Recently my family and I traveled to Italy, Germany and Luxembourg. This trip was my husband and my first time to holiday with our son and his family.
I often hear about how traveling with friends and family is not all that good for the more introverted. That was not my finding at all.
We had a magnificent family vacation, and I have to believe it would be the same wherever we might do so again.
How to Make #Introvert Traveling the Best Experience
- Preparing: packing minimally and more introvert essentials
While my husband is more extroverted, he’s more obsessed about organizing when it comes to traveling, even more of a planner. Years ago when we traveled the country with our classic car, he created a “travel checklist” for us. We would forget to pack certain items and not always the same ones. He updated that list for our recent trip.
In preparing for the most recent trip, we started months ahead with finding out the electrical socket requirements, driving license differences and whatever might be different between our USA live and visiting Europe.
In addition to traveling these days, there is the added concern of getting past security with the least amount of hassle. We were ready for the latest restricted items and how much we would be able to take onboard.
In our evaluation, it’s better just to pack light. We have the same thinking about wearing outer clothing two to three times during a 2-week stay: you’ll never see these people again.
Top preparation tip: If you pack something like a Kindle reader, invest in a portable battery charger. You want to be prepared should there not be a charging outlet of any kind. While we love books, keep them to a minimum number.
- Getting there: Airports and Airlines
Airports and airlines are like a black hole for our energy. I would guess for anyone traveling today! As in space, and in airports, it’s so intensely packed that nothing, no one, escapes. As humans in an airport though, we can exit when our flight is ready to take off.
Maybe you aren’t more introverted yet you can relate to feeling like you cannot escape?
When traveling, innies, in particular, must prepare for check-in. Our preference is normally to do this online, however, when going out of a country, it can be a little trickier so, there is always the self-check-in kiosks.
No lines. Just a few people, and if you are not checking bags, you can go right to check-in. If you are checking bags then getting to check-in earlier than might be suggested is how to avoid the crowd.
Top airport tip: Consider booking a night at a hotel close to the airport, particularly helpful if early or out of a country flight. They usually have a park and ride option, and you’ll make it easy on yourself with an early start.
- Solo or with family and friends: the sun sets on solitude
My family has a fairly even number of more introverted and more extroverted. Socializing wants and needs can be a challenge although in my experience, not so when on holiday.
There were six of us, including our two granddaughters. We all wanted to go at full speed during the day, visiting historic villages, taking guided tours and enjoying gelato – for our granddaughters it was gelato every day.
Now I get that some of us might wonder, how to fit in solo time in when traveling with others?
As suggested in many of my business posts about networking and family visitors, stopping when you can is a must. One benefit of traveling with children is they want to take a rest, so you can as well.
Even the smallest towns have little shops or places of interest. Our first evening we ventured out with no reservations for dinner. The owner told us to come back in 30 minutes and then maybe we could get seated.
The town was small enough that we divided up – son went his way to get some pictures of interesting doorways and entrances. Husband sat at a small outside bar. I went but stayed back in the walk, with the granddaughters who were peeking in every window of every store. They lead the way, and I was able to add to any conversation starting with, “Did you see this grandma?” because I just followed them. I can be a quiet follower when needed. And recharge in the process.
Top family travel tip: Involve everyone. We had dozens of emails in the planning. We had a Skype call to finalize arrangements to minimize expecting the unexpected. Just remember, there is always the unexpected.
- Maximize your evenings:
After a day’s events and then dining together, each of us are ready to lounge around at the Villa as each of us might want. The two girls seem hooked on those darn iPads, but they also enjoyed following a Villa cat around, making it a game trying to get close enough to pet it. Never happened.
My son and daughter-in-law would take a walk together, and why not? Grandma and grandpa are around for the girls.
Since the day is usually a full schedule, it’s lights out at just about the same time for everyone.
Aaahhh. Peace at last.
[Tweet “Evening travel tip: When the sun goes down, solitude is up for everyone, introvert or extrovert.”]
These are some of my initial thoughts about How to Make #Introvert Traveling the Best Experience.
How do you maintain your energy when traveling?
It sounds like a lovely trip.
I don’t have kids in tow when I’m traveling, so I like to take a few coffee/pastry stops throughout the day.
Thea a few stops like that sounds perfect. Like you are recharging along the way and not waiting until you’re exhausted. Indeed a perfect introvert travel plan idea.
