Travel Smarter, Not Harder: Solo Travel Tips for ADHD Brains

Travel can be exciting, freeing, and a little overwhelming—especially when you’re doing it solo and your brain has ADHD.

In this episode, recorded from the middle of a two-week trip, I share some of my favorite ADHD-friendly travel tips. From packing lighter and planning for laundry to building in buffer time and giving yourself permission to change your mind, these are practical strategies that help make travel less stressful and more enjoyable.

Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a longer adventure, these simple ideas can help you travel with more confidence and a lot less overwhelm.

In This Episode:

• Why packing light matters when you’re traveling solo
• The laundry hack that lets you bring fewer clothes
• How to avoid common ADHD travel pitfalls
• Staying safe while traveling alone
• Using public transportation and delivery services
• Why downtime is part of the trip
• The importance of flexibility and changing plans
• Giving yourself permission to travel your way

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Product Links (The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use, genuinely like, or believe may be helpful to my audience.)

Travelon Bag: https://amzn.to/4e1RJH3

Air Tags: https://amzn.to/4u4Prg3

Loop Earbuds: https://amzn.to/4vscR0d

Kind Bars (these are pricey on Amazon, I buy them on sale at the grocery store): https://amzn.to/3PDPYYp

About me: Christine Dunning is a Master Certified Life Coach, owner of Two Cats Coaching, and host of A Solo Person’s Guide to ADHD. She helps single adults with ADHD create systems and support so life feels intentional instead of chaotic.

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Website: www.twocatscoaching.com

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Want trivia fun?  I’m also a trivia master! I run a weekly online game. https://tinyurl.com/Quizlandia

