Member-only story

How to Stay Comfy and Gentle When You Travel

Abby Dougherty
2 min readJul 8, 2024

I am a sensory sensitive human being. I love to travel and learn — but staying in new locations and hotels is hard for me. I often can’t sleep well or relax — I often feel on alert. With that said, here is a list of interventions to increase present moment gentleness : )

  1. Stuffed animals and/or blanket. There are just certain textures that bring me right back to the present moment in a gentle way.
  2. Hand lotion, something with lavender oil in it.
  3. Special paper or a journal and a pen(s) that feel wonderful on the paper.
  4. play list of 10 songs that help me to relax.
  5. White noise machine — the best.
  6. Affirmations to read in the morning and at night.
  7. a mindfulness playlist.
  8. Audiobook playlists.
  9. A good pair of sneakers and super soft socks are priceless.
  10. Clothes that breathe and stretch for walking or sitting.
  11. a playlist of silly cat or other videos for emotionally draining days.
  12. Having some of my snacks/food from home.
  13. Permission to buy new books or magazines to read in the hotel.
  14. My people to check in with about the journey : )

I am curious what you do to relax when you travel. Consider adding your ideas to the comments. Thank you for reading : )

Create an account to read the full story.

The author made this story available to Medium members only.
If you’re new to Medium, create a new account to read this story on us.

Or, continue in mobile web

Already have an account? Sign in

Abby Dougherty
Abby Dougherty

Written by Abby Dougherty

Abby Dougherty, PhD, loves to learn, and produce scholarship on relational-cultural theory, virtual reality, AI, and using mindfulness in counselor education.

No responses yet

Write a response