Last week, I had the chance to interview Lonely Planet’s editorial director, Brekke Fletcher.
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One key topic that we dug into is the current state of travel—as in, the act of traveling, from airfare to the booking process to stopovers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve noticed that travel has become more trying, pricey, and complex. (See: nightmarish, in some cases.)
With decades of travel experience under her belt, Fletcher knows a thing or two about staying sane while getting to your destination. After all, before all that travel magic can happen, you need to get to your hotel or rental without losing your cool, your luggage, or your will to live.
Though modern travel is a quagmire of potential delays, cancellations, upcharges, and downgrades, Fletcher has hard-earned advice on how to stay sane while traveling. Here’s what we can learn from a bona fide expert.
How to stay sane while traveling from Lonely Planet’s Brekke Fletcher
Accept what you’re getting into
It’s easy to feel like travel is a product we purchase. We buy a tour, a resort stay, a spa treatment, and so on. But travel is experiential, and Fletcher reminds us to accept what we’re getting into.
Put simply, when you hit the road, you’re signing up for an adventure—one that is sure to have lulls, challenges, and unexpected turns. Even if you’ve paid top dollar for airfare and a five-star hotel, you can’t control the experience. When you accept what you’re getting into with each trip, you can handle those bumps in the road with less shock and more grace.
Read the news
So, how can you accept what you’re getting into when it comes to travel? Fletcher has one key piece of advice for anyone hitting the road in 2026: look up recent news. She pointed out that a celebrity yachting extravaganza in St. Barth’s took a turn when international airspace around the island went silent. (Something happened in Venezuela, I’m sure you’ve heard.)
Despite the money and power that the dozens of A-Listers had in St. Barth’s, none had enough influence to get home in time. Even private jets can be grounded, in other words.
Hopefully, your 2026 plans won’t be upended by any similar incidents—but it happens. In 2023, I was dancing on a boat in Ortigia, Sicily (I live a blessed life) when, all of a sudden, we noticed plumes of smoke clogging the sky far in the distance.
Etna, Sicily’s volcano, was erupting piles of ash. At that moment, I accepted that my flight home would be delayed. When the flight was delayed days later, I wasn’t surprised or inconvenienced because I had two days to plan ahead.
Know your needs—and be proactive
Every traveler has their own unique nightmare scenario. One of mine was being crammed into a tiny gate area in Warsaw while waiting for a delayed Ryanair flight last year. Bodies were crammed together, every child in the vicinity was having a meltdown (understandable), and the plane was nowhere in question.
That’s the last budget flight I’ve boarded because it was the last straw. I felt myself evolve from a more lax traveler into a more discerning one—who would have paid hundreds more to avoid such an unpleasant experience.
Fletcher reminds us to know our needs and be proactive about getting what we want. Maybe that’s as simple as avoiding budget airlines like Ryanair. Maybe it’s finding a direct flight to your destination, no matter the cost or airline.
As Fletcher puts it, you need to answer a few hard questions before you travel. If you pay for a premium, what happens? If you get stuck on your layover and can’t get to your final destination, what happens? Answering tough questions now paves the way for easier solutions and a calmer state of mind.
Funnel your funds mindfully
Fletcher has another key piece of advice: Stay within your means. Before you pay a handsome sum for airfare, hotel rates, and other travel costs, consider how you’ll cover any unexpected expenses. In fact, she recommends thinking of everything that could go wrong.
It’s not pleasant, but it’s a type of insurance—not actual travel insurance, but peace of mind. When you forecast things that could go wrong, you know where you might need to funnel your money, letting you be more proactive rather than reactive.
Reduce the number of things that can go wrong
Fletcher recommends reducing the number of things that can go wrong when you’re on the road. For example, book flights as early in the morning as possible—they’re the least likely to be delayed. Second, avoid layovers if you can afford direct flights. Third, always have an airline’s app downloaded, and have your frequent flyer/account information accessible.
The list goes on and on, from booking flights from large hubs to giving yourself at least two hours to make your layover. Once again, thinking ahead and planning your trip mindfully (as in, not just based on what’s cheapest), will help you stay sane while traveling.