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever noticed that travel can be both wonderful and completely overwhelming at the same time? Hi, I'm Christine. I'm a master certified life coach, and I specialize in solo adults who have ADHD. Please do like, share, follow, and you know, do all the things if you can. You'll find my links in the notes below. Or for those of you on YouTube, follow this QR code, and I'll take you right to them. So I'm actually recording this from the middle of a solo trip. I just spent over a week in New York City where I went to a party, stayed with a friend, and then in a hotel for a few days. And now I'm in Nashville, partly for fun. That's the first part of this week. And then I have a couple of days worth of a conference at the end of the week. And then I'll be back home in Denver. As a solo traveler and someone with ADHD, I've learned a few things over the years that make travel a lot easier, less stressful, just way more enjoyable. So if this is something that you're thinking about, take a listen. Now, first thing I want to say is this is not going to be a comprehensive list. There's simply some do's that I've picked up along the way that have worked well for me and that I'm doing right now on this trip. So start with number one. Do travel light. As a solo traveler, you're the one hauling your luggage upstairs through airports on trains. You'd be surprised how many subways and other kinds of public transportation require quite a bit of hauling of your stuff up flights of stairs. Every pound matters. So be especially careful with anything that is really heavy. Boots, coats, books, electronics. For example, instead of carrying books that you might want to read, consider just loading them onto a Kindle app. You're going to have your phone with you anyway. Think carefully about shoes. We're going to talk shoes more later, but how many pairs do you really need? On this trip? I have two. One pair of light, comfortable sneakers, which are my everyday, and a pair of comfortable sandals for warm days when I'm not walking quite as much. And that's it. Granted, if you're traveling in weather or have certain events, you might need a little bit more than that. But shoes are heavy and they take up a lot of space in your luggage. Do plan to do laundry. If you're going to be gone for any length of time, this trip is a full two weeks. I've already done laundry once. Doing laundry allows you to pack far fewer clothes. Also means you don't come home to a mountain of dirty laundry to be done before you can do anything else. If you're staying with friends, ask if you can use their washer and dryer. If you're in a hotel, look for a day when you'll be in your room for a while. Toss in a load. I've got a do that, I think, on Wednesday morning because I've got a couple of morning meetings that I'm going to do. I do a little bit of work while I'm do while I'm traveling. That's normal for me. I'm going to toss in a load, attend a meeting, do a little more work, switch it, and I'll still be done by noon. And a chance for me to get out and spend the rest of the day doing fun stuff. It's one of the best travel hacks I know. Take the time to do that. Do reevaluate what you really need to have with you. Think about this. Hotels and friends' homes usually have things like shampoos, soap, hairdryers, other basic toiletries. You don't need to haul all of that with you unless you really are very particular about a product. I mean, like somebody with really curly hair, for example, might need to bring some of their own stuff, but consider using what's already available. Liquids are heavy and they take up a lot of space. If you do have to do it, bring the smallest amount you can. Plan to throw away the empty when you're done. I'll be honest, I already did this with um powder. I went through one powder, I was down to the end. I bought a new one on the trip. I'm gonna use that for the second half. But do make sure you have anything you really can't be without. Medications is a big one. Make sure you bring every medication you need, but again, in the smallest amount you can. Now, for two weeks, and I actually take a lot of meds, I still brought my usual container. And I brought a couple of extras of the things that I really can't be without. I'm flying out really late on Friday night, and I want to make sure that I have enough for Saturday morning just in case. For travel within the United States, your regular pill organizer is probably fine. Nobody's probably going to ask you about your meds. However, if you are traveling over borders, you might need to be careful about regulations in other countries, especially controlled substances, like for me, Adderall. I did bring my Adderall bottle with me just in case. It doesn't take up that much space, and it's super light because it's only got a few extra pills in it at this point. Double check to see what things might need to be in their original prescription containers. Do also keep some of your normal, familiar routines. Travel is exciting and it's so much fun, but our ADHD brains, they often like some structure. My morning routine includes early morning coffee with fiber and playing some games like Wordle on my phone. And so I do that every morning. Luckily, when I was staying with my friend, she lives alone and uh she's used to doing similar things in the morning. I was up earlier than her, so I'd make the coffee. By the time she came out of her bedroom, uh the two of us talked a little bit, but also did our morning things. And then on the days that she was doing something with me, off we went. And on the days when she wasn't, she had to go to work. I finished up and went on my own way. Try to eat at roughly normal times. And although you certainly may splurge, do think about making sure you eat some healthy stuff too. Maintain a few of those familiar anchors throughout your day. They can help you stay regulated when everything else is changing. Now, this is a big one for those of us with ADHD. Make sure you build buffer time into your travel arrangements. This is probably one of the most ADHD-friendly travel tips I can give you. Give yourself more time than you think you need for airports, trains, finding the right gate, getting lost, getting on a bus, going the wrong direction. Done that once already on this trip. Figuring out public transportation, especially if you don't take it normally at home. ADHD brain sir. We can be really optimistic about how long things take. Literally, I did get on a bus going the wrong way when I was going back to my friend's house. She lives in Queens. And honestly, some of it was I forgot to bring my charger cord with me, and my phone was out of