The Nervous System Doesn’t Understand “Vacation”: Why Recovery Needs to Start Before You Travel

You made it. The flights are done. The suitcase is unpacked. You're finally on holiday—and your body? Crashes.

Maybe you’ve been there.

You finally slow down and suddenly you're bloated, groggy, overstimulated, or straight-up sick. The trip you planned for months starts with three days of “recovering from life,” instead of enjoying it.

This isn’t about age. It’s not bad luck. And it’s not just jetlag.

It’s nervous system misalignment.

And for women navigating high-output lives—especially expats juggling multiple roles, identities, and transitions—this disconnect hits hard.

Why Rest Feels Like a Crash

We tend to think of travel as the reward after hard work.

But our bodies don’t work on mental timelines. They don’t register “vacation mode.” They register safety. Slowness. Permission to unwind.

When we skip that transition—and expect ourselves to go from 110% to relaxation overnight—we set ourselves up to crash.

Because the nervous system isn’t a switch. It’s a spectrum.

And when we’ve been running on stress hormones for weeks (or months), the sudden stillness of a plane ride or the silence of a hotel room doesn’t feel restful. It feels disorienting.

The Myth of Jetlag—and the Deeper Truth

Jetlag is real, but it’s only part of the story.

What most of us call “jetlag” is actually:

• Blood sugar dysregulation

• Dehydration layered with travel stress

• A gut that’s been disrupted by airport food and adrenaline

• A nervous system that hasn’t had time to land

This is especially true for women who lead, hold space, or manage high levels of output and emotional labor—whether at work or at home.

When you don’t give your system a soft landing, you don’t just feel tired. You lose your ability to enjoy the rest you’ve earned.

What You Actually Need: A Pre-Travel Recovery Window

I created the Jetlag Summer Wellness Guide for this exact reason.

Because supporting your body before you travel makes everything after feel different.

This isn’t about bubble baths and eye masks. It’s about:

• Eating in a way that helps your gut handle shifts in routine and cuisine

• Gentle pre-flight practices to signal safety to your system

• Building in decompression time before you hit the beach or the group dinner

• Nervous system strategies that don’t require WiFi, supplements, or space

It’s short. It’s sensory. And it works.

👉 Download the free Jetlag Summer Wellness Guide here

A New Way to Travel: With Your Body, Not Against It

If you're tired of holidays that feel like another endurance test...
If your body keeps “ruining” your plans...
If you want to land, exhale, and actually feel good...

Start earlier.

Support your system before the suitcase is packed. Allow time to arrive before the fun begins. Give your nervous system what it really needs:

Permission to transition.

You deserve to feel good—not just once you're home and rebalanced. But during. From the very first day.

Want to learn how?
Grab the Jetlag Summer Wellness Guide here, and get the support your body has been asking for.