Sensory-Friendly Travel Tips: Getting There with Neurodivergent Kids

Planning sensory-friendly travel for your neurodivergent family starts with understanding that travel has two distinct parts to consider.

When it comes to a conversation about “travel,” there are two things people might mean:

1. The process of actually getting there (e.g., by car, by plane, by boat…)
2. What you do when you’re on your vacation, trip, or holiday

Both parts of the process have unique considerations for sensory-friendly travel when you’re supporting a neurodivergent family.

This article is specifically about the first meaning – the process of getting there. The journey, if you will!

My family is multiply neurodivergent—all kinds of brains for all kinds of family members—and has traveled pretty extensively. We’ve lived in England, three states in the US, and Australia; we’ve also taken vacations and trips throughout England, Europe, and the US.

In all that time, here are some of the most important sensory-friendly travel strategies I’ve kept in mind about getting from point A to point B.

How to Plan Travel Time for Sensory Success

The biggest element of sensory overload when it comes to the “get from point A to point B” part of traveling is, obviously, simply the time involved in getting there.

It exacerbates every minor sensory annoyance into major overwhelm and takes every major trigger to meltdown-level extremes.

• The person for whom tiny noises add up into an auditory avalanche is going to hear a billion little noises they can’t get away from.
• The person whose brain craves visual stimulation is going to be stuck watching miles and miles of road or sky.
• The person who needs to move their body is going to be seated and buckled for hours on end.

There are two extreme ends of the axis when it comes to planning how to navigate the time involved in journeying. 

One way to do it would be to minimize breaks and try to travel for as many hours straight as possible to get there as fast and efficiently as you can.

If you have a 14-hour drive across the US, this method would look like trying to complete it in one or two days, with only the shortest, most necessary breaks for food and toilets.

Another approach would be to take tons and tons of long breaks, planning them into the journey to make the process more manageable. A 14-hour drive might be accomplished in short 2-3 hour bursts across a whole week, stopping to sightsee and explore as you go.

Then there are many in-betweens – as many as there are people!

All kinds of factors are involved: 

• How many adults vs how many children are traveling
• Whether the travel is by a transportation method that you 100% control (like a car) versus some transportation that you don’t control (like planes, trains, boats)
• Whether the purpose of the trip is “to get to a certain place” (e.g., visiting a family member who lives far away) or whether it’s more about “seeing new things and enjoying them.”
• How much time and money is available to spend on this trip

Only you would be able to figure out exactly what is right for you when it comes to planning along this “fast as possible” to “small manageable chunks” axis.

Using Sensory Breaks to Prevent Travel Meltdowns

Regardless of whether you’re traveling as fast as possible or in small, manageable chunks, there’s a pattern I like to keep in mind for helping human bodies of all ages receive proprioceptive sensory input when they need it.

Proprioceptive input comes from our muscles and joints getting to exert, impacting against something else, or getting squeezy pressure input. It’s the sensory input kids are seeking when they’re running around or “bouncing off the walls” because it’s also a hugely emotionally regulating sensory input.

Learn more about the proprioceptive system and how it works here.

The lack of proprioceptive sensory input is what makes you start to feel stir-crazy after some time in a car or plane when you’re not moving your body and are just sitting still.

The Proprioception Pattern

When it comes to getting maximum benefit from the emotional regulation of proprioceptive sensory input, there’s a pattern that usually serves as a good starting place: high-energy proprioceptive input for about fifteen minutes, plus about five minutes of a transition that goes badly, usually equals a settled, regulated body for some amount of time. 

For example, right before bedtime, we’ll roughhouse and pillow fight for fifteen minutes. Then, I’ll sit down and start singing bedtime songs or reading a book, all the while knowing in my head that this is the five-minute “bad transition”—that my kids are NOT going to seem settled for about five minutes as they continue to be silly and try to reengage me into the proprioceptive play.

Then, after that five minutes of ongoing silliness, during which I’m staying regulated and calm in my body, their bodies will begin to mirror mine.

Their heart rates and breathing pace will slow; their brains will process all that good proprioceptive input they just got. Their bodies will feel regulated and ready for the required energy level of the next thing. For bedtime, that’s a slow, low energy level. 

Travel usually puts your body under some kind of extreme—sitting still for an extreme amount of time is one obvious example. So, because of the extremes, this proprioception pattern might not work perfectly.However, it can still be a quick shorthand in your head.