juice. Now, I turned around, I figured it out, I memorized what I needed, I was fine. But, you know, those things take time. Luckily, I was just going to her house. I'd rather sit at the airport a little early, read my book, watch some videos on my phone, whatever it takes, than miss a flight, miss something important. But do take the time to learn local transportation. Can save you huge amounts of money. And in cities like New York, you're better off taking a bus and a subway than just cabs everywhere. Although sometimes it's nice to splurge. Taking a minute to learn about the local system before your trip can make travel much less stressful and much more affordable. All these things are look-upable these days. Look-upable. Is that really a word? Now, let's take a minute and talk about safety. As somebody who is traveling alone, make sure that you're thinking about where you're at, what you're doing, and have some things to stay safe. I've been pretty lucky that I've really not been ripped off, but I'm I'm really careful to not just look like a tourist all the time and do some things that make travel safer. I personally use a travel on bag. Here's my bag. This actually is my everyday purse. I like it so much. It has a really long strap and it's really easily adjustable, which is great for somebody, especially as a woman who's a bit on the bigger side. This is still comfortable for me. It literally is not hard to wear. It's got pockets in the front, it's got pockets for water bottles, but sometimes I also stick like eyeglass cleaners and things like that in there. A pocket in the front. And if you look, there are hooks for all of these. So that if I'm in a place where I feel like things could be a little bit squinchier, I can just that easily lock it. Now, can somebody undo the log? Yes. But it takes them a minute, and they're not going to try to do something that takes time if they can avoid it. They're going to go for the easy mark. You cannot cut into these bags, you can't snip the straps. Um, and it's lightweight, it's not heavy at all. So I'm gonna put put a link to this. I get these on Amazon. This is my third bag like this, um, and I've been using them for well over 10 years. So they last quite a while. Like anything, they do wear out eventually, they're not super expensive. High recommend. Another thing to make sure that you have is air tags. Air tags are a great way to keep track of things, and especially for lost luggage. So if I open up my bag, I have one in my bag, one in my purse. By the way, it lives there all the time. And I just changed the batteries in them before I left because I've had my air tags for a while. I have one in my luggage, I have one in my messenger bag because I'm gonna I'm on a working trip. I have my computer with me, obviously. And um, so I have one in my messenger bag, and then personally, I actually have one in my car, which I don't need this trip, but I leave it there because why not? If anything happens to one of those four main things, four of them cost about a hundred. Not bad. One other thing about safety, pockets. Women, so many of guys, you're like, what? Purses, pockets, what are you talking about? Think about this though. Pockets are your friend, and women's clothing doesn't always come with them. Having easy access to your phone, your broom key, other essentials like that make travel easy. One last thing on safety. Do be careful about overdoing alcohol. Now, I at this point in my life am have become a non-drinker, um thanks to cancer and medications and an alcohol allergy, oddly enough. But for those of you who do, you know, on it, of course, a drink or two is fine. I'm currently in Tennessee. If I were drinking, I'd probably be testing out some of the local whiskey and all of that. It's kind of a thing here. But be careful about getting heavily intoxicated, especially if you're on your own, and especially if you're out and about. Want to have a couple of drinks before you go to bed, do it in your hotel room, doors locked, you're fine. But it can really create unnecessary risks. Just be really cautious about that. Do make sure you keep all your essentials in the same place. Your hotel key, your phone and your charger do carry a cord with you with either a plug-in charger and a USB end, because you're gonna find like I wouldn't have had the issue with my phone if I'd had my USB charger with me. I didn't have USB, I had USB-C. And um, if I'd had USB, I could have plugged it into the back of the seat because there were plugs. There's plugs in a lot of places now. Make sure you've got your driver's license or your passport if you need it. Always put those things in the same pocket, the same purse, the same bag. When I walk into my hotel room, my hotel key always goes in a pretty obvious place. That way you know where it is all the time. Travel has enough novelty. I don't need to play worded up at my hotel key. Now, here's a thought. Think about using delivery services when you need them. Yesterday I realized I was running low on my daily fiber supplement. I didn't really bring enough. I usually don't use a portable version. I had some extra, but it's not enough. But when I got here to Nashville, I also realized I they put me in a suite. It's really cool. Um and I was like, wow, I even have kitchen space and I have um I have a refrigerator. I could cook here if I want to. There's like enough stuff to do that. I'm not gonna cook. But I realized, let me just go ahead and stock up on a handful of things so that I have them. And so I went ahead and just did a grocery order and had it delivered right here to the hotel because there's nothing really handy. And so now I have some drinks, some extra power bars because I'd finished off what I had, some fruit, a simple dinner that I had last night, and I still have some leftovers, so I've got it easy to keep around. Protein bars are great travel companions. Fruit, too. Carry some of that with you if you can, because man, travel days don't always go according to schedule. Having a quick snack available really helps. I'm actually going to show you the kind I really like. There's several brands out there that I enjoy, but this is one of my favorites. Kind breakfast bars. Um, and they come in lots of really cool flavors. There are two of them in each bar and in each little back. Got a decent amount of protein. They also have a lot of fiber, and so it's a great, easy snack, and they're not heavy, which is another thing that's nice. So, one thing to think about. Do be flexible. In fact, that's why I'm recording this this morning. It's raining pretty heavily this morning. My original plan was to go to a historic site, those of you who know