How to Make Travel Easier With Fatigue or Sensory Sensitivity
Travel can take much more energy than the time spent getting from one place to another.
Noise, waiting, standing, unfamiliar environments, disrupted routines and dozens of small decisions can all add to the load.
- Travel starts costing energy before the trip begins.
- Reduce unnecessary decisions, standing, rushing and sensory exposure.
- Build recovery time into the itinerary rather than hoping you will not need it.
- One meaningful activity may be enough for a day.
- Airport or transport assistance can be useful even if you can technically manage without it.
- Bring the things that make an unfamiliar environment easier for your body and brain.
- A successful trip does not have to be a full trip.
Travel can use more capacity than it appears to
A holiday, family visit or short trip may sound like one activity.
In reality, it is often dozens of activities joined together.
There may be packing, remembering things, getting to the airport, waiting in queues, standing, navigating unfamiliar spaces, coping with noise and smells, finding food, checking in, unpacking and then adjusting to a different bed and routine.
For someone living with fatigue, sensory sensitivity, migraine, chronic illness or reduced capacity, each part can take something from the available energy budget.
If getting there uses most of your available capacity, expecting yourself to immediately begin sightseeing may make the whole trip harder.
Think about travel as a load-and-capacity problem
Imagine that you begin each day with a certain amount of usable capacity.
Travel adds extra load.
Physical load
Walking, standing, carrying luggage, sitting upright for long periods, disrupted sleep and temperature changes can all require energy.
Sensory load
Airports, stations and unfamiliar places can involve noise, crowds, bright lighting, fragrances, announcements and visual movement.
Cognitive load
Tickets, directions, gates, timetables, decisions and remembering what happens next all require processing.
Social load
Travelling with others can involve conversation, compromise, waiting for each other and negotiating different priorities.
None of these things has to be enormous on its own.
The difficulty can come from having many of them happen at once.
Pacing is not simply doing less. It can mean organising an activity so that the total cost is closer to what your body can currently manage.
Make the trip smaller before trying to make yourself cope better
One of the most useful travel questions can be:
What could we remove?
Instead of beginning with a full itinerary and then trying to work out how to survive it, begin with the amount of activity you are reasonably likely to tolerate.
That might mean:
- staying in one location rather than moving hotels frequently
- choosing direct flights where possible
- having one main activity rather than three
- booking accommodation close to the places you want to visit
- using taxis or transport rather than adding a long walk
- having meals close to your accommodation
- building in a quiet afternoon
- having a completely unplanned day
- staying longer so activities can be spread out
Empty space can be one of the things that makes the rest of the trip possible.
The day before travel counts too
Packing can become a major activity in itself.
If possible, avoid leaving everything until the evening before departure.
You might make travel easier by:
- keeping a reusable packing list
- packing non-essential items several days earlier
- putting travel documents together in one place
- laying out clothes rather than deciding in the morning
- asking somebody else to check chargers, tickets or medications
- avoiding unnecessary appointments immediately before travel
- planning a simple meal the night before
What if packing itself is exhausting?
Reduce the number of decisions involved.
A permanent packing list can be useful because you do not have to reconstruct the entire task every time you travel.
Some people also keep frequently used travel items together: chargers, toiletries, earplugs, travel containers, medication organisers or a spare sleep mask.
Packing in several short sessions may also cost less than one large packing session.
At airports and stations, reduce standing and uncertainty
Transport hubs combine several things that can be difficult at once: noise, crowds, uncertainty, queues, time pressure and prolonged standing.
If standing or walking substantially increases symptoms, consider asking what assistance is available rather than assuming assistance is only for people who cannot walk.
Depending on the airline, airport or transport provider, assistance may include things such as:
- wheelchair or mobility assistance
- help travelling between check-in and the gate
- additional time
- assistance navigating the terminal
- accessible queues or assistance lanes
- quiet or lower-sensory spaces
Services differ, so it is worth checking with the airline and airport before travelling.
Support can be useful when doing something independently would use so much capacity that very little is left for the rest of the trip.
Prepare for sensory load rather than relying on endurance
Airports, aircraft, trains, hotels and busy destinations can expose you to sensory input that is difficult to control.
A small sensory kit can make unfamiliar environments much easier.
Sound
Earplugs, noise-reducing headphones or familiar audio can reduce the amount of sound you have to process.
Light
Sunglasses, a cap or sleep mask can help when bright lighting or visual stimulation becomes tiring.
Smell
Choose fragrance-free products where possible and consider how you will manage environments with strong perfume, cleaning products or food smells.
Familiarity
Familiar snacks, clothing, pillowcases, routines or comfort items can reduce the number of new sensations your system has to manage.
Understanding which kinds of sensory input are hardest can make it easier to plan around them rather than trying to tolerate everything.
Give yourself somewhere to retreat
When booking accommodation, the room itself can matter as much as the destination.
If you are likely to spend more time resting than other travellers, consider things such as:
- how noisy the room is likely to be
- whether there is a lift
- how far the room is from reception or parking
- whether there is somewhere comfortable to sit or recline
- air-conditioning or temperature control
- a fridge for food, drinks or medication if required
- blackout curtains
- whether restaurants or shops are nearby
- whether you can easily return during the day
For lower-capacity travel, it may also be your recovery space.
