Travel is supposed to feel exciting, freeing, and inspiring. But when every day is packed with activities, transportation logistics, and constant photo-taking, it can quickly become exhausting. Many travelers return home from a trip feeling like they need another vacation just to recover. Here are some ways I travel without burning out.

• Planning & pace
• Physical & mental wellness on the road
• Digital & social boundaries
• Budget & logistics stress

Planning & pace

Plan less, experience more

One of my main travel goals used to be to “See it all.” This is also one of the main reasons why I would burn out while traveling. I learned through trail and error, that I don’t need to “See it all” in order to have a great trip, and that completely changed my technique when creating my itineraries. I also learned how beneficial it is to leave time for spontaneity.

Add rest days to the itinerary

Adding rest days to your itinerary gives you time to reset. It also allows your to continue enjoying your trip without burning out. When I’m planning my itineraries, I always add a rest day after a day or two of adventures.

Rest days don’t just make your trip more enjoyable, they also support your health and safety. When you’re in a new destination, especially traveling solo, exhaustion can lead to mixed-up plans, missed alarms, and poor decision-making. When you’re overly tired, you’re also less likely to be a good judge of character and may unintentionally make yourself more vulnerable.

Choose fewer destinations, stay longer

I personally would love to be able to travel for two weeks and travel to six destinations. Even though it can happen, it all depends on what you want to gain from visiting those destinations. If your goal is to rush through all six of the destinations, you can do it, but you’re also guaranteed to feel burned out. By hopping to destination to destination frequently, it’s hard to schedule a rest day because you’re always on the move.

If you’re goal is to explore each destination, be able to immerse yourself, and/or be able to do it at a slower pace, then two or three destinations will be better. I traveled to Ireland, The United Kingdom (England and Scotland), and France during a two and half week trip. It was great because I was able to enjoy each destination.

The only thing I would change is my stay in Edinburgh, where I only stayed a few hours. I ended up missing my bus from Inverness to Edinburgh, and had to catch a later bus, which tore into my time to explore Edinburgh. I had to rush through the city in order to do the things I had on my itinerary. Needless to say, I was exhausted on the train leaving Edinburgh. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve stayed in Edinburgh for a couple of days, instead of a few hours.

Physical & mental wellness on the road

Protect my sleep like it’s sacred

An important thing I learned while traveling is making sure to get enough sleep. It’s hard to fully enjoy traveling, while you’re exhausted and sleepless. That’s why adding rest days are super important, as well as planning some sleep time during busy days, even if it’s just a nap.

Eat in a way that supports my energy

Being vegan and constantly traveling, I have to make sure I’m eating enough and getting the nutrients I need, in order to make it through each destination. I’m an adventurous person, so most of my days… when I’m not resting, consists of hiking, climbing, driving, and more. Knowing that I will be very active, I always try to plan my meals out ahead of time.

How to mentally “clock out” while traveling

There are several ways you can mentally “clock out” while traveling. Such as setting creator hours, where within that time frame you go through the content you’ve taken so far, edit, and even schedule posts. This could also be the time where you check analytics, and respond to messages and comments. By doing this your allocating time for “work” and then the rest of the day you don’t have to think about it.

Another way, is by picking one activity that forces you into the present. Such as going for a run, getting a massage, wandering a bookstore, journaling, or sitting in a park. One of my favorite ways is sitting in a park, and just existing.

Digital & social boundaries

Don’t post in real time

Constantly posting on social media while traveling, can be time consuming and sometimes exhausting. I’ve learned that being present, and able to enjoy my experience means more to me than posting on social media in real time. Also I’m very cautious about posting exactly where I am while traveling.

When I have spare time, usually while on a bus or train, I may create content for social media but I won’t post it until I want to. I usually end up posting the content from that destination, when I’m in another destination.

Travelers should also realize that taking social media breaks are okay, and you shouldn’t feel guilty doing it.

Don’t record everything

I completely understand how important it is to take photos and videos of different travel experiences. The amazing part of arriving home after a wonderful trip, is looking through your gallery and reliving everything you experienced. But when taking photo and videos turns into pressure and causes you to burn out, that’s when it becomes a problem.

When I travel, I absolutely love taking a lot of photos and videos. But I also enjoy the moments when I can just put my phone down and live in the morning with no distractions.

Budget & logistics stress

Burnout isn’t just physical—it’s financial too

Setting a budget while traveling is a great way to hold yourself accountable. It also helps alleviate potential financial stress. One thing I absolutely love about creating an itinerary for each destination, is that by having a plan before I travel, I have a better idea of how much everything will cost. Within my budget, I always add extra for spontaneity. One of the worse feelings is worrying about money while traveling.

Simplifying transportation decisions

A couple of ways you can simplify transportation is by clustering your activities by neighborhood and preparing transportation in advance.

By clustering your activities by neighborhood, it eliminates zig zagging across a city. This is where having an itinerary pays off. For instance, imagine taking a trip to NYC where you’re staying in a hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Yesterday you went bowling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and today you’re going back to Williamsburg for brunch with friends. To simplify it, you could’ve just went bowling before or after brunch since they’re in the same neighborhood.

While creating my itinerary, I always add the mode of transportation. For instance if I have a massage planned, and then I want to go to a holiday market. I will see how far the spa is from my hotel/Airbnb, if it’s walking distance, then I’m going to walk, if not, then I will see what’s the fastest way that I can get there. If it’s by train, I will put the location of the train station I have to go to, the train number, and the duration of time. I do this for everything. If it’s a bus, I put the location of the bus stop and the bus number, and the duration of time. If I have to take a cab, I will put if they have rideshare and what apps, if not, then cab companies in the area, and the duration of time.