Hi Jaunty Travelers,
We are Jordan and Bailey – king and queen of introverted, easy-going, and comfortable vacations!
As newlyweds celebrating our first year of marriage, we’re still navigating our travel style. But one thing’s for sure: we cherish quiet vacation spots where we can enjoy each other’s company, eat delicious homemade meals, and get comfortable in a cozy Airbnb.
Before diving into our travel tips, let’s clarify a few terms.
What is an introvert?
An introvert is a personality trait that describes someone who gains energy from downtime and solitude.
Introverts tend to spend energy during social interaction. Introverts are not necessarily shy or anti-social; they simply need a calm, quiet environment to recharge.
What is the difference between introverts and extroverts?
Introverts gain energy from time alone, introspection, and having space to pursue their ideas and thoughts.
An extrovert gains energy from being with people, group interaction, and fellowship.
Extroverts are thought of as “people lovers.” In truth, neither introverts nor extroverts love people more – or less. The terms identify how they recharge their batteries.
For more information on the difference between extroverts and introverts, visit the Meyers-Briggs Foundation website.
10 things introverts can do on vacation
1. Find a lovely Airbnb to call home
How to look for the perfect, quiet Airbnb
- Check for 3-star ratings:
These often provide a balanced perspective, offering a place’s pros and cons. Once you know the quirks of a property you can decide if it’s a deal-breaker. - Avoid Airbnbs in the town center:
Find one in a residential or secluded area. It will be much more relaxing and quiet. - Look for an Airbnb with the owners staying nearby:
They are more hands-on and willing to help if you need it.
2. Play Pokemon Go
How do you discover the best spots in town to play Pokemon?
Simply open your phone to the app and look around.
Look for parks, schools, and beaches. Those are usually the spots with the most gyms and PokeStops. My favorite part is that you move while you play and can always pause to look up and enjoy the view.
3. Geocaching
Geocaching is another way to get out and walk with more of a purpose.
The Geocaching app comes in a free and a paid version depending on how many you want to do.
When Bailey was a kid her parents would have her and her siblings take little trinkets to the geocaches.
4. Thrift shopping
Ahh, thrift shopping!!
We love it so much.
It’s fun to see what each town offers with its shops.
We usually search for blog posts reviewing the best thrift shops or just search “thrift shops nearby” on our map app.
5. Beach and trail hiking
We don’t like long hikes, but we do like to get out and enjoy a view, or Bailey’s favorite, walk on the beach.
Make sure to pack extra layers if you are on a Washington or Oregon beach!
It can get cold. We usually go in the shoulder season when it is very cold, so we are always wrapped up in lots of layers. You usually can’t see Bailey by the time she is done putting them on 😂.
Be sure you don’t need a special pass – a Washington State Discover Pass – for instance.
Search AllTrails for good hikes in the area.
6. Cook your own meals
We usually go out to eat twice on our vacations.
We get a break from cooking once for lunch and once for dinner, but we also like to save money and make our own meals.
The Instant Pot is a genius contraption you can take anywhere with an outlet, and it makes almost everything you could ever need for a meal.
I find most of my ideas on Pinterest. There are thousands of recipes to fit any dietary needs.
Safeway (or any grocery store) pickup is a great idea for vacations. Pull up the store app, and order your groceries. They will bring them right to your car.
Stress-free vacation mode.
I think it is worth the extra couple of dollars. I only buy what I need, and I don’t have to go into a busy place on my day off and shop again…
Last two pieces of advice on this:
1. Buy a big cooler for your trip if you are taking a road trip. You can pack some food from home to save money. When it’s empty, it makes a great storage container as well for the trip home.
2. Don’t forget to check what your Airbnb offers for cooking equipment. Sometimes they don’t have a coffee maker or a full-size fridge. Plan according to the needs of your family.
7. Get an early start
Getting an early start is no joke in some places.
Like the beach or Disneyland.
The early bird gets first dibs and fewer energy-draining crowds.
8. Find a local cinema
Big theaters are fun, but small local theaters are quirky, and you may get the whole room to yourselves.
We stayed in Anacortes, WA, and loved their cinema.
We got the entire theater to ourselves and got to talk whenever we wanted, laughed as loud as we wanted, and ate our popcorn and other snacks as annoying as possible.
Granted, it was in the middle of a Monday.
And the Barbie movie was playing at the same time in another theater.
But we got the best deal because we got to be ourselves and have a huge screen to watch a movie on. It was almost as relaxing as being at home!
9. Find a quiet coffee shop
Having a slower morning and getting to go straight to a coffee shop with a book or a deck of cards is a great idea for an introvert.
I always pack too many books, but you are going to need that energy reload somewhere along the trip, and you never know how many books will be necessary.
So be prepared with a very good book (or two or three) and scope out the local coffee shops as you drive through town. Find the hidden gems with fewer people.
10. Take time to connect
One of my (Bailey) biggest pet peeves as an adult is that when people aren’t being entertained, the phone comes out.
I recommend putting the phone away and enjoying the company of the person you are with! Revolutionary, I know.
This is the time you get each other’s full attention. No obligations whatsoever when you are out of town.
Another thing you can do is bring a deck of cards with you.
Just keep one in your car for an emergency.
We had to get a new alternator on the way back from our honeymoon, so I brought out the cards, and we played on the sidewalk – till it started raining on us.
But, the point is, cards are fun to have on hand.
We love to ask each other questions on trips.
For resources, I suggest searching for “couple question” blog posts.
Here’s a good one: 78 Fun Questions to Help You Learn More About Your Partner
Or, our favorite: The Ultimate Game for Couples – Great Conversations and Fun Challenges for Date Night
Bonus: Make traditions
Creating traditions is another fun way to make each trip a memory.
- We go to Long Beach at least once a year. I love the beach, and Jordan loves the arcade. It’s usually pretty quiet during the fall and winter months.
- A very quirky tradition of ours is that we stop at almost every Costco on the way to our destination. Jordan works for Costco and likes to see how many hearing aid department booths they have. I make him buy me a treat whenever Costco appears on the itinerary.
- Thrift shopping is a must tradition on my list. I love seeing what treasures we can find.
- We are early in our marriage and relationship, so we have many years to come up with new traditions, but I love adding one each time we go somewhere.
The key is to enjoy yourselves
Other Resources
Jaunty Everywhere
We did a deep dive on how your Enneagram type relates to travel.
Travelers Guide to Personality Typing
And this post is for all of us personality-typing nerds!
Are you an introvert?
Not sure?
Here is a free 16Personalities type quiz to help you find out.
Books
If you are interested in learning more about introverts, or if you are an introvert and would like to leverage your strengths, here is a great book: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