To maintain my energy when vacationing, i try to remember this is a vacation darn it, I don’t have to schedule every moment. I can spend some time just relaxing and winding down and the whole vacation won’t be ruined. In fact it just might get even better. 🙂
Susan this made me smile: I’m on vacation darn it! That could be a wonderful mantra to carry with us on any holiday. It will bring to mind – relax, wind down, lovely vacation. Thanks.
Patricia — many years ago when I was single I planned my first trip alone to Europe visiting several cities and meeting up with friends. Someone recommended the book “The Intelligent Woman Traveller,” for tips. I remember so well the author writing that you should plan down time. When you’re home you take an evening to wash your hair and relax so do the same thing when travelling and don’t overschedule yourself. I also learned from her “divide and conquer,” that is, separate your travel items into separate bags/containers so that you can find them easily in your suitcase. It’s advice I follow to this day.
Sounds like a valuable book Jeannette. Love the comparison of down time on a vacation to taking an evening to wash your hair! Puts it in perspective for sure. Thanks for the book recommendation.
Good suggestions for travelling, Patricia.
Was personally for a long time a frequent flier. Am hence experienced in packing and getting everything to work, for instance, like you describe here.
And when something unforeseen happens sometimes you have to go to the extreme of shouting at people in the airport and demand to see their superior. That, awful as it is, usually works when a bureaucrat complicates something. Once forgot my passport when I was taking a domestic flight in Saudi Arabia. But shouting at the guy at the airport enabled me to travel on my European Union ID card. Would not have been able to get on the flight otherwise. Also managed to travel back to Riyadh by doing the same thing.
How horrifying Catarina! I can’t say how I would have reacted. But hey, if shouting or demanding to see a superior to set your travel plans back on track works, then hooray. Thanks.
I’m a heavy vacation planner and maximize most every day, but when the trip is long enough, I also purposely schedule downtime because I know I will need to recharge with some quiet alone time. It make the “busy” times much more enjoyable. One packing trip I used on my two weeks in Greece and Turkey was to take all old socks, bras, and underwear with me. I threw them away as I went and opened up more space in my suitcase for taking new things home.
Gosh Jeri I usually reply quicker than this and apologize for missing this somehow.
I love – taking old socks, bras and underwear -so to toss as you go! This Europe trip I added old washcloths because they seem to always be in short supply in Europe.
I confess, I don’t enjoy traveling much – too much planning, and too little home comforts. I do have to plan one big trip for next year that I am going on with my daughter. Passports are done, and I notified two sets of relatives that we might show up at their doorsteps. I have to figure out flights (yuck) and how to keep my daughter entertained. But one of the purposes is visiting my son who will be away for a year, so I will be thrilled to see him, I’m sure.
Talk about traveling with extroverts – when I traveled with my brother recently, he met everybody left and right. It was a bit amusing.
So funny about your brother Leora! My husband is quite the same way. I just remind him if we’re in the airport, “We’re going to miss our flight!” But the more extroverted just can’t help themselves.
Like you. I think that heavy planning in advance is key to my having a good time! All of these are such excellent tips! The hardest trip I had was with an extreme extrovert. There wasn’t one bar or restaurant that we visited where he didn’t invite them to join us at our table or worse…come back to our (2) bedroom suite. For me, it was a complete nightmare. That was one case where my advance planning somehow failed in that I didnt research my travel companion too thoroughly!!!
Oh Jacquline – have you traveled with my extrovert husband? This is exactly why I made clear to him years ago it was fine for him to head to a happy hour without me. Just don’t bring anyone back to the room with you! Too funny.
Sounds like a fabulous time Pat, and what a lot of great tips. I particularly like the battery charger for a kindle. I always read a lot on vacation. And alone time while being in a group is super important. Loved the quote. Thank you:-)
A.K. that charger works for so many of our technology gadgets. It was a life saver for me. Funny quick story – the first time I took it with us was for a 2 hour ride where we were depending on our 2 cell phones for a GPS. Thank GOODNESS my husband had a car charger because I forget the cable to go from the iPhone to the charger – DUH! Never again. Thanks.
I love this. When my father passed, his wish was that my brother’s and my families would go on vacation together with our mom. We did it to honor him. It was wonderful. My husband, kids and I would go off on walks and do things ourselves and return for meals with the family. It worked great.
Sabrina what a wonderful gift of honoring your father. Traveling with TWO families as you describe will encourage this as a last honoring.