Resistance Bands
You can go a loooong way with just a set of good resistance bands. These ones from Black Mountain fitness are at a great price point and hold up well. They are the ones I personally use when traveling. The Home Program I provide for my members use bands like these (though they don’t have to be from Black Mountain) because there are a limited number of exercises you can do for your back or pulling type exercises using your bodyweight only.
Having an option like these in your arsenal increases the exercises you can perform enormously for very little cost. They are the first thing I recommend to anyone who wants to workout at home or people who travel a ton.
Exercise Loops (AKA Mini Bands)
These take up as little space as possible for exercise equipment, and as a result, are great to use for exercise during travel. My preferred brand is a little pricey for a simple pack of bands so I have a cheaper option listed below as well. Take a look at the pros and cons below and decide what works best for your needs. Any resistance bands will meet its end of life at some point (even if you don’t use them, they still decay on the shelf), so take that in to consideration as well.
option 1
Perform Better makes the best non-fabric mini bands I have come across. All bands will eventually wear out and break but these ones have the best staying power. I also find that all other brands I seen (including my economical option to the right) are sized larger, and as a result don’t give resistance at the start of movements (a lateral band walk with feet starting close together for example). So you need to start at a range where the slack in the band is taken out. Sometimes this isn’t a problem but other times it can affect the range of motion for the exercise. These definitely are my top pick.
Option 2
You can find a more economical mini band option from Fit Simply (linked here). They are wider, so the resistance doesn’t start as quickly and I find these are just lighter resistance in general. However, if you have larger legs or are just starting out, both those qualities might be to your benefit.
All in all, these bands are a still a good option and about half the cost of the Perform Better bands.