Yep, totally agree with your "poverty" theory. Young back-packers on their OE don't want to spend more money than they have to, and the $1.99 never-ending breakfasts are a god-send, or finding a baguette and cheese shop, so walking around Green Lake in Seattle, cycling up and down the streets of San Fran, ultimate frisbeeing in Central Park and maintaining weight is easy for the younger travellers with a greater tendency to more physical exertions and higher metabolisms.

Conversely, older travellers with slower metabolisms who don't want to do as much exercise and usually also have more disposable income create a perfect storm entirely ready and waiting for weight gain . . . !!

I have found quite the opposite when travelling - I somehow manage to lose weight. Last year I travelled to LA and Phoenix, 2 days in Disneyland alone I walked 30kms (I was wearing a pedometer which helped) and I had a big breakfast, an ice cream and then dinner both days and I'm pretty sure while in Phoenix I sweated it all out - there isn't much walking involved there but walking around the malls and outlet shopping centres there was about 8kms a day and once again only breakfast, a snack and dinner were involved.

I agree James, walking is the only way to see a new city. I'm a walker anyway because I dont have a car and at the weekends here in Wellington I go for a stroll returning home some 5 hours later wondering where the time has gone! New York was a dream to walk.

On my last trip, I lost two dress sizes over the course of three weeks! We walked pretty much everywhere, and swam everyday. We weren't too poor to spend much on food, rather we kept getting distracted when we would mission out to find something to eat. We ended up just living on bread, tomatoes, olives, and booze!

On our recent(ish) travels, with the exception of Bintan and Rarotonga, we did a lot of walking. Sometimes too much - like one day in Paris where we walked to near-exhaustion on a very warm day, and by the time we got to our destination (Musee d'Orsay), the queues were SO long that we gave up, and returned to our appartement. Walking can be VERY good - it allows you to see things you'd miss on the train / bus / taxi, and to take in the *feel* and flavour of a neighbourhood. But... sometimes, you have to plan a little. We returned to Musee d'Orsay the next day, earlier, and made the bulk of the trip on the excellent Metro, and so had to spend less than an hour queuing. Walking in the heat can be really ennervating, which is why we didn't bother in Bintan, and in Rarotonga a scooter was a better idea. In Diano Marina, we walked around the town, but for longer excursions we borrowed bicycles. Our hotel in Avignon was a cheap bus ride from right outside our hotel to the centre of town, but we did lots of leisurely walking once we'd arrived, and saw lots of things we'd missed on a previous visit where we were pressed for time. LA? Bus and train - it's too vast for more than a wee amble. London? We were moles a lot of the time, travelling on the Underground.

As for food, we mostly made our own breakfasts, lunches and dinners, allowing ourselves the odd 'splurge' every other day, usually for lunch as it was cheaper than dinner and didn't require booking. In hindsight, we came home with most of our Euros intact, so we could have loaded up our plates or bags much, much more than we did.

My last trip was an 11 day cruise round the Med. Everyone told me I'd put weight on during the cruise cos you can eat all the time. BUT, because we got off the ship each day and walked for hours in scorching heat, I lots a few kgs. It was a brilliant trip.

I found that I definitely lose weight while travelling. (I'd probably lose more if I didn't accompany most meals with a local beer).

This is mostly due to walking I think, my job is sedentary but while travelling I usually will end up walking everywhere. On a recent Europe trip we were doing between 10-20 kms a day round Rome or Paris.

My biggest weight lose (I'm not that big a guy so only a few kgs) was while living overseas. A low paying job and high rents meant that food was basic and alcohol a rare treat. Since moving back to NZ I have tried to find a balance between enjoying food and drink and keeping an eye on my weight, (mostly) successfully.

I normally walk a lot wherever I visit, and am sure I will do the same when I am back in the States at the end of the year. But most other places I visit, when I come back I find I have lost weight. It isn't a matter of poverty, I just seem to eat in a more healthy manner.

I don't think that will happen when I visit the States (mind you, most of the things on my to do list are food joints, culminating in a town with four adjacent BBQ joints where I'll pig out till I flop!). Walking will take me past too many temptations, and they will be compounded by the bottomless cups of coke which, on a hot day, seem to go nowhere.

A friend and I spent 3.5 weeks in the US earlier this year. I lost 5kg and she lost a couple. We didn't like all the sweet offerings, and we walked an incredible amount, so it worked out well really! Shame I piled the kilos back on upon my return home!

But I do agree with you James - walking around foreign cities is the best way to see it and something I do everywhere that I travel to.