Sensory Break Ideas for Rest Stops and Airports

Imagine you’re driving on a long road trip. When you stop at the rest stop for everyone to use the toilet, you could also plan to stop for 20-25 minutes.

• Spend 15 minutes of your time playing tag, roughhousing with your kids, having them run around doing a scavenger hunt (“Now find something green! Now find something pink!“), or having a dance party.
• Spend 5 minutes expecting to transition: Doing some slow stretches before getting back in the car, getting everybody resettled, handing out snacks, etc.
• Then, continue with your drive as the physiological regulation begins to set in for everybody’s bodies. 

Or imagine you’re in the airport between connecting flights. As soon as you get off the plane and into the airport, run through one proprioception pattern. And about 25 minutes before you’re scheduled to board, do another one.

Find a space in the airport where you can jump up and down, run a little in a big open space, or ride the moving sidewalk without bothering anybody (my kids love those). Pulling heavy suitcases is also good proprioceptive sensory input! 

You could even try this 7-minute animal-themed HIIT workout!

Also, keep in mind that whenever you get to the hotel or friend’s house or wherever you’re staying at the end of your journey, your kid is going to want a lot of proprioceptive sensory input – this is where “bouncing off the walls” kicks in.

You can get loads of high-intensity proprioception in a hotel by swimming, taking a bath or shower, rolling around on the bed (of course, be safe), rolling up in the duvet or comforter from the bed, engaging in a pillow fight, and other forms of roughhousing.

If you’re finding that your kids get into the hotel and immediately seem to have wild, out-of-control bodies, remember that they’re looking for proprioception!

Help direct that, rather than shutting it down. 

Adjusting Sensory Input During Travel

Pretty much everybody who’s journeying somewhere wishes that they could move their body a little more freely than to be buckled into a seat for hours and hours, but what about the other senses?

Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch are also all along for the ride, so to speak. Traveling means encountering new and unfamiliar sensations. It means that the ones you’re familiar with, that feel soothing to you, might be absent. It might make you crave certain ones or try to avoid new and overwhelming ones.

What I’m describing is a handy tool for figuring out what sensory need somebody might have. It works in many situations, not just travel.

Ask yourself: Does their behavior tell me (or maybe they can tell me with their words) that they need more of any particular sense or less of any particular sense? 

Do they need more to look at or less to visually overwhelm them?

Maybe their eyes have grown tired of looking at the book or even at the tablet or phone that they have available to play with. Is there something that feels like a different visual sensation that they could look at? Playing I Spy or the alphabet game gives your eyes a very different sensory feeling from staring at a static object in your hands or lap.

This isn’t because one is good for trips and the other is bad – it’s that at different points, your visual sensory systems may crave something different.

Do they need more to listen to or less to auditorily overwhelm them?

Maybe their ears are bored, and that’s why they’re making little noises to themselves (which are, incidentally, driving everybody else out of their minds…my “sensory mismatch” principles might also come in handy here!)

Or, maybe their ears are overwhelmed. The airport is full of noises, or the road has a loud hum, and they might need quiet! 

You can continue to do this more or less questioning with all the senses. More to taste or less of an overwhelming taste? More to smell or less of an overwhelming smell? More to touch or less of an overwhelming touch?

Sensory Travel Essentials

Pack a variety of sensory tools to meet different needs throughout your journey:

• Familiar snacks – Crunchy, chewy, or favorite comfort foods
• Comfort items – Beloved stuffed animals, blankets, or special pillows
• Novel fidget toys – New squishy toys, tangles, or stress balls to maintain interest
• Calming scents – Essential oils, favorite lotion, or breath spray for overwhelming odors
• Familiar textures – Soft fabrics, worry stones, or textured items they love
• Noise management – Headphones, earplugs, or calming music/sounds
• Visual tools – Sunglasses, eye masks, or favorite books/tablets
• Oral sensory tools – Chew toys, gum, or crunchy/chewy snacks specifically for jaw input
• Comfort drinks – Familiar beverages in travel-friendly containers

We always travel with many familiar snacks to pull out when needed, and ever since an incident where we needed to wait awhile on a fishy-smelling dock, we bring along something that smells comforting and strong, too (usually a minty breath spray for us).

