Perhaps I am too cautious yet I would be hesitant taking a six-month old baby to stay in a trailer that has no heat. When I lived in my travel trailer in very southern Nevada I used a small electric space heater yet that can be dangerous too in case anything flammable falls against it or it proves to be too much for the trailer's electrical system. If your baby is teething I don't think the vacation will be any fun for anybody in a "roughing it" situation. I definitely would let your friend know your feelings about having three people in such a small space. Sometimes I think we are worried about other people's feelings more than we should because our feelings get hurt so easy. You are the mama that takes care of the baby and you need your rest. So you have to let people know what you need to take care of you. I've had to learn this the hard way having fibromyalgia. Fibro is a condition that HSP's can fall into by over doing it in life. When you don't know you are an HSP and think you have to be able to keep up with the rest of society it can be a recipe for disaster. I know that some of this may not be what you want to hear yet it is my most honest opinion. Whatever you decide to do take care of yourself and stay rested.

On the other hand, my friend might be able to watch him while I take a nap, but I feel like I would be too worried about her and whether or not she is enjoying herself.

It sucks because when I was younger, I would never hesitate to spend time with friends and I was always up for adventure. I feel like as I've gotten older, my sense of adventure had diminished. But this is also a unique situation in that we have a young baby.

It is true your friend could watch the baby while you take a nap and that would be helpful. You might want to talk to her about this beforehand. I believe that when most women become mothers their outlook and way of life changes immensely. We don't feel as adventuresome because we know there is a sweet tiny baby that depends on our being there. We are also more cautious in general. I remember my mom and I having this conversation and how her normal ways of being changed as did mine. Follow your HSP intuition with all of this okay and trust it. Enjoy your vacation no matter what:)

Thank you, katzenmother.
I'm sorry to hear that you developed firbromyalgia. I hope that its under control now and that you are living a quality life.

Thank you jupiterjazz as that is a very nice thing to say. I have my good days and bad. I keep striving to get it under as much control as possible. I bring the fibro thing up time to time to let other HSP's know they need to take care of themselves and keep their energy up. We can't burn the candle on both ends especially over long periods without paying a high price. I want others to know this so they can hopefully avoid chronic illness and especially fibro as there is a correlation. Give your baby a gentle mooch for me and hug:) Also let us know how your vacation goes. Take care and have fun!

Knowing that I'm an HSP, I anticipate the fact that I get overwhelmed more easily than a non HSP. A lot of times it means I have to take life more slowly. For example, rather than work part-time while raising my baby, I decided to be a stay at home mom. Part of the decision came from the fact that I wanted to spend more time with my son, but part of it came from knowing that working and raising a baby would be too stressful for me.
With the trip to California, I already know that it's hard for me to be in a new place and it takes at least a week to adjust. I remember that even when my mom stayed with us( whom I love very much), I started to anticipate the time that she would leave so I would have more space again. I guess I get claustrophobic when there are more than two people in a small space.
Sometimes I feel frustrated with myself for needing to take life so slowly and carefully. If I worked more now, I would not be struggling so much with money and not have to depend on the small allowance from my husband. I would feel more free, and less restricted. But again, I have to balance everything--not just the checkbook, but also my energy.
I look at all the people around me who work two jobs while raising more than one child and constantly multi-task and I compare myself to them. Even my husband jokes about how slow I am and also how slow the two of us are. Sometimes I hate it. But at least I know its what I have to do.

I am happy to say that this trip turned out to be a success! So much so that now I can say I truly miss it there for the first time! (we have been going there since 2008--but used to go to motels). I can't believe how much I miss the peace, quiet, and darkness at night. I even miss how cold it was! I slept very well there. I was stressed out in the beginning with how cold it was and without any running water, but then I actually grew to love it. I love how cozy it was in the little trailer with the three of us. My baby woke up throughout the night, but I fed him and went right back to sleep. Someone like me should live in the country. I highly recommend it for HSPs. It was so grounding and I felt profoundly relaxed. I look forward to moving there now!!

Am so glad you enjoyed the trip! Sounds like you had a good relaxing time. Am glad the baby did fine too (I was worried about him I admit but then again I worry if my Siamese cats have stayed too long outside in the patio when its in the 40's... Tis' true). Being in the country is a natural for HSP's with the connection to nature, quiet, less over-stimulation in general, etc. I could go on yet you said it better than I can at this hour. I can surely understand why you would love to move there. Welcome home and isn't it nice to have a special place to miss. Take care!

After reading about your experience, just want to add that i am happy it turned out to be good.

Thank you, janvier!

I am too late but I am happy for you !

Finding something we like to do is already a huge step and very good for many reasons !!!

Thanks, nor007!