The highly sensitive person’s traits often make travel a struggle if not downright misery sometimes. As a highly sensitive person myself I’ve learned a lot of things over the years to keep me a happy traveler. In fact it is my favorite thing to do! Here are 8 tips to make travel less stressful and dare I say it, great fun!

1. Get a Great Guidebook

One highly sensitive person trait is the propensity towards overwhelm. This is where planning is crucial to having a great trip. The more you know and can prepare for a trip the better. Knowing what to expect and having a good plan always decreases the overwhelm and anxiety I feel.

Having a guidebook also gives me all the information I need to know about a location in one place. It reduces overwhelm because I don’t have to figure out all the different sources I need to research. Airport, Hotel, Transportation and Site Information are all in one place.

Check out a few guidebooks and find one that speaks to your interests. My favorite travel guide for Europe is Rick Steves. I like how he focuses on authentic cultural experiences which speaks to the Highly Sensitive Person’s soul.

Highlight sites you want to make sure you don’t miss and other sites that would be fun if you have time. Make time to familiarize yourself with all the practicalities of visiting a new place such as the language, money and local customs.

2. Pick the Right Flights

Another highly sensitive person trait is feeling stressed with time pressure. If I book a flight that is later in the morning I have more time to get the rest I need the night before. This is also imperative because another highly sensitive person trait is we get more tired than other people.

I want to make sure that I start my day on a full tank. Plus, if my flight is a little later I don’t feel that I have to rush as much in the morning to get to the airport. Highly sensitive people hate to feel rushed.

I also make sure my flight doesn’t get in too late. I like to have time to check into my hotel and get my belongings situated. Getting to a grocery store is also important to me, so I can stock up on drinks, snacks and possibly some breakfast items.

Especially when I’m on vacation I like to take my time in the morning, savor a cup of coffee and perhaps a pastry. That way I don’t have to rush out of the hotel in the morning to go find food. The highly sensitive person is more prone to getting hangry than other people.

How to Find the Right Flights

I always start my trip planning by choosing my flights as the cost can change drastically by adjusting my schedule by even just one day. Hotels are not as volatile in their pricing. I do check out the hotel rates before booking my flights though just to be sure.

I use Orbitz to research all my flights because I can easily search all airlines and filter by time blocks (morning, afternoon or evening).

Plus I can filter my options to include seat choice and carry on bag requirements, so I get a true cost of a flight without any surprises. Not to mention I can also filter by number of stops.

Direct flights are less stressful and have less room for unexpected delays. The simpler I can make travel the more overstimulation I can avoid.

Also, there is no rule that you have to use the same carrier to and from your destination. Orbitz is great for finding just the right timing of flights to meet your schedule.

I often do this by booking two different carriers. I can purchase both tickets on the same website and add in my frequent flyer numbers, so I don’t miss out on miles, as well as manage all my flights from one app. It’s perfect!

One word of caution though. If you are not taking a direct flight to or from your destination try not to mix carriers. If the flight is delayed for some reason the second airline will not get you on another flight if you miss it the way they would if you booked both flights on the same reservation.

3. Choose a Central Hotel

I always choose a hotel that is central to the things I want to do. Sometimes this can be in a busier or more chaotic area. However, what I love about a central hotel is that I have a convenient home base to come back and take a break if needed. This helps with the highly sensitive person trait of getting tired more easily due to our depth of processing.

If my hotel is convenient I can do an activity and come back to take a nap or get in some quiet time afterward. This recharges me, so I have the energy to go do something else later. It’s especially important if I’m visiting a big city which is full over overstimulation, another highly sensitive person trait.

Pick a hotel recommended in your guidebook. This will cut down on the number of hotels to research. I pick the area where I want to stay and review the recommended hotels in my guidebook. Then I pick the hotel with the vibe I like.

My favorite hotels when traveling abroad are boutique hotels that remind me I’m some place new. However, if this is too overstimulating then choose a chain hotel. This will provide a familiar and comfortable atmosphere when you return from a long day.

4. Assess Transportation

Personally I love taking vacations where I can take a break from driving. My trips to big cities or to Europe are perfect for this. They have such efficient and low cost public transportation. Sometimes it’s nice to have someone else take care of getting me where I need to go for a change.

Renting my own car can be nice too. This can be essential if I’m traveling within the United States. I like being able to leave a place when I’ve had too much stimulation, am hungry or tired.

5. Plan Only One Thing per Day

Don’t try to do too much in a day, running around ragged to see everything. As Rick Steve’s says, “Assume you will return”. I usually pick one big thing to do per day and maybe one smaller, low key thing for later after I’ve taken a break.

If I am going to a museum where there will be lot of crowds and I will be walking around for hours then I plan a break for lunch afterwards and then maybe a walk through a park or to sit by some water. Water is very calming for me. Time is nature, water in particular is restorative and soothing for the highly sensitive person.

6. Timing of Activities

Crowds can cause a lot of overstimulation for the highly sensitive person, so plan and book your activities for early or late in the day when crowds are lighter.

Now that I’m a little older I’ve become more of a morning person. Anything that I need or want to get done needs to get done in the morning or it just doesn’t happen. It’s great because I can get into museums and other attractions when they first open before the throngs of people rush in.

More of a night person? That works too! As the crowds are heading out to prepare for their dinner reservations, stroll in and see everything when things are more relaxed and less busy. Make sure you take some water and snacks with you, so you don’t get cranky. Another highly sensitive person trait is to be more sensitive to hunger.

7. Plan in Buffer Days

Don’t plan to do too much the first day in a new place. Take time to get acclimated to your new surroundings. There will be a lot of new information to take in which may cause some overstimulation. I am also usually tired from the entire travel process as well.

Get oriented to the new destination. Go for a walk around your new area or a take a bus tour of the city to get the lay of the land. I always feel much more relaxed when I know where things are and how to easily get to what I need (rest, food, nature, etc.).

Plan a buffer day when you get home too. There is nothing worse than getting home and then having to head to work the very next day.

The highly sensitive person is very attuned to their physical needs. Travel is wonderful and exciting, but since we take in so much information due to our depth of processing it can also be very overstimulating. Overstimulation can lead to exhaustion.

Make time to go to bed early and take care of other practical concerns like getting groceries and doing laundry before heading back to work.

8. Pack Right

I suggest only taking one carry on bag when traveling and resisting the urge to overpack. Another highly sensitive person trait is attention to detail. It may be tempting to prepare for every eventuality, but it’s not really necessary. If you forget something it’s usually easy enough to purchase it.

Having too many things to keep track of can be overwhelming and it can make the difference between everything going as planned or disaster if you need to change flights or if your bags don’t make it to your destination.

Need packing tips? Check out my post on my three essential bags when I travel and my packing must haves to keep everything organized.

If you enjoyed this post try reading my post on things to know before a first trip to Europe next.

Interested in knowing more about how to deal with highly sensitive traits in other areas of your life? Check out my favorite blog for the highly sensitive, Highly Sensitive Refuge.

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