What is a Travel Day Energy Plan for chronic pain?

A Travel Day Energy Plan is a simple way to break your travel day into phases and make 1‑2 energy-protecting decisions for each one. Instead of treating the whole day as one overwhelming block, you map home → terminal → gate → in-transit → arrival, then add basic rules and comfort layers so you arrive with more body left, not none.

Who is this Travel Day Energy Plan (Lite) for?

This Lite planner is for people who live with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, or invisible illness and are preparing for a travel day by plane, train, bus, or car. It offers structure and ideas; it does not replace personalised medical advice.

Does this replace my doctor’s advice about travel and medications?

No. This Travel Day Energy Plan does not give medical advice and cannot replace your own clinician’s guidance. Use it as a thinking scaffold and always follow the plan you have agreed with your doctor, especially around medications and medical devices.

How long does it take to fill out the Travel Day Energy Plan (Lite)?

Most people can sketch a basic plan in about 10‑15 minutes. You only need to choose a few phases and set 1‑2 energy and body rules per phase, plus a short list of comfort items and a simple Plan B for when things go wrong.

Can I use this for short trips as well as long-haul travel?

Yes. You can adapt the same structure for short trips across town, day-long train journeys, or multi-leg international flights. The phases might be shorter or fewer, but the idea of small chunks, simple rules, and layered comfort still applies.

Ticked Bucket List · Lite Tool

Travel Day Energy Plan (Lite)

Break your travel day into calm, realistic phases and choose a few simple energy and comfort rules for each one. This helps you arrive with more body left, not none — especially if you live with chronic pain, fatigue, or invisible illness.

Quick answer: Instead of treating your travel day as one huge block, split it into phases (home → terminal → gate → in-transit → arrival). For each phase, set one energy rule and one body rule you can actually follow, then add a small comfort kit, key admin, and a simple “Plan B” if things go wrong.

Privacy note: Anything you type into this planner is stored only in your browser using local storage on this device. Ticked Bucket List does not receive, sync, or track this information.

1. Basics for this travel day Start here

Sketch the outline of your day and how your body is starting, so your plan matches today’s reality — not yesterday’s or someone else’s.

Date or trip name

Route in your own words

Write the big beats: “Home → Taxi → JKF → Flight 1 → Layover → Flight 2 → Hotel”.

How is your body starting this day?

This is a feel-based check-in, not a diagnosis. Go with the option that feels closest.

Under-controlled Okay-ish but fragile Stable enough

2. Phases, energy rules & body rules

Treat your day as a series of small phases. For each one, pick one energy rule (how you’ll protect your battery) and one body rule (how you’ll support your pain/mobility as best you can.

3. Comfort, admin & Plan B

A small comfort kit, a few admin decisions, and a simple “if it goes wrong” plan can take some fear out of the day.

Comfort kit (on your body or in your small bag)

Examples: scarf/hoodie, neck cushion, eye mask, earplugs or headphones, simple snacks, small heat/cold options allowed by your transport mode.

Admin “must not forget” list

Examples: assistance bookings, mobility aid documentation, key meds in hand luggage, boarding passes printed or downloaded.

If things go wrong, my Plan B is…

Examples: asking for a wheelchair if queues are too long, using agreed flare strategies, turning the first evening into a recovery evening.

How to use this Lite tool

You don’t need a perfect body or perfect life for this to help. Aim for a rough, kind plan — not perfection.

3 gentle steps

Map your day into 5–6 phases in “Basics”.
Give each phase one energy rule and one body rule you can realistically follow.
List a small comfort kit, key admin, and a simple Plan B for flare or overwhelm.

When to talk to your own clinician

If you’re unsure it’s medically safe to travel, have rapidly changing symptoms, use oxygen or complex devices, or have been told you are at higher risk of clots, strokes or cardiac events, please speak to your own doctor or specialist team before relying on any travel planning resource — including this one.

How this fits with Ticked Bucket List

This Lite planner is a free, self-guided taste of how Ticked Bucket List helps people with chronic pain and invisible illness plan for their bodies so they can keep more of their trip. Inside our paid tools and packages, we go deeper into Pre-Trip Ramp-Up, condition-aware pacing, body-friendly stays and recovery week planning.

Short FAQs

Do I have to fill in every box?

No. Even writing down a few phases and 2–3 rules is enough to make the day feel more held. You can always add more later.

Can I use this for short trips too?

Yes. You can adapt the phases for any journey, from a 45-minute drive to a multi-leg international flight.

Does anyone else see what I type?

No. Your entries are stored only in your browser’s local storage on this device. If you clear your browser data, the plan will also be erased.