Travel is supposed to be exciting. But ask anyone who's navigated a four-hour delay with a restless child, or an adult who arrives at their destination already depleted from the journey, and you'll hear a different story. Travel exhaustion is real, and add travel anxiety on top of that, you have a recipe for disaster. It is real and it affects all ages, and most of the standard advice of "just relax" and "download a podcast" doesn't account for the unpredictable, overstimulating reality of getting from point A to point B.
Experts, however, have some surprisingly simple recommendations. And one of them keeps showing up in places you might not expect.
What the Research and Experts Are Saying
Forbes recently published a piece on reducing anxiety in kids during travel, featuring input from child development experts and travel specialists. One of their consistent recommendations? Simple, tactile, low-stimulation creative activities, specifically A Brighter Year mini coloring books.
As the piece noted, A Brighter Year's pocket-sized coloring books feature "simple, joyful illustrations that promote relaxation and creativity" with designs that "help soothe the mind rather than overstimulate it." The distinction matters. In an environment that's already loud, crowded, and unpredictable, the last thing an anxious traveler of any age needs is something that adds more cognitive load.
MSN echoed this, naming A Brighter Year among the best tools for college-aged young adults, specifically for their value as a "creative outlet to cope with stress and anxiety." Coloring simple and easy coloring books isn't a kids-only solution. Anxiety doesn't have a minimum age requirement, and neither does the relief that comes from focused, gentle creative activity.
Why Coloring Works for Travel Anxiety (For Any Age)
Some coloring books can actually increase stress with their tiny details and high decision fatigue, so stick with bold and simply coloring books that aren't complicated. When you're coloring, your brain engages just enough to stop the anxiety and "what if" spiral. The "what if the connection is missed," the "did I pack everything," the "how does the physics of flying work again? Because this does't seem safe." You want something simple and calming without demanding so much focus that it becomes another stressor.
It's sometimes called "active rest." Your hands are busy. Your eyes are focused. Your nervous system gets a break from scanning for threats.
For those who are prone to anxiety while traveling, the benefit is even more tangible: a physical object they can hold, control, and complete gives them a sense of agency in an environment where everything feels out of their hands. This is a huge benefit to adults, kids, and everyone in between!
The Whole-Family Angle That Matters
Buzzfeed included A Brighter Year in their roundup of useful things for travel beginners, noting they're "easy to carry and keep the kids busy." But the most compelling case isn't just about keeping kids occupied. It's about giving every person in your travel group something they will enjoy, and A Brighter Year has delivered that by having over 30+ themed mini coloring books, so there is something for every age and interest!
Mama Likes coverage captures why they are perfect for teens and adults. These books are "perfectly sized to carry in a purse, backpack, or even a pocket" and work as a "low-tech way to grab a few moments of relaxation anywhere." That's a description that fits a 10-year-old, a college student, a 35-year-old parent, and a 65-year-old grandparent equally well.
When you're traveling as a family, "activities for the kids" and "activities for adults" shouldn't have to be separate categories. The best travel tools work for everyone.
Packing for Calm: The Right Bundles for Your Travel Style
The Scenic Route Travel Bundle - Built Specifically for Trips
Forbes highlighted this bundle directly: it includes a Flags of the World mini coloring book, a Road Trip Trinkets coloring book, and a set of 12 colored pencils. Everything you need, nothing you don't. The themed content keeps travel on the mind in a fun way, and the pencils mean you're not scrambling to find supplies.
Road Trip Trinkets - For the Highway Travelers
Heading out on a long drive through the US? This one was made for you. The illustrations capture the iconography of American road travel, the kind of imagery that makes a long stretch of highway feel like an adventure rather than a chore. Plus with 102 stickers included, it is a nostalgic twist on a stickerbooks you knew and loved from your childhood.
Color Your Own Postcards - One for Every State + Washington DC
Here's an idea: instead of buying a postcard at every stop, color one. These state-specific postcards turn into a keepsake and a travel activity in one. Color while you're waiting, mail it to someone back home, or keep it as a record of where you've been.
Wild Wonders Greeting Cards - For the Nature-Inclined Traveler
If your trip involves time outdoors, national parks, coastal hikes, mountain towns, this set brings that energy into your downtime moments. Beautiful, calming, and easy to pull out whenever you need five minutes of quiet, plus once you color your greeting card you can write a sweet note to your friend and drop it in the mail to remind them that you're thinking about them, even from afar.
A Note on Screens vs. This
Screens aren't the enemy of travel. But they're also not always the solution. Battery dies. WiFi doesn't reach. A child who's been staring at a tablet for three hours often comes out the other side more agitated, not less.
The analog option doesn't replace everything digital. It supplements it. It's the thing you reach for when the phone dies, when the headphones are packed away, when you want your brain to just breathe.
Pack both. But make sure the coloring book is somewhere easy to reach!
