A Nervous System Guide to Holiday Travel

Dec 15 / Jenn Wooten
Airports. Delays. Crowded terminals. Tight timelines. Long car rides. Packed schedules. Weird beds. Interrupted sleep. Families of origin (lol).

I love love love to travel. But I know that even when travel is meaningful or joyful, it places a high load on our nervous system.

When we are navigating unfamiliar environments, social demand, time pressure, and sensory overload, often without our usual routines or recovery space, we do not always arrive to the party as our best selves.

Why Travel Is So Dysregulating

Travel removes the very conditions our nervous system relies on to stay regulated: predictability, rhythm, and rest between effort. We are navigating unfamiliar environments, tight timelines, crowds, noise, disrupted sleep, and constant decision-making, often without the usual cues of safety or recovery. 

Even when travel is joyful, the sustained stimulation keeps the nervous system in a heightened state, making steadiness harder to maintain without intentional downshifting.

Nervous System Wisdom for the Road

You do not need a perfect routine while traveling.

You need small moments of slowness, quiet, and regulation layered throughout the day.

The practices below are designed to be subtle, portable, and supportive in real travel conditions.

The Butterfly Hold

Cross your arms over your chest and gently alternate tapping your shoulders at a slow, even pace.

This rhythmic bilateral input supports regulation and containment, especially during long waits, delays, or crowded spaces.

Use this when you feel overstimulated or braced.

Seated Twist with Peripheral Vision

While seated, slowly rotate your torso and head to one side. Let your eyes softly take in the space around you without focusing on details.

Peripheral vision helps the nervous system orient to the present environment and reduces threat scanning.

Pause, breathe, and return to center before switching sides.

Three Part Exhale

This simple breath practice supports the parasympathetic nervous system, supports a feeling of internal confidence and helps counter prolonged sympathetic activation from travel stress.

It is especially helpful when we are trying to slow down from overstimulation and overwhelm.

How to Use These Tools While Traveling

Think in terms of dosing, not fixing.
  • Before boarding
  • After arrival
  • Between social events
  • When you notice tension building
  • Before sleep
Even 30 to 60 seconds can shift your baseline.

Regulation is cumulative. Take the pause to center your nervous system and watch how the way you move through the world begins to shift.

Steadiness is a Practice You Can Take on the Road

Steadiness comes from learning how to interrupt activation and restore balance again and again, even while you’re on the road. 

Steady Inside: Nervous System Skills for Life has sixteen short movement practices designed to get you moving from a chair or a yoga mat, and inside your own breath. 

Inside the program, you will learn to:
  • Recognize early signs of nervous system overload
  • Downshift without forcing relaxation
  • Support recovery between periods of demand
  • Build steadiness that carries through busy seasons
We are offering it for 25% off with the code STEADY25 (now through Dec 31, 2025.)