Neurodivergent Travel Tips: sensory overload on the road
Wondering how to cope with sensory overload while travelling? Here are a few neurodivergent travel tips for adults that I wish I’d known before I hit the road as an AuDHD traveller.
Living abroad full-time, sometimes while backpacking on a budget, meant I’ve really had to get to grips with dealing with overstimulation since I left my birth country back in 2018. As a solo traveller with diagnosed ADHD, dyspraxia and autism (suspected by my psychiatrist, I just don’t want to pay for the official assessment!), plus depression and PTSD, I’m no stranger to sensory issues!
Whilst these tips are based on my experience as an adult solo female traveller, you can certainly adapt the majority of these tips if you’re a family or couple. As well as being neurodivergent, I’ve lived abroad for over seven years, so I have a lot of travel experience. It’s not been easy (often, it’s been really hard), so that’s why I’m really keen to share my knowledge and, hopefully, make travelling a bit easier for another ADHD or autistic traveller.
Over time, it’s definitely got easier for me to cope with the variety of sensory experiences that come with travel. Whether it’s your first day at the airport, trying to find a restaurant, or dealing with burnout, it’s essential to have some strategies to implement.
The following tips and techniques for dealing with sensory overload while travelling are all based on my personal experience, so pick and choose from them depending on your individual needs. It may also be worth discussing any worries you have with your doctor before you go, particularly if you’ll be travelling long-term, so you pick up any medication you need or get some personalised advice.
Neurodivergent Travel Tips (for autistic and ADHD travellers)
GO EARLY FOR DINNER
It’s generally quieter eating at, say, 5:30 p.m. than 7 p.m. Most travellers don’t eat this early, so I prefer to get dinner earlier when I’m backpacking than I do at home. I’d also keep some snacks in my bag, such as banana chips and mixed nuts, so that I wouldn’t get hungry.
Returning to my room early after dinner and settling down with a cup of tea and a Netflix movie is also a good way to unwind after a busy day of stimulating activities.
You can also check the menus online and choose what you want to eat in advance. As a vegan traveller, I always checked the HappyCow app to find restaurants which would suit my dietary needs. Thankfully, vegetarian-based restaurants often seemed to have a more chilled-out vibe compared to many backpacker-filled eateries.
Whatever food you prefer, saving a bunch to your Google Maps before heading out is a good tip. This way, you can easily check what’s nearby when hungry.
AVOID STREET MARKETS AND FOOD STALLS
Choosing a restaurant in advance has been helpful, and means I avoid wandering around the streets. Of course, this goes against the general rules of backpacking (street food is king!), but I feel far more comfortable sitting in a quiet corner with my headphones on than wandering a market filled with people and not being able to choose what to eat.
As for clothes markets and souvenirs, I would often opt for a mall rather than a local market if I needed to buy something material. When I’m not travelling, I don’t buy fast fashion and support local businesses… but I find the busy markets unbearable if I travel alone.
If I happen to join forces with another backpacker, I would choose what to get in advance and stick with my new friends.
BRING YOUR OWN FOOD IF YOU NEED TO
This neurodivergent travel tip may be helpful for autistic families or anyone with specific dietary needs. You can always book an Airbnb where you can cook your own food. If you are travelling with someone, they might be able to do a supermarket trip for you.
Alternatively, staying somewhere which is close to the local restaurants helps too. And, failing that, there’s always takeout! Yep, I’m no stranger to getting takeout via Go-Jek, Grab, or Uber Eats to enjoy cheap local foods without having to leave my accommodation!
PACK FAMILIAR TOILETRIES
If you’re sensitive to using different products, pack familiar products. I recommend switching to sustainable shampoo bars and lotions, which last a long time and don’t take up any liquid allowance.
PLAN TRAVEL DAYS AROUND CROWDS & BURNOUT
Even though it’s often not possible to travel in the off-season, it’s still possible to plan your days around the crowds. For example, crowded sites are often quietest in the morning or towards the end of the day.
When I know I want to visit a location which may be overwhelming, such as the tourist-heavy but beautiful must-see of Borobudur Temple in Indonesia or an over-crowded city such as Tokyo, I ensure I plan over-stimulating activities or locations with burnout in mind:
- When I visited Borobudur, I booked a cheap tour with my hostel in nearby Yogyakarta. This way, if I got overwhelmed, I knew that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting public transport back to my hostel or finding a place to have lunch.
- Tokyo was one of my most planned city trips ever – I had an excellent idea of what to see and which activities were near each other in advance. That way, I had less to organise on the day. I also downloaded an offline Map and music playlists for walking around the city, and even planned lunch spots in advance and pinned the locations to my map.
- I alternate busy locations with calmer ones! After bustling Yogyakarta, I visited the peaceful paradise island of Karimunjawa, giving me time to relax. After Tokyo, I spent time solo hiking along a pilgrimage trail.
DON’T OVERPACK YOUR ITINERARY!
Save time for rest days to avoid burnout and allow for a flexible itinerary so you can move things around depending on when you (or your travel partner) are feeling up to more stimulating or challenging activities.
