Pacing Tips For When You'Re Traveling With MECFS

Now, I know that if you're reading this - the idea of flying across the globe to attend a wedding feels IMPOSSIBLE. It might as well be me telling you that I plan to hop a rocket to Pluto for the summer. 

But travel, like all activity, can start as a very, very, very small expansion. And whether it's Pluto or Asia or getting to the bathroom - the path of pacing and expanding is the same. 

Perhaps one of the most valuable tools offered in my program "The Edison Effect", is how to take something so far outside your daily baseline and gradually bring it into it.

It’s one of the pillars my students love most, (called the "expansion/contraction cycle"), and one that really sets my work apart.

And while it’s too nuanced to fully unpack in this newsletter, I thought it would be helpful to share some pacing tips for navigating travel with ME/CFS—whether you’re very ill and have to travel for something like a doctor’s appointment, or more mild and traveling because you want to.

So let's talk today about how to pace when you're traveling.

Tip # 1 - The Recovery Sandwich

This is another gem from inside my program. It refers to sandwiching activity with rest. When it comes to something like a trip—which is a big energy expenditure—this becomes really, really important.

Now, how sick you are determines how big that sandwich is going to be. And since I am an Italian girl born and raised in New Jersey, what better way to explain this than with deli meats! (stay with me here). 

If you’re very, very severe, the recovery sandwich might be very small—like two pieces of bread with a slice of provolone in the middle. That’s it. In other words, there is very little activity before you need to rest again.

If you’re more mild, you might be able to do the whole trip with rest only before and after. So now you’ve got one slice of bread, and in the middle you’ve got capicola, salami, mortadella, prosciutto, lettuce, tomato, onions… and THEN another piece of bread.

Omg. I'm hungry now. Enough with Italian deli metaphors or else I'm gonna fly back to NJ and raid White House Subs on pacific avenue. 

The point is: the structure is the same.

Tip # 2 - Let Go Of Ego

The second thing is letting go of ego—and this, my friend, is a universal pacing principle.

There is nothing wrong with using a wheelchair.
There is nothing wrong with asking for assistance at the airport.
There is nothing wrong with bringing earplugs, an eye mask, or getting on and off the plane early.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing flight times that reduce stimulation!

Interestingly, I find that people who are mild or moderate struggle with asking for help or looking “sick" the most. 

Even I remember when I was moderate—not exactly needing a wheelchair, but still asking for one.

And I also remember the flight attendant looking down at me and speaking in that breathy, infantilizing little voice: “Will we be needing anything else today?”

Ugh. Let me tell you - that shiz grinded my gears. 

When you’re severe, you don’t have a choice. When you’re mild or moderate, you do—so put your ego aside and ask for help!!

Tip # 3 - Build Flexibility Into Your Schedule

A lot of people approach travel like:
“I’m just going to do this, and then I’ll crash after.”

Yeah… my amigos and amigas, that’s not the best approach.

What if instead of overriding your body, you worked with it?

Instead of going to the entire wedding or event, maybe you go for 20–30 minutes and then return to your hotel to rest.

Instead of pushing through everything, you break the experience into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Not only would you likely crash less, but you’d probably enjoy the trip more because it wouldn’t be associated with the month you spent in bed afterward.

Tip # 4 - Understand Your Baseline Before You Travel 

In my program, I talk about micro, meso, and macro baselines.

So before you approach any trip, ask yourself:

Is this something I could do every week? Every month? Or is this so far outside my baseline that I haven’t attempted anything like it in years?

It's gonna help you understand how to pace a lot better and provide practical boundaries to consider based on where you are at baseline.

If you’re sensitive to noise, light, and stimulation, consider flying at quieter times—very early or very late. You may pay the price of an early wake-up, but the reduced stimulation can make a big difference.

If you’re traveling by car, make sure the person you’re with understands your limits—and that when you say you need to stop, you NEED to stop.

Whatever you do, just to make the experience as comfortable as possible for your nervous system, especially if you have POTS.

 Tip # 5 - Pull back and conserve energy beforehand 

If this trip is far outside your baseline, it’s important to pull back beforehand. Do less in the days leading up so you’re not expanding from an already depleted place.

Summing it Up 

(Um, I am literally making a vegan hoagie as I speak because I got hungry.)

Overall my friend, this really comes down to one thing:

Pacing while traveling is about trying to keep your system from becoming overwhelmed. That means knowing your baseline so you can anticipate your limits, breaking experiences into manageable pieces, and reducing stimulation wherever possible.

Because that’s how travel becomes something supportive—not another boom-and-bust cycle.

That would probably be my best advice.

nom nom nom okay okay the hungry troll is eating now. Byeeeee.