Be careful with the “we are here, so we should…” effect
Travel can create pressure to make the most of every opportunity.
You may hear yourself thinking:
- We may never come here again.
- Everyone else is going.
- We paid for this trip.
- I don’t want to spoil the day.
- I should be able to manage one more thing.
Those thoughts are understandable.
But spending tomorrow’s capacity today does not necessarily result in more travel overall.
Sometimes stopping earlier allows you to participate again tomorrow.
What is likely to make travel hardest for you?
Choose anything that fits. You do not need to select everything.
My biggest travel difficulties are:
Build recovery into the day
Recovery works better when it is part of the plan rather than something that only happens after you have completely run out of capacity.
A lower-load sightseeing day might look something like this:
Example of a lower-capacity travel day
This will look unnecessarily slow to some people.
For somebody whose capacity is limited, it may be what makes the trip sustainable.
Make plans that can change
Travel is unpredictable.
Flights are delayed. Weather changes. Sleep goes badly. Symptoms change. A restaurant may be noisier than expected.
Flexible plans can reduce the pressure created by those changes.
You might have:
- a main plan
- an easier version
- a stay-at-the-hotel version
Plan A: Visit the gallery and have lunch nearby.
Plan B: Visit one floor of the gallery and return to the hotel.
Plan C: Rest at the hotel and get takeaway.
The plan exists to support the person travelling. The person does not exist to complete the plan.
Travelling with other people can require a different conversation
One person’s relaxing holiday may be another person’s exhausting schedule.
It can help to discuss expectations before travelling.
Useful questions include:
- Which activities matter most to each person?
- Which activities could people do separately?
- Does everyone need to leave the accommodation at the same time?
- Can one person rest while others continue sightseeing?
- Who will handle navigation, tickets or luggage?
- What happens if somebody needs to leave early?
A useful sentence can be:
“I want to be part of the trip. I may be able to enjoy more of it if I don’t have to participate in every part.”
Think about the return journey too
Getting home still requires energy.
If possible, avoid planning the trip so tightly that there is no capacity left for packing, checking out and travelling home.
You may also need recovery time after the trip.
That does not necessarily mean travel was a mistake.
The useful question is whether the overall cost was manageable for you.
What if I always crash after travelling?
A significant increase in symptoms after activity can be important information rather than something to simply push through.
Consider whether the travel day itself is exceeding your current capacity, whether too much activity is being added immediately afterwards, and whether you need more recovery before and after travel.
If exertion causes substantial or prolonged worsening of symptoms, particularly if this happens consistently, discussing the pattern with an appropriate health professional may also be useful.
What if I have migraine?
Travel can change several things at once: sleep, meals, hydration, light exposure, routine, stress and sensory input.
It may help to protect the routines that are most useful for you rather than trying to travel exactly as everybody else does.
Keep any prescribed or usual migraine medication accessible rather than buried in checked luggage, and follow your own clinician’s advice about migraine management.
What if being upright makes me feel worse?
Long queues, walking through terminals and standing while waiting can make travel particularly difficult for people whose symptoms increase when upright.
Reducing unnecessary standing, using available seating and considering mobility or airport assistance may substantially reduce the physical cost of the journey.
A small travel kit can remove many small problems
You do not need to carry everything you might possibly need.
Think instead about the things that repeatedly make environments easier for you.
- earplugs or headphones
- sunglasses
- sleep mask
- comfortable layers
- water where permitted
- familiar snacks
- medications you may need during the journey
- charger or power bank
- a written itinerary
- important addresses saved on your phone
- a small comfort or regulation item
A familiar snack, a place to sit, fewer decisions or twenty quiet minutes can make more difference than trying harder.
When medical planning matters
Some people need additional planning because of medications, mobility equipment, oxygen, medical devices, food requirements or significant health conditions.
For overseas travel in particular, check requirements early rather than assuming the same arrangements will be available everywhere.
It may also be worth checking:
- whether medications can legally be taken into the destination country
- whether documentation is needed
- how medications need to be stored
- what your travel insurance covers
- whether medical equipment needs airline approval
- how you would access medical care while away
Make the trip fit your capacity.
Travel does not have to look the same for everyone.
You may need more rest, less walking, quieter places, fewer activities, more familiar food or additional assistance.
You may spend an afternoon in the hotel while somebody else explores.
You may see one thing instead of five.
That does not make the trip less worthwhile.
The aim is not to squeeze the maximum number of activities into the time available.
It is to create a trip that you have enough capacity to experience.
Reliable information
Smartraveller — Travelling with a disability
Australian Government information covering health planning, travel insurance, accessible transport, medical equipment and travelling overseas with additional needs.
Sydney Airport — Hidden Disabilities
Information about the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, sensory maps, journey planning, additional assistance and lower-sensory support at Sydney Airport.
A note about assistance
Accessibility and assistance arrangements vary between airlines, airports, railway operators and destinations.
If you may need assistance, check directly with the relevant provider before travelling. Some services need to be arranged in advance.
ALPIMS provides general information and practical ideas. It does not replace individual medical advice.
If travel could significantly affect a medical condition, or you have questions about medications, equipment, fitness to travel or symptom management, seek advice from an appropriate health professional before travelling.
