Are you an introvert interested in traveling? Good news—so am I! I love to travel and explore and experience all the world has to offer. Just because we’re introverts doesn’t mean we’re immune from the travel bug! But that being said, much of the typical travel advice is geared toward more extroverted personalities…which can leave us introverts feeling exhausted when we try to follow it.
So if you are an introvert and want to travel without ending up emotionally exhausted, then this is the introvert travel guide for you! Here you’ll find information on what you should think about while planning and booking your travel, plus ten helpful tips for traveling as an introvert. So if you’re ready for an introvert-friendly adventure, read on to learn how to make sure you have an amazing trip!
Traveling as an Introvert
The first thing to know about traveling as an introvert is that just because we’re all introverts doesn’t mean we can all be lumped into one group. We all have our own preferences on destinations, travel styles, how much time we like to spend with others, what we like to do on our vacations, etc.
For instance, I traveled with a fellow introvert to Kenya and she was excited to spend practically all her time reading on the beach at Diani Beach…while I would personally go insane if that’s how I spent my vacation. I love to read, but when I’m traveling I also want to get out and explore all the exciting things to see and do in the area.
If you’re an introvert, it can be helpful to first determine how you want to travel before you book a trip. Here are a couple of popular types of travel, plus my own personal opinion on whether they’re good for introverts or not.
Solo Travel
Traveling alone is an increasingly popular choice, and it’s a good option for people who like to set their own schedules or for those who don’t have others willing to travel with them. Solo travel can also be a good choice for introverts as it allows you to take a break and recharge whenever you need instead of feeling trapped in a schedule or feeling guilty for holding others back when you need a break.
In my solo travels, I’ve found that after a time I start to miss talking with people (especially when in a country where English isn’t the native language) and I also miss having someone to share in the excitement of seeing and experiencing new things. For us introverts, it’s not always as easy just to strike up a conversation with a stranger so solo travel can get a bit lonely.
But in cases like these, I like to join tours for things I’m interested in, including sightseeing, food, etc. in the area. This allows for some human interaction with a time limit of whenever the tour ends, and you may even make a friend or two along the way! GetYourGuide and Viator are both excellent places to find tours you may be interested in for anywhere in the world.
Group Travel
Group travel is another popular choice, where you join a tour with a travel company and have your whole travel schedule laid out for you. Some popular companies who run these types of tours include Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, and Contiki.
The problem with group travel for introverts is that you’ll be on a trip with a group of strangers. If you’re the type of introvert who will feel compelled to socialize even when you don’t want to, then group travel like this may not be for you. However, if you think solo travel will be too lonely then this can be a good option if you are able to socialize only when you want to.
I usually prefer to travel independently (booking all my own travel arrangements) as this allows me more flexibility on where I go and how long I stay in each place…plus more flexibility on how much interaction time I have with strangers. However, group travel does have the advantage of an itinerary already set plus accommodations and everything else already booked, which can be very nice and can save a lot of time when you’re booking your vacation!
Travel With Friends or Family
Traveling with friends or family is my personal preferred method of travel, as you have a group of people you already know (and hopefully love) to experience new places with.
That isn’t to say that this method of traveling is the best for all introverts, or even that this type of travel is always perfect…but it does allow you to choose your travel companions. This means you can choose like-minded introverts to travel with, if you would like, so together you can go on an adventure with a healthy dose of introvert downtime.
10 Introvert Travel Tips to Help You Enjoy Your Next Trip
1. Build in Time for Rest in Your Travel Schedule
The key to an enjoyable trip for introverts starts long before you hop on the flight taking you to your vacation. In fact, it starts all the way back in the planning stage when you start to figure out your schedule for your trip!
It can be so tempting to try to cram in everything you want to see, especially if you only have a short time to spend in a place. But this quickly leads to introvert fatigue. You may be able to get through a few days of non-stop sightseeing, but after that you will be burnt out (and lets be real, probably a bit grouchy) and the rest of your trip will suffer.