We have familiar and comforting textures, like beloved stuffed animals and blankets, as well as novel ones, like fidgets and squishy toys, which we usually buy ahead of time so they’ll be new and exciting. 

This might help you quickly identify which sensory trigger is bothering you or your child or which sensory feel-good strategy might support you or your child in getting the stimulation your brain needs.

Building Autonomy and Control While Traveling

One of the hardest things about traveling is the loss of control in so many ways – for both grown-ups and kids. You can’t control when the plane leaves. You can’t control how you have to sit while you’re buckled in. You can’t control all the restaurant options that will be available, and they might not have one that feels safe for your sensory system. And so on, and so on, and so on.

Social Scripts for Travel

Having a social script available might help children who need to understand as much as possible about the trip to feel safe and settled.

Importantly, social scripts are not behavioral manipulation tools. I see them being misused and abused all the time on the internet, and that’s not what they’re intended for.

A social script is a visual story that tells and shows your child what they can expect and what supports are available to them. It should not dictate to them how they ought to feel or how they’re supposed to act.

When we flew from the US to Australia, we had every single step of the way broken down in a slideshow on my kid’s iPad. They could follow along for every step of it. “Next, we will go to wait near the plane’s gate. Waiting will probably take about 1 hour. We can play games, eat snacks, or watch planes out the window if we want to do any of those things. The flight attendants will tell us it’s time to get on the plane. First, we have to get in line and wait our turn. Then we will go to our seats on the plane…“

We were giving our kids reassuring information about what to expect, not instructing or bossing them around. This was an autonomy tool for my kids, as they could independently reference it when feeling anxious and know what to expect next.

Giving Kids Choices Throughout the Journey

Look for other ways to build autonomy, too.

Choices are a good way to do this (“What do you want for breakfast from the hotel buffet?“), but keep in mind that people also get decision fatigue even at the best of times – let alone the exhausting times, like during traveling, so if your child is getting overwhelmed when you give them decisions, it’s okay to confidently choose for them, too (“I know you love yogurt! Shall I get you one?“) 

Maybe letting your child steer aspects of the trip – like stopping off to sightsee something that they’re super interested in, letting them choose the restaurant, or giving them a few dollars to spend on snacks during a rest stop – can help provide them with built-in autonomy in ways that are right for your family. 

Quick Tips for Sensory-Friendly Travel

Before You Go:

• Create a visual social script showing each step of your journey
• Pack familiar comfort items (stuffed animals, blankets) and novel fidgets
• Bring strong-smelling comfort items (like minty breath spray) for overwhelming odors
• Pack a variety of familiar snacks for different taste needs

During Travel:

• Plan 20-25-minute sensory breaks: 15 minutes of high-energy activity + 5 minutes to transition
• Use the “more or less” rule: Ask if your child needs more sensory input or less stimulation
• Try proprioceptive activities at rest stops: tag, scavenger hunts, dance parties, or pulling heavy luggage
• Give your child choices when possible, but be ready to decide for them if they’re overwhelmed

For Cars:

• Break long drives into 2-3 hour segments with substantial breaks
• Play “I Spy” or the alphabet game for different visual input
• Use audiobooks or music for auditory variety

For Planes/Airports:

• Do a sensory break as soon as you get off the plane
• Plan another break 25 minutes before boarding
• Use moving sidewalks and open spaces for proprioceptive input
• Bring noise-canceling headphones or earplugs

At Your Destination:

• Expect your child to need lots of proprioceptive input when you arrive
• Hotel activities: swimming, baths, rolling in blankets, pillow fights
• Allow time for “bouncing off the walls” – it’s sensory seeking, not misbehavior

Remember: Every child’s sensory needs are different. What works for one may not work for another, so stay flexible and follow your child’s lead.

Making Your Next Family Trip More Sensory-Friendly

It’s daunting to plan travel for a family with lots of support needs, but sometimes there are really good reasons to travel and really delightful things that can be accessed once you’re past the initial difficulty of actually getting there.

Planning sensory-friendly travel doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By understanding your child’s sensory needs, building in regular breaks, and maintaining some flexibility, you can create travel experiences that work for your whole family. Remember, every neurodivergent child is different—what matters most is observing your child’s cues and adjusting your approach as needed. You will have the best idea of what that should look like for your family.

Hopefully, these sensory strategies and tools can help you get from point A to point B with more emotional and mental resources left over to enjoy the trip! 

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