How to Avoid Travel Burnout

Sarah Outside
Apr 15, 2024
5 min read

Updated: May 13, 2024

As you might already know if you've made it to my website and blog I have Autism and ADHD. This means I can often become overwhelmed and experience burnout; a feeling of intense tiredness, loneliness and defeat.

But whilst travelling over the last year I've learnt about different ways to keep burnout largely at bay. If you're someone who experiences burnout or feels overwhelmed then I hope these strategies can help you out too! For a quick overview of these check out my TikToks on avoiding burnout and tips for neurodiverse travellers.

Have rest days

These are important for anyone travelling, not just if you're neurodiverse!

Travelling can be exhausting. Visiting new places, doing new things, eating new things; the list is endless! So no wonder we can become burnt out and exhausted.

To prevent this I try to take a rest day around once a week or every fortnight. These are days where I literally plan to do nothing but recover by prioritising myself and my healthy habits (that I'll touch on later).

This can give me a bit of FOMO but I know in the long run it is the thing I need to do to be able to keep on travelling and having amazing experiences. Just remember whilst you're at home you don't do crazy things everyday so whilst travelling long term we shouldn't have to either.

Safe foods

I love to try different foods but there is no escaping from the fact that trying different foods every day can become overwhelming especially if, like me, you experience sensory processing issues.

So, sometimes it's nice to know what you're going to eat and know that the tastes and textures are familiar and you don't have the stress of worrying that you won't like it.

I found that when I arrive it is good to try to establish some safe foods that work for me and will likely be available across the country. Whilst we've been in Vietnam I've been able to find Slides (Vietnam's answer to Pringles), bananas and Oreos everywhere. These have really helped me out as I know they'll taste the same wherever we go and I can get hold of them if I'm struggling to eat!

The essentials!

Sometimes food is about excitement and trying new things. But sometimes it needs to be safe for me and allow me to get the nutrition I need without causing stress or a sense of being overwhelmed.

Planning

It can often feel that whilst travelling there is an expectation that we are all super flexible and spontaneous all the time. There might be videos on TikTok about dropping everything and running off to another country. I've met people on my travels who have literally dropped everything and booked the next flight or wake up everyday without a plan for the day.

This might work for some people, and I have a lot of respect for these people, but I've learned that this just doesn't work for me.

Instead I find that having a bit of a plan of where we are going and what we are going to do for the next 2-3 days. I definitely remain flexible day to day so I am able to respond to changes in the weather or if I meet someone who is really keen to do something. But, in general, I know for the next 2-3 days what the key things I want to do are.

This helps me to know what each day is going to hold and prevent there from being too many unexpected things that I need to make quickz stressful decisions about.

We literally have this huge document with a big list of all the things we hope to do and places we want to go!

Routines and Healthy Habits

Obviously, as I've hammered home already, when you're travelling things are new and different nearly every day so having a similar morning and evening routine can really help give a sense of stability and familiarity.

This can range from trying to keep when you shower the same to eating the same thing for breakfast to having a skin care routine you always do the same. A typical evening routine for me involves showering, doing my skin care, sorting my hair and then reading until I feel I can get to sleep.

For me this is super comforting. I know when I wake up I can go into a sort of autopilot and do my routine, then get on with whatever the day holds.

Along a similar vein, prioritising healthy habits really helps keep me energised, feeling healthy and reduces stress. We all need to make sure we are staying hydrated, especially in those warmer countries, and that we are eating proteins, fruits and veggies.

This might sound super obvious but sometimes when we are busy experiencing new things it is the little healthy things that fall to the wayside.

Revisiting and Repeating

When we are travelling, every day holds a complex array of decisions that we need to make: what are we going to do, where are we going to eat, what time do we need to check out, where shall we go next, and so many more!!

If you find a nice restaurant or cafe then there's no harm in going multiple times! I've definitely fallen into the trap that this is a waste and we need to make sure we are trying ALL the fun places to eat in every location. But this can become stressful!

Don't feel guilt for looking after yourself and reducing those stressful decisions. Go for that meal, snack or drink you loved in that restaurant or cafe you found.

Travel with someone

I think it is amazing seeing people solo travelling and I have total respect for everyone doing this. But for me it just doesn't work and I’ve had to learn to be okay with that.

I've found that as an autistic person having some familiar around, for me that's my boyfriend, is super helpful. It means that if I get stressed or overwhelmed I always have someone close by that I can express those feelings to and who can react in a way that they know is helpful for me. This familiar person doesn't have to be a partner, it could be a friend or family member.

This is him - the number one best travel partner

If you can travel solo, especially as a neurodiverse person, hats off to you and I'd love to hear from you about the things you've learnt help you out!

I believe that travelling should be accessible for everyone and part of my mission is to help share tips and things I do to inspire and empower everyone to feel able to travel. If you're a neurodiverse person travelling then I hope these littles tips are helpful!

If you've got any other questions or strategies you want to share drop a comment on here or send me a message on my Instagram or TikTok! You can also find more useful tips, tricks and recommendations on my TikTok and Instagram!

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