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 : )

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Abby Dougherty

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