May Day weekend 2025 – how to stay hydrated while traveling and relaxing

May Day weekend encourages a carefree spirit, but these days off are actually a great opportunity to take care of the basics—like proper hydration. Water is the key to feeling good, staying mentally sharp, and keeping the cheerful mood that should accompany any spring getaway. So how can you enjoy May Day weekend 2025 in good health and with pleasure?

Sports drinks – is water enough?

The May Day break is a perfect time for hiking, cycling trips, or even the season’s first kayaking excursions. If you’re staying active, you need to remember to increase your fluid intake. The more intense the activity, the more water you’ll need—before, during, and after exercise.

According to the official recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine, athletes should drink about 5–10 ml of fluids per 1 kg of body weight about 2–4 hours before exercise to ensure urine is light yellow. During physical activity, you may need anywhere from 0.3 to 2.4 liters of fluids per hour, depending on the weather and intensity. Your fluid balance should also be replenished after exercise, as your body continues to sweat while cooling down.

Is water the best drink during an active May Day weekend? Advertisements may try to convince you that you need isotonic or hypertonic sports drinks, but it’s worth taking marketing claims with a grain of salt. Unless you’re doing high-performance sports or participating in a triathlon, water is the healthiest, safest, and cheapest way to hydrate your body—and it’s more than enough.

May Day weekend 2025 in party mode

There are many ways to spend the May Day break, including picnics, barbecues, bonfires, and garden parties—often involving beer, wine, or stronger alcohol. And although the World Health Organization states that no amount of alcohol is truly safe, many of us accept the idea of moderate and responsible drinking. So if you decide to open a festive bottle this May weekend, remember to drink more… water!

Alcohol is a diuretic that forces your body to excrete more water. As a result, even though you’re drinking, your body is losing water and essential electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration and headaches. The stronger the alcohol, the more pronounced this effect.

How to protect yourself? Ideally, limit alcohol intake, and neutralize each drink with a glass of water. This good habit not only reduces the risk of unpleasant side effects but also lowers the overall amount of alcohol you consume.

What kind of water bottle should you use?

If you’re spending May Day away from home, remember to bring water with you. But in what? The cheapest and lightest option is, of course, a plastic bottle—but it’s not recommended. First, our planet is drowning in plastic waste, and single-use PET bottles are an environmental curse. Second, under high temperatures, they release increased amounts of microplastics into the water. The health effects of microplastics are still not fully understood but are a growing concern.

That leaves the choice between glass and metal bottles. Both are recyclable and don’t leach harmful substances. Metal bottles keep drinks at temperature better and are more durable, though some people dislike the metallic taste they can impart. Glass bottles may heat up quickly but preserve the flavor of the water best and have a lower carbon footprint during recycling than stainless steel.

We hope that May Day weekend 2025 will be healthy, active, and eco-friendly for all readers of Water Matters—and that clean water will be by your side every step of the way.