Vacation Isn’t Always Relaxing: How to Enjoy Summer Travel While Living with a Chronic Illness

Summer is often painted as a season of freedom—sunny getaways, family road trips, and long-awaited vacations. But if you live with a chronic illness, this time of year can feel anything but carefree. While others might look forward to spontaneous travel or jam-packed itineraries, you might be managing fatigue, pain, dietary restrictions, or anxiety about how your body will hold up away from home.

The truth is: vacation isn’t always relaxing when you’re living with a chronic illness. And that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong—it just means your body has different needs, and that deserves compassion, not shame.

In this post, we’ll explore why summer travel can be especially challenging with chronic illness and offer practical, supportive tips to help you enjoy it in a way that honors your limits and supports your well-being.

Why Travel Feels Different with a Chronic Illness

For many people, travel comes with excitement. But for those living with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, POTS, or chronic fatigue syndrome, travel can bring up layers of stress—physical, emotional, and logistical.

Here’s why vacations can feel more exhausting than restful:

• Unpredictable environments make symptom management harder
  New places often mean unfamiliar beds, climate changes, different foods, and disruptions to your daily rhythm—all of which can throw your body off and trigger flares or increased discomfort.

• Changes in routine can disrupt medications, sleep, digestion, or flare-ups
  You may be changing time zones, missing meals, or unable to stick to your normal wellness practices, which can lead to everything from GI distress to increased inflammation or fatigue.

• Long travel days can lead to fatigue, joint pain, or dysregulation
  Sitting for hours in a car or on a plane, walking through airports, or navigating transportation delays can take a significant toll on your energy levels and physical comfort.

• Pressure to “keep up” with family or friends creates emotional stress
  Even if your companions are understanding, it’s easy to feel guilt, shame, or internal pressure to not “ruin” the trip or slow others down—which can lead to overexertion and emotional burnout.

• Limited access to restrooms, quiet spaces, or medical accommodations
  Many travel situations aren’t built with accessibility in mind. Whether it’s a lack of seating, long waits, or no private space to lie down or recover, your body may not get the support it needs in public settings.

These are not inconveniences—they're real, valid challenges that deserve thoughtful planning and self-compassion.

How to Prepare for Summer Travel with Chronic Illness

1. Know Your Limits—And Plan Around Them

Start by getting clear on what your body needs. If you know you can’t handle long days of sightseeing or lots of walking, build your itinerary accordingly. Prioritize rest days, breaks, and low-energy activities. Let your body lead the way.

2. Build a Flexible Itinerary

Structure is helpful, but rigidity can be harmful. Make a plan—but give yourself permission to cancel, reschedule, or change your mind. A flexible mindset reduces pressure and allows you to adapt based on how you’re feeling each day.

3. Create a Travel Toolkit

Pack a bag with essentials that support your health and regulation. This might include:

• Medications and supplements

• Electrolyte packets or safe snacks

• Noise-canceling headphones

• A heating pad, neck pillow, or compression gear

• Sensory items like calming scents or textures

These familiar supports can help your nervous system feel more grounded in unfamiliar settings.

During the Trip: Stay Connected to Your Body

4. Pace Yourself

Just because others are on-the-go doesn't mean you have to be. Take rest breaks—even short ones—to prevent flare-ups or crashes. Set alarms for medications. Listen to your body, not the itinerary.

5. Set Expectations with Travel Companions

It’s okay to need accommodations—and it’s okay to say so. Let others know ahead of time what you may need to feel well. Honest conversations can help prevent misunderstandings and reduce internalized guilt.

6. Release the Pressure to “Perform” Joy

You don’t have to pretend you're having fun every moment. Sometimes, being present and regulated is enough. You’re allowed to feel how you feel. Let go of the idea that relaxation should look a certain way.

7. Resist the Urge to “Keep up with the Joneses”

It’s understandable to want to do all the things while traveling to a new place. But sometimes it just isn’t in the cards, and that’s ok. There might be times where others are hitting every “must-see” attraction, but you might have to choose and prioritize attractions and events you can attend so that you don’t overdo it.

8. Acknowledge the Feelings around Missing Out

Just because you understand that you need to prioritize your health more than others, doesn’t mean you’re happy about it. Acknowledge the bad and the ugly. It’s completely understandable to be upset at missing an attraction, or not being able to eat at a coveted restaurant. Honoring these feelings helps to decrease the shame, burden, and pressure of needing to be happy.

Gentle Reminders for Your Travel Days

• Rest is productive.

• Slowness is not failure.

• You’re not a burden—you’re being honest about your body’s needs.

• You deserve joy—even if it looks different from others.

You Deserve a Vacation That Supports Your Health

Living with a chronic illness doesn’t mean you can’t travel—it means you travel differently. With some planning, compassion, and nervous-system-friendly tools, it’s possible to have meaningful, enjoyable summer experiences that don’t leave you burned out or in a flare.

You don’t have to push through. You get to protect your peace.

Need support navigating chronic illness, boundaries, and self-advocacy?
I specialize in therapy for individuals living with chronic illness, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation. Together, we can explore how to move through life—including vacations—with more ease and compassion.

Learn more or book a free consultation at www.celestetomasulo.com.