If you give yourself permission to rest and purposefully build in some downtime to your vacation schedule, you’ll be a lot happier in the end. I promise.
2. Chose Accommodation Wisely
Next to scheduling in some downtime, choosing your accommodation wisely is perhaps the most important decision you’ll make for your vacation. Having a comfortable place to rest and recharge before your next sightseeing day is super important!
If I had all the money in the world to spend, I’d nearly always stay in hotels. I find this to be one of the nicest accommodation options as you have your own room and space to relax. Hotel rooms, of course, come in a wide range of prices so it’s likely you can find one to suit your budget (especially if you share the cost with friends or family you are traveling with). Booking.com is a good place to start your search for a nice hotel!
My next favorite choice is to book an Airbnb. This option is nice for introvert travelers as you can either book a whole house/apartment or you can book a room in an occupied house. With host and house reviews available, you can easily see what your guest experience will likely be and whether the place is a good fit for you. While an apartment/house to myself is usually my preference, booking just a room can also be good if you want a little bit of interaction with someone local (especially when you’re traveling solo). If you haven’t used Airbnb before, you can sign up here to get $40 off your first booking (and I’ll get a small credit for my next booking as well).
Hostels and couchsurfing are other accommodation ideas, especially for those who are traveling on a budget. Personally, as an introvert, these are my least favorite accommodation options as both put you in possibly near-constant interactions with strangers once you’re back from sightseeing. And even if you’re not talking or hanging out with others at hostels, it’s likely that those around you will be talking or making noise even throughout the night. If you need to keep your accommodation costs low or if you’re interested in having some possibly built-in travel companions then these types of accommodation can be good, but otherwise I would try to steer clear in general as an introvert.
3. Communicate With Your Travel Partners
If you’re traveling with friends or family, communication is key to make sure you don’t end up exhausted. It’s important to tell friends up front that you may need some downtime or alone time, and that it isn’t anything about them that’s made you upset…just that you need to recharge and to do that you need quiet space.
If you communicate this up front and before you travel, your travel companions are less likely to get hurt or upset when you need some introvert time.
4. Say No to Some Things
When traveling with friends or family (or meeting up with people you’ve met on the road), it’s also important to be able to say no to things you don’t have the energy for or don’t want to do.
Especially if you’re traveling with extroverts, they may wish to do more things (or more high-energy) things than you want to, and there’s absolutely no shame in saying you’d rather not do something.
If you’ve communicated up front that you’ll need a little downtime from time to time, it makes it a lot easier to say no to something when you need a break. But make sure you communicate that you’re happy for them to go off and do the activity on their own if there’s something you don’t want to do, so that both you and your traveling companions feel happy with the trip.
Even our favorite friends can be hard to be around when traveling together constantly, so saying no to going out or doing activities together can actually be a way to preserve your friendship rather than becoming frustrated because you’re always doing everything together!
5. Bring Your Routines With You
Have a hobby? Have a morning ritual? Bring it with you. Traveling doesn’t have to mean you disconnect from your “real life” back home. If you like to wake up and read first thing in the morning, do that. If you like to wake up and journal, do that. If you like to wake up and go for a run, do that. Whatever your routine is, you’ll feel better if you keep it up even while traveling.
6. Go Where the Tourists AREN’T
Ok, so I love traveling to big cities and of course I love seeing the most popular sights in these cities. But you know what I don’t love? Huge crowds of tourists. Especially huge groups of tourists on large group tours who crowd around you and talk noisily and don’t leave well enough alone.
So I sound like a bit of a curmudgeon (perhaps I am at heart). But my point is that as introverts, spending all day in crowded tourist places can get a bit on our nerves. If you feel unhappy with the levels of crowds and noise on your trip, then it might be time to consider exploring outside of the tourist zones.
