Question: Although I love taking vacations to see and experience new things, I always return more tired than when I left. I can never seem to feel comfortable enough to get a good night’s sleep while traveling. Is there something that I can do to make my vacations more relaxing and enjoyable, and can possibly help me sleep in new places?

Answer: This question reminds me of the time I was sharing a hotel room with a good friend in New York City. She got up in the middle of the night to dig through my suitcase to get some mirrors that I had packed for a workshop I was giving. She then placed one up against each wall of the hotel room facing out and one facing down on the floor to deflect the noise away. We talked about creating a travel feng shui bag the next morning.

Depending on where you’re going, it would be nice to consider the main element of the environment and bring any applicable items that may help balance where you are. For example, if you’re going to the desert, water element is a good choice to take. If you’re going on a cruise, earth element is a great addition to your cabin, as it helps to balance the abundance of water element that’s in your new, temporary surroundings. In a nutshell, water destroys and earth reduces fire (great for those volcano vacations!), wood uproots earth (may also be good for desert living), fire melts metal (not sure how to apply to a vacation spot) and reduces wood, earth controls water (your cruise go-to item) and metal chops/controls wood (perfect for hiking in the Amazon jungle!)

A little pre-planning can go a long way here. When you book a place to stay, ask what kind of decor and items are inside the room and make requests as to what you are looking for. It is not out of the ordinary for me to request the quiet side of the hotel, or a room far from the elevator and vending machine zone. You can also check for construction on the hotel or in the neighborhood, noisy individual AC/heating units versus central air, overhead beams, sloping ceilings, ceiling fans, and anything else that may inhibit sleep when you arrive. That way, you should have as few surprises as possible and you will feel prepared to feng shui the space.

Oh, and go ahead and place the hotel/ship/resort staff in your helpful people box before you leave. (That’s a metal box designed to hold “Thank you notes” regarding the help you need while on the road.) Write something like “Thank you airline and resort staff! Everyone involved with my vacation (including the actual land and facilities serving me) is always helpful in creating an experience where my sleep is fully supported and I have a great time,” and place it in a metal box. Place the metal box in the front, right-hand area of your bedroom at home.

If I were to make a generic travel bag, here’s what I’d include:

1. Earth element. Get a stone (find it or buy it) to take along so you could place it under the head of your bed. This is a traditional cure to sleep more soundly. Earth element is still – a good energy quality for the job of rest and sleep.

2. Five mirrors. Obviously from above you can figure out why. If there is a noise or some other item that needs deflecting away, you’ve got it handled. Five small ones ought to be enough but feel free to take more. There may be sloping ceilings or beams that need addressing as well. (My advice is to ask ahead when booking the place!)

3. Three crystals. If there is a door in line with the bed or a ceiling fan above the bed, a crystal may help disperse the chi to make life more enjoyable during your stay. Three ought to get you by.

4. Lavender oil. A little essential oil can go a long way to trigger relaxation – or even a Pavlovian response to relax – and lavender is a good one. If you have another favorite, feel free to bring it.

5. “A few of my favorite things.” If you’ve got that favorite pillow or blankey, bring it along. A good night’s sleep makes it worth the weight in your suitcase. Also, if you want to make a little “home altar” with some goodies from home, bring some things along that give you warm, cozy, homey feelings and place on the night stand or table when you get there.

6. A wind up alarm clock and perhaps a flashlight. This is because I want you to unplug everything that you can from the room. There’s nothing like being kept up all night because the mini refrigerator keeps going off and on, or you’re sleeping in electrical fields. If your hotel has a wake up service, then perhaps the clock isn’t even necessary. The only thing that you might want to have plugged in is a white noise-maker if you think a consistent sound might help you go deeper in your sleep. If the TV is exposed in the room, I’d take a bath towel and cover it while you sleep.

7. An IPod that has relaxation/meditation/hypnotherapy recordings downloaded. – especially if you have listened to them at home to a point where they become a Pavlovian trigger when you are somewhere else. I have a music tape called “Gardens of Serenity” and a hypnotherapy CD series called “Cleaning Out the Closet of the Mind” that I highly recommend. Zones me out immediately upon hearing the first sounds.

8. If you think you’d be up for a space clearing ritual when you arrive, that may help change the chi in the bedroom space. You can clap your hands with intention or play relaxing music when you arrive to change the chi. If you know any other space clearing rituals, feel free to bring whatever it takes to perform it. You could just be so sensitive to energy that sleeping in a place where so many people have slept keeps your chi-sensors up all night.

9. A little bag of salt. You can either place this in the tub for a soak, or place it near the bed while you sleep to absorb any negative energies that may be lurking. Think of salt as a negative energy sponge capable of gathering up and skanky energy around.