I definitely plan to bring my new Skipfit, made by Empower Fitness, on my next trip. It weighs only a few ounces and provides a good cardio workout. You attach the strap around one ankle, then skip so that the ball swings under your other foot. I picked it up quickly with the strap around my right ankle. The left took a little more practice.

It’s hard to imagine using the Skipfit for more than two or three minutes at a time. But it would be excellent for a quick workout in a hotel room when you only have 15 minutes and/or the hotel gym is cruddy or nonexistent. For example, alternating between, two minutes of Skipfit, some pushups, tricep dips, squats, lunges and plank wouldn’t take long and would be a whole lot better than nothing. Which is what I’m usually looking for in a travel workout, rather than perfection.