This could mean going to quieter parts of the city, quieter restaurants, nice parks, etc. Or it could even mean getting out of the city and seeing some outdoor spaces, going on a hike, or visiting a national park. Whatever it means to you, going somewhere with less tourists and more “normal” life happening can be a good way to experience more of wherever you are while regaining your sense of sanity.
7. Pack Noise-Canceling Headphones
Noise-canceling headphones are God’s gift to introverts. No joke.
I find that having a pair of noise-canceling headphones with me is especially nice for long travel days on airplanes or buses. Since you can’t very well just get up and leave when a baby is screaming or your seatmates are talking too loudly or any number of other noisy scenarios are occurring, it’s nice to have your own escape to peace and quiet on hand in the form of noise-canceling headphones.
They are also nice if you decide to stay in a hostel, or simply to use whenever you need a brief break and want to think, read, sleep, listen to music or otherwise recharge.
These Bose QuietComfort headphones are my favorite as they are comfortable to wear and also are stellar at blocking out all that unwanted noise that too easily drains introverts. They’re a bit expensive, but honestly will become your new favorite travel item to have on hand!
Buy the Bose QuietComfort headphones now!
8. Bring Your Favorite Entertainment (And Use It!)
Bringing entertainment you love is an excellent way to spend your downtime on vacation. If you love to read, make sure you bring a good book or two or three (or maybe just bring a Kindle so you don’t have to lug them all around). Love watching movies and TV shows? If you have a subscription to Netflix or Amazon Prime, you can bring your favorites with you to watch in your hotel room!
Whatever your hobbies or usual downtime activities are, make sure to bring them along with you. And don’t feel guilty for reading, watching movies, etc. on vacation! We all need downtime sometimes, and it’s better to spend an evening binge-watching Netflix than pushing through with your vacation plans and feeling miserable for the rest of your vacation because you didn’t let yourself recharge.
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9. Download Useful Travel Apps
While you’re traveling, it’s helpful to have some useful travel apps downloaded to your phone. For instance, Google Maps is my favorite travel navigation app. It’s nice to know you can find your way around easily…and without having to talk to strangers to ask for directions. If you’re going abroad and won’t have cell service, you can even save maps offline so you can use this app without an internet connection.
TripAdvisor is another wonderful app to have on hand for planning your trip, but also for looking up restaurant and other recommendations on-the-go. While this app is great for everyone, it’s invaluable for introverts who like to make a plan (and prefer to look everything up online instead of having to *shudder* talk to someone in person or *shudder* make a phone call to get the information they need).
Other apps you might want to consider include food delivery apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats (depending on where you are traveling). For nights you need to recharge and just read a book or watch Netflix in your hotel room, it can be nice to not have to go out and order food or sit down to have a meal somewhere.
10. Try Something New or Out of Your Comfort Zone
Ok, so we’re introverts and we like our comfort zones right where they are thank-you-very-much. But when you’re traveling, part of what makes it so special and memorable is getting a little bit outside of our comfort zones and trying something new. Some of the best experiences of your life might come from trying something you never would at home…and who knows, you might even find that you like whatever new thing you try!
Whether it’s learning something new like how to cook while in Italy, trying something adrenaline-inducing like skydiving or zip lining, or even simply trying a new food, pushing your comfort zone occasionally on your trip can help you discover more about yourself and about the world we live in. Whatever you choose, it’s sure to be an exciting time!
Save for Later
Introverts unite! Well . . . not exactly. But I could so identify with what you wrote. I am traveling internationally for the first time in a few months with two of my adult sons so they are well aware of my extreme introversion and will give me my space. However, even though we will be in Europe for 3 weeks we still probably would have tried to cram in as much as possible and I wouldn’t have thought to plan in some down time for me. Thanks for the reminders to take care of myself, I am sure I will have a much better experience because of your tips.
Yes! As they say, introverts unite…separately in our own homes 🙂 It’s great to hear you’ll be traveling with family who understand your need for some space and time of your own while traveling. I hope you have a wonderful Europe vacation!