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An introvert/extrovert and HSP/non-HSP might take a look at the same vacation itinerary and have completely different reactions.An action-packed, busy vacation in a chaotic big city might seem thrilling to a non-HSP. Whereas an HSP might enjoy quieter, more peaceful activities with time for reflection. When your partner desires the opposite of what you desire, it can be challenging to agree on a vacation spot.
In this episode, I talk about what qualities I most enjoy in a vacation destination and how you can agree on a place to spend time off with your non-HSP loved one.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D.
Related posts on this blog:
- How to travel the world long-term when you are highly sensitive
- HSP travel survival kit
- HSP Podcast #28: Travel Tips
Podcast music attribution: Bust This Bust That (Professor Kliq) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
Great podcast! I do not have a life partner, so I don’t have the dilemma of choosing a vacation spot with someone whose desires and needs differ from mine: I pick my spot and, if I want a companion or two, I invite a chosen few and they can accept or decline. However, more often than not, I go alone, because I love the freedom of solo travel and the serenity of my own company. The right companions can be fun, but it’s a real test of friendship sometimes to be with them all the time. And when I see people travelling in big groups, I just cringe — it looks like a total nightmare to me.
A couple of years ago, I decided to go to Crete on my own. While I was making my plans, I was introduced by a friend to a travel writer who knows Crete well, he was very surprised when I told him I wanted to avoid night life and crowded beaches, and even the more popular tourist attractions, in favor of small villages, quiet towns and natural beauty. I succeeded in doing so! Favorite memories of that trip:
(1) spending a couple of hours in a Minoan graveyard: 5000-year-old burial sites in a silent oak grove;
(2) walking away from the crowds on an island nature preserve, until I found myself completely alone, overlooking the sea; and
(3) driving for two hours over windy mountain roads to reach an isolated village, where I visited three tiny churches with frescoes from the 13th and 15th centuries, and ate lunch in the village taverna/general store with the owner/cook for company.
I should add that I began that trip with a week in Paris, and ended it with a week visiting friends on another Greek island. I like a mix of stimulation levels, but the sheer heavenliness of my time in Crete convinced me that all of my trips should include some time alone in settings of natural beauty.
Karen, thanks so much for sharing. Your Crete vacation sounds amazing, especially the isolated village–I would love that! It feels like you are having an adventure or making a discovery when things like that happen! I agree–I need to make sure all my vacations include time alone in natural beauty.