If you’re backpacking, don’t overfill your route by stopping at loads of different cities, in favour of seeing fewer places but with a more thorough overview. This way, you see the exact amount but avoid the overload of constant travel days!
If you’re able to SLOW TRAVEL, this can be the best way to avoid overload abroad. Working abroad in Melbourne, Auckland, and Sydney allowed me to immerse myself in these cities without packing in a load of activities every weekend.
If you’re able to drive (I know a lot of us can’t, me included, due to dyspraxia), then you may prefer road trips.
CHOOSE ACCOMMODATIONS WISELY
I’ve written in detail about how I coped with the challenges of staying in hostels as an introvert, and many of these tips will apply here too.
For example, I take care to find quiet accommodations, don’t have a drinking scene, are well-located for activities and eateries, and are not too tricky to find from the station or airport. Simply googling words such as ‘clean’ or ‘quiet/loud’ within booking.com reviews is a good way to determine what to expect.
DEALING WITH SENSORY OVERLOAD IN AIRPORTS
Airports can be overwhelming, especially for neurodivergent travellers, and I know this massively contributes to my fear of flying, too
Here are some tips that help me keep calm before a flight:
- Plan how you’ll get to/from the airport in advance to take the pressure off your travel day (even if it’s just screenshotting directions to the shuttle bus – it’s good not to have to worry about figuring out your transport in an overwhelming environment)
- I like to get there early so I have time to relax with a snack and food, and also don’t worry too much about rushing.
- Don’t be afraid to ask the staff for directions to the baggage claim after check-in – I always make sure they point for me as I’m so bad with directions!
- Check the airport map in advance so you can see what cafes they have
- I always have my phone charged, earphones at the ready, and music or meditations downloaded on the Spotify or Calm app
- It’s common for me to simply speed walk up and down the airport with music to burn off some energy… Though I feel like that’s due to, erm, one of my other ADHD symptoms haha. 🙂
- Pack a refillable water bottle, lip balm, dress in comfy clothes and pack comforting items at the top of your in-flight bag – such as a hoodie, scarf/blanket, snacks or silk sleep mask. I also bring my ear defenders and a fidget toy.
TAKE COMFORTABLE, CLIMATE-APPROPRIATE CLOTHES
For hot weather, I like loose cotton shorts and t-shirts for hiking, and summer dresses or skirts for hot days. In cold weather, I know I HATE being cold, so I always make sure I have lots of layers ready to go. I wear Boody most days at home, so this is also what I wear the majority of the time when travelling.
No matter what clothes I choose, comfortable footwear is a MUST! I prefer hiking boots, sneakers or walking sandals depending on the climate.
TAKE HEADPHONES AND AN EYE MASK
A comfortable silk eye mask that fully blocks out the light is a massive help for me. You may prefer earplugs, but I use downloaded songs from the Calm app and earphones to help me relax on long travel days. Noise-cancelling headphones can also be helpful for many people!
Neurodivergent travellers may also like to take the following items for long journeys or nights in:
- Fidget toys
- Familiar scented toiletries
- Familiar tasting foods or snacks
- Familiar drinks or tea bags, such as calming chamomile tea
- Lavender scent for pillows (or whatever scent you use at home)
- Download TV shows, Spotify playlists, books or movies if you need a relaxing night in
- Sunglasses & a summer hat for bright sunny days (and sunscreen, of course!)
And make sure you get enough sleep!
LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Whether it’s checking in with your doctor before you go, or making time for rest days on your trip, it’s essential to prioritise your mental wellbeing while on the road. Don’t feel pressured to take part in overwhelming activities and figure out what neurodivergent travel style suits you best – whether that’s booking tours, staying in private rooms over dorms, taking at least ‘days off travel’ every week to chill out with a good booking, or heading to holidays which allow you to relax in nature.
For more travel and mental health tips, you may find these posts helpful:
How to travel with ADHD – an in-depth guide
My Complete Mental Health Guide for Travellers
Anxiety Advice for Solo Travellers
If you found this post helpful, please pin or share it for future neurodivergent travellers to find. 🙂
thanks so much Brooke
Great article. Love your ideas
Eyemasks and my Calm app are daily necessities for me even when I’m not travelling! The music is great for chilltime or if you can’t sleep well. 🙂
Yep that’s so true, balance makes a big difference!
timed tickets are a fantastic idea for people who get overstimulated – great tip Melinda!
thanks Rebecca!
Thanks so much 🙂 downtime can be so important
These are such great tips to reduce sensory overload while traveling. It can get so overwhelming in new places…and especially love scheduling in some downtime.
These are great steps to keep in mind!
You have so many great tips here thanks to your experiences. I find that planning ahead makes all the difference and especially love the places which offer timed tickets to avoid overcrowding.
I love these tips! Like you, I try to balance being active with downtime. I’ve found that it’s important especially when traveling with other people so no one burns out. Also – LOVE the pic of you with the giant door!!
Thanks for sharing this. I do love the calm app for meditation but haven’t listened to any of the music, this sounds like a great idea. An eye mask is a must for me!