Why Routines matter
Maintaining routines while traveling is essential for many neurodivergent travelers like me. It helps reduce overwhelm and sensory stress, making trips more enjoyable. Here’s how I build routines into my trips. This can be morning rituals, evening habits, and ways to stay flexible even when plans go off track.
When I was living in Berlin for three months in 2015, I went to the same place every morning to get myself a pretzel and a coffee. It started as a one-time thing, but my pretzels basically never left me.
I had a colleague commenting on it at some point. I did not know that routines were something I found comfort in at that time.
Now I know that this is something I crave, partially even need. It is very neurodivergent of me to think like that. So, when I am traveling, I am also searching for routines.
Preparing Your Routine Before Traveling
It can be as easy as finding a Starbucks in Seoul, or as difficult as figuring out what to even eat for breakfast on a train through Kazakhstan. Somehow, somewhere, routines can be built in.
I am planning my trips excessively. I’ve written a blog post on the planning stage of a trip where I shared more tips here: The Planning Part. I also have previously discussed a Sensory Friendly Travel kit you can make use of here: How to pack a sensory friendly travel kit.
Those are my guides for setting it up, but there’s more:
- Do not over-plan your days: I have had incredibly busy travel days in the past where I spent hours on the road and in the end I was one exhausted traveler that needed a vacation from my vacation. I do trips like that still now, but I learned one way or another that I cannot always travel like this. Half day tours are perfect. No additional plans on travel days. Spend at least two nights at one place if possible.
- Plan breaks into your days: It can be a lunch break, something simple as checking out a cat cafe as we have done in Minsk, or to just sit down on a bench in a park and enjoy the view for a few minutes. I am down for it and I need to plan it. Otherwise, I might rush through my days without a pause.
Know where to eat at least once in the day: If you are like me, you love hotel breakfasts. I absolutely enjoy the breakfast buffets and love if they have orange juice and fruits and a ton of different cheeses and nice bread rolls and yogurt and coffee.
I can live without it, but with breakfast the day is always starting well already. If I do not have hotel breakfast, I need to know at least once in the day where I can have a proper meal. This can mean, finding the nearest Starbucks to the hotel, or figuring out the dinner plans in advance.
Morning Rituals That Work Anywhere
My morning starts typically with a set alarm, or slowly waking up. It depends on the plan for the day and if we rely on hotel breakfast, because those are typically during set times. Even without morning plans, I set an alarm to ensure I’m up in time for breakfast. That does not always mean that we are jumping out of bed immediately after the alarm rings, but it gives me an orientation.
First things first: Shower time, or taking a swim in the hotel pool to wake up, depending on the availability. I love hotels with pools. If I have the choice, I typically book one with a pool, or at least a gym, to wake myself up in the morning hours with some exercise. If there’s no such thing, I, at least opt for a shower in the morning. I enjoy the feeling of being freshly showered and clean.
Without breakfast? I’m a cranky human being—every time. That is why the second step typically involves a coffee and a morning snack, or hotel breakfast. Again, I can tweak it a little depending on availability, but at least there needs to be coffee.
Evening Routine
In the evenings bedtime typically heavily depends on the day activities. I do have an evening routine. This involves reading a few pages of a book, doing my Duolingo lessons in Dutch and setting an alarm for the next day.
I do this every day at home, so this is something I usually take with me on my trips as well.
How to Stay Flexible Without Burning Out
The thing is, if my morning and evening routines are stable, my day can be flexible. If my morning and evening routines do not align, I feel rushed through them. I end up being cranky and less open to changes and flexibility during the day.
So, I strongly advise to take the time you need to establish a morning routine. Alternatively, implement an evening routine. Or be like me and do both! Then the days are much more comfortable for you and the people you travel with.
But what do I do if my flight leaves at 6 am and I need to be at the airport early? I kind of try to still plan it in. I arrive really early at airports. This allows me time to plan in a coffee break or a snack.
It does not always work out that way. I did have some horrible traffic on the way. Sometimes the check-in lines were so long, it took forever. All my carefully planned buffer time vanished. It is an advantage that we are usually two people. One of us can go fetch a coffee. Meanwhile, the other one stands in line.
But if we are late at the airport and it is getting rushed, I rely very much on my sensory travel kit to get me through it. I use my distractions, my earplugs, and my headphones. The fidget stuff I brought helps me get rid of some of the anxiety. Most of the time, it works. But honestly, sometimes being stuck in traffic still makes me want to scream into a void.
In a lot of cases, I remind myself that some situations cannot be controlled. I need to just take the next steps. It will be fine.
If things go wrong, I often have a plan B lined up. That’s where good planning can really help. But sometimes, accepting that things won’t work out as originally planned is the best option. That acceptance can be an opportunity to pause, recenter, and just be. It has helped me a lot.
Of course, this is easier said than done. For me, it often comes down to focusing on the next step, the next breath, the next option. If I freeze, I give myself the minutes I need to refocus. It doesn’t have to be perfect! It just has to be okay.
In the end, travel routines aren’t about strict rules. They’re about finding little anchors that keep you grounded, even when the world around you is in motion. For me it matters more that I find something I love. That might just be the breakfast buffet and having the best company I can imagine.
Do you have a travel routine that keeps you grounded? Share your tips in the comments—I’d love to hear them!
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