Nashville, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage. I'm a big presidential history person. And that's a lot of outdoor walking and a lot of outdoor sightseeing. And obviously, this morning, that was not a good choice. And frankly, I don't think I'm going to want to do it at all today because it's going to be wet out there even when the rain drops off. So I changed the plan. Today, after I do this, I'm going to do something a little closer here, and I'll do the hermitage tomorrow because uh it's a 4% chance of rain tomorrow. So much better chance that I'll enjoy walking around the grounds. But do take a day off if you need. Especially if you're going to be on a longer trip. If you're going for a couple of days, it's probably not a big deal. But I'm on a two-week trip here. I also bring work with me. And sometimes I just need to chill and relax. It's also the great day to do laundry. I know there are museums to see and sites to visit and restaurants to try and a million things in your itinerary. But one of the best lessons I've learned is you don't have to be on every minute. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a day. Trips should also be relaxing. Sleep in, read a book, watch a movie. Sit in a coffee shop and people watch. Take a long bath or take some time to swim in the pool. Somebody with ADHD, it's easy to get excited and over-schedule. And we think, well, I'm here, so I need to do everything. But if you're constantly rushing from one attraction to another, travel starts to feel more like work. And on this trip, I've had a few slow times, like this morning. I slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, putzed around a little bit on some stuff, and then I'm recording this before I ever head out. After this, quick edit, and I'm going to lunch. And then probably the country music museum. Reminder, you're not getting graded on this. If a slower day helps you enjoy the rest of your trip, then it's not wasted. It's just part of the trip. Here's a weird trick I learned from my sister. Pack older t-shirts, pajamas, underwear. Things that are kind of getting on the edge of done. Wear them one last time and then throw them away. Because this frees up space in your suitcase. And now you've got some room for souvenirs and gifts you plan to pick up along the way. Speaking of souvenirs and things like that, personally, I like to collect something small. If you collect are a collector and you have something that's bigger and heavier, consider shipping at home, especially if you're here within the States. I collect magnets and earrings. They're lightweight, they're inexpensive, they're easy to pack. And I uh have all my magnets arranged on, believe it, at this point, five magnetic boards that go up and down a staircase in my house. Doesn't add a lot of weight, and it's a great way for me to remember my trips. Now, here's a controversial one, especially for you introverts out there. Do talk to people. So you don't have to do it every time. This morning, I was really foggy waking up from a really nice, heavy, long sleep that I needed. And so, you know, I sat by myself a breakfast in a place where I wasn't going to get a lot of interruptions. But talking to people can lead to some of the best experiences. I've had two hotel upgrades on this trip just because I was friendly with the person checking me in. I also, I'm I'm sure this never happens. A taxi driver in New York City gave me a free ride to my hotel just because I was sitting waiting for a bus. He pulled up, do you need a cab? And I was like, nah, I'm feeling cheap. I'm just gonna take the bus. And he's like, come on, I'll just you go in far. And it was like, no, it's not that far at all. I was just saving my feet. And he's like, Come on, I'll give you a ride. If I get a paying fare, I'll have to kick you out. And I went, fair. We had a nice little chat. It was really friendly. Seriously, free ride. But here's probably my favorite one. That same night, I went to see a concert at Carnegie Hall. High recommend, by the way. Um, I met a young man who worked there as I was standing outside before the concert. And he invited me to come find him at Intermission. And he let me into a members-only lounge where they had free snacks, cash bar, but free snacks, coffee, water for free. Um, because I mentioned that I was here in the city on my own. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't just naturally struck up a conversation. I didn't ask, he offered. People often really want to be nice. Use your common sense, of course. But don't underestimate the kindness of strangers. Now, by the way, I want to point out the earrings that I'm wearing right now. For those of you who are on YouTube, you can see them. They are black bicycles and they're large. These are the earrings I wear when I want somebody to be able to strike up a conversation with me because they're really eye-catching. And people are like, oh, cool earrings. They think I'm a bike rider. And I'm like, oh, this is the bicycle of the wicked witch of the West. I got these at an Oz museum in Kansas. By the way, if you're ever in Kansas, go to the Oz Museum. It's very cool. And I wear these earrings when I want to open up a conversation. One last one for today. Do give yourself permission to change your mind. You don't have to finish every museum. You don't have to stay for an entire event. You don't have to visit every attraction on your list. I don't know about you, but when I decide I'm going somewhere, I make a big list and then I just pick and choose when I'm there. By the way, when you make your list, do mark the days when um attractions are closed so that you don't arrive to something on a day and only find out that it's not a day when it's open. But if you're someplace and you realize you're tired, you're hungry, you're overstimulated, or you're just not interested. Or you get a chance to do something that you never thought about, that's fine. Go do that instead. Make the vacation fun for you. If you're not having fun, do something else. So, my final thought here solo travel isn't about doing everything perfectly, it's about making your life easier and having fun on your vacation. Pack lighter, stay flexible, take care of yourself, talk to people when it feels right. And it doesn't have to look at what anybody else does. Create a trip that works for you. And sometimes that means changing your plans because it's raining outside, and you decide you will record your podcast episode instead. Thanks so much for coming. Please do rate, comment, and review if you can. I'm also going to put links down below to the things that I've mentioned and a couple other things that I don't think I did. Thank you so much for coming.