7 Ways to Travel More Easefully as a Sensitive Soul

Few places are more overstimulating than Las Vegas, and yet it’s one of my favorite places to travel. I just returned from CES, which just adds another layer of chaos and a 20:1 male to female ratio, which automatically sets my nervous system on edge for all the reasons.

But it got me thinking about travelling as a neurodivergent person — I consider myself both an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and the special 30% subset HSS (High Sensation Seeking), which makes it a really fun Goldilocks combination of being either over- or understimulated at any given time!

Travel is particularly appealing to us HSS peeps for its abundant novelty and offer of new experiences, but it also has to be carefully managed in light of the chaos of travel. I’ve subconsciously collected ways to make it more easeful on myself, and also shared a couple of these with fellow HSP family members, who love to travel but also don’t go as frequently as they would like because of how stressful the day of travel (and back) can be.

Here are a few things that have eased the journey for me:

1. Meet Your Basic Needs, and Monitor Them

It sounds basic, and yet, I constantly found myself skipping breakfast on travel days, and waiting until I landed to use the restroom. Once I started leaving myself enough time to eat, and use the bathroom when I needed to before and during the flight, I could handle the chaos of the airport and flying more calmly.

2. Wear Layers

I get both hot and cold very easily, and airplane temps can vary wildly. I typically wear at least one long layered jacket or light sweater I can use as a blanket, or take off easily if it gets too warm. Also, comfortable, non-restrictive shoes are a must.

3. Pick the Window Seat

I used to be an aisle person, especially because of bladder anxiety, but the aisle can also be extremely overstimulating with carts and people bumping into you constantly. Post-COVID, I became a window seat person, and find it to be much less stimulating. I also just put aside my guilt when I need to use the restroom, and ask my neighbors politely to move when I need to get up.

4. Consider Train Travel When Possible

Air travel around Europe can be remarkably cheap, but some of the low budget airlines take you to airports in the middle of nowhere and then you still have to deal with the security and general airport chaos and tight seats. I love train travel as an alternative, especially the affordable Eurail Pass. Last year, I took the train from Paris to Barcelona, which I thought would be a 7-hour slog, but seeing the beautiful changing French countryside and coast was well worth the slower, less stressful mode of travel.

5. Pay Attention to Flight Times

Budget often is what we look at when we buy plane tickets, but better flight times can often be well worth the extra $50 or $100 dollars. Pay attention especially to the time of day you land, knowing most hotels won’t have your room available until at least 2 or 3pm (always worth calling ahead to see if they can accommodate an earlier arrival). I find it especially stressful to not have a place to go and crash for a bit after a long day of travel. If you can’t make it work, stash your luggage at the hotel, and take a no-agenda walk through a nearby park to reset your nervous system.

6. Build in Downtime in Your Itinerary

This one is ridiculously hard especially when you’re going on a big, bucket-list type trip vs. a relaxing beach getaway, but is one of the most important. Neither my mom nor myself are big morning people, so on our Europe trip together, we would be sure to not start any tours or tickets before 11am. This gave us time to wake up, eat breakfast when we wanted, and take on the day energized instead of exhausted.

7. Accept the Fact You Will Be Overstimulated on Travel Days

When I travelled with my also-neurodivergent sister to the Florida Keys, I told her the truth: airports and flying are overstimulating, period. When you go into it accepting that there’s no way around it, it can make the day slightly more tolerable knowing you will have time to decompress at the destination, and this is just a temporary part of the longer journey.

If you’ve been putting off a soulful trip because of the overwhelm, my Before You Book coaching session is designed to help you plan a trip that works with your nervous system. In 60 minutes, we’ll map out a travel approach that honors how you’re wired — so the journey feels as good as the destination.