the backpack, top to bottom. Using them, you can roll up a yoga mat and carry it outside your pack, saving space inside while keeping it close at hand.

The downside is that it can be harder to keep a mat clean when it’s strapped to the outside of a backpack, especially if that bag gets checked into the hold of a bus or flight. In that case, a yoga mat bag or case is worth having to protect it.

Look for a lightweight, thin bag that fits inside the same external straps and holds the mat rolled up tightly. It’s also worth minimizing grips, clips, or fastenings on the case itself, since those can snag on something during transport.

If you’re traveling with a suitcase or small carry-on instead, a thin yoga mat that folds down into a neat square and sits on top of your belongings works well.

A dedicated travel yoga mat is worth buying for this reason specifically, which brings us to what to look for. Many travel yoga mats come with their own carry bag or pouch, handy for folding the mat and tucking it into luggage.

Things to Look for in Travel Yoga Mats

Yoga mats made specifically for travel can be rolled or folded. A rolled yoga mat shouldn’t be folded, to avoid kinks and fold marks, while a folding yoga mat can be packed however works best. So what’s the right approach for each?

Foldable mats fold flat and can go straight into a tote bag or backpack like a towel. They don’t take up much room, so there’s usually no need to check a bag just for one.

Rolled travel mats, on the other hand, tend to be thinner than a standard yoga mat but can still take up more space than a folding mat. Even so, some brands make rolled mats that can also fold, giving you both options in one.

It comes down to preference. A foldable mat that packs in with your clothes is the better bet if you’d rather not carry a separate bag just for it. If a dedicated bag doesn’t bother you, a rolled travel mat is worth considering instead.

Best Yoga Mats for Travel

Here are a few of the most well-liked travel yoga mats on the market. There’s no single “perfect” mat, since each one has its own trade-offs, but this list should help narrow down the right option.

Yogamatters

The travel yoga mats from Yogamatters are a solid choice for UK-based shoppers who prefer to support a local, independent business. They sell a wide variety of yoga mats and accessories, many with strong eco-credentials, including their eco-travel yoga mats.

These mats are recyclable and biodegradable, made from naturally harvested rubber and free of toxic chemicals and dyes.

They’re well regarded for their grip and are easy to maintain while traveling, along with being notably light and thin. Available in a wide range of colors at a reasonable price point, it’s a strong pick for anyone after a lightweight, portable, eco-friendly mat.

Uong

For anyone who wants a bit more padding and comfort, the Uong travel yoga mat is hard to beat. Its 6mm thickness gives solid double-knee protection, and at 183cm long, it comfortably fits taller users.

The marked alignment lines are especially useful for beginners still learning proper positioning. The mat also gets high marks for being non-slip and easy to clean, thanks to its high-grade TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) construction, a type of soft rubber.

It’s portable thanks to the included carry case, and the anti-tear material comes with a one-year warranty. A great choice for travelers who want a bit more cushioning on the road.

Gaiam

For a mat that stands out or brings a bit of visual inspiration to the practice, Gaiam is one of the better-known names in travel yoga mats. Their mats are reversible, offer solid non-slip grip, and come in a wide range of colors and more than 15 designs.

They run a bit heavier, just under 1.5kg thanks to their 6mm thickness, but are free of many of the harmful chemicals found in some other patterned mats. A great option for anyone who wants their practice, and their mat, to stand out while traveling.

Conclusion

A foldable, lightweight mat makes it easy to keep up a quick daily practice, rather than lugging around something bulky.

Buying a dedicated travel yoga mat is a smart move for anyone who wants to keep up their regular practice, and it’s especially worth it for frequent travelers. A small, light mat also saves real luggage space, since it can typically travel as part of a carry-on you’re bringing anyway.

FAQs

Can you bring a yoga mat as carry-on, or does it need to be checked? It depends on the size of the mat and the airline’s specific carry-on dimensions, but a rolled full-size mat is often too bulky to count as a personal item or carry-on bag alongside your other luggage. If your mat doesn’t fit within your airline’s carry-on limits, roll it up and pack it in checked luggage instead.

A thin, foldable travel yoga mat sidesteps this issue entirely, since it packs down small enough to fit inside a backpack or carry-on alongside your other belongings, no checked bag required.