The state of motion sickness 2026
Where motion sickness hits hardest
We ranked 125 real journeys by how often they make people motion sick, then read the pattern back out. Here is what the current index says, charted, with the data to reuse.
Across 125 ranked journeys, road trips are the roughest category (mean score 70 out of 100, 70% rated rough or notorious) and cars the gentlest (mean 47, 13% rough or notorious). 23 journeys (18%) sit in the notorious top band; 22 (18%) are rated gentle. Scores summarize our published guides, so this is one current snapshot, not a trend.
The headline findings
- Road trips lead the index. They average 70 out of 100, and 70% are rated rough or notorious. The roughest is Chiang Mai to Chiang Mai (loop).
- Cars sit at the calm end. They average 47, with 13% rated rough or notorious. Even here the gentlest, Honda CR-V, still earns a rating, not a free pass.
- The rough end is crowded. 23 of 125 journeys (18%) land in the notorious band and 38 more are rated rough, so a clear majority carry real risk rather than a little.
Average motion sickness risk by category
How every journey rates
The roughest and gentlest in every category
Averages hide the spread. Every category runs from a hardest journey to an easiest one, and each links to the guide it was rated in.
The four bands
Every journey is rated in one of four bands, and each band maps to a fixed score. That is the whole scale a reader or an assistant can lift off this page.
- 25Gentle: 22 journeys (18%)Mapped from a guide rating of low risk.
- 50Manageable: 42 journeys (34%)Mapped from a guide rating of moderate risk.
- 75Rough: 38 journeys (30%)Mapped from a guide rating of high risk.
- 92Notorious: 23 journeys (18%)Mapped from a guide rating of very high risk.
How we built this, honestly
The report is a read of the Nausea Index, our ranked list of 125 journeys. Each entry inherits the risk band already published in its own Dizzout guide, where the rating is built from geography, operator information, and rider reports. This page only counts and averages those bands. Nothing is re-measured here, and nothing is invented.
Two honest limits. First, a score is a band, not a lab reading, so two very different journeys can share one and ties are real. Second, this is a single current snapshot. We hold one point in time and frame it as the state of the index today, not a year-over-year trend, because we do not have a time series to support that and will not imply one. The figures update only when the guides behind them do.
Cite this report
Free to quote, chart, and republish with a link back to this page. Take the numbers as data, or embed a chart straight into your post.
Citation
Dizzout (Kinda Smart Inc.). "State of Motion Sickness 2026." Updated 2026-08-20. https://dizzout.com/state-of-motion-sickness
Embed a chart
Paste this where you want the chart to appear. It credits Dizzout with a link back.
<a href="https://dizzout.com/state-of-motion-sickness">
<img src="https://dizzout.com/state-of-motion-sickness/chart/by-category"
alt="Average motion sickness risk by category, from the Dizzout Nausea Index"
width="1200" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" />
</a>Data and charts are licensed CC BY 4.0. Attribute Dizzout and link the source page.
Keep going
Common questions
What is the most nausea-inducing kind of travel?
By category, road trips rate roughest in this index: a mean risk score of 70 out of 100, with 70% rated rough or notorious. The single roughest entries across every category are the ones rated notorious, the top band, which holds 23 of 125 journeys.
What is the gentlest kind of travel for motion sickness?
Cars are the gentlest category here: a mean score of 47, and only 13% rated rough or notorious. Gentle is still not none: comfort depends on the specific route, vehicle, and conditions, which is why each entry keeps its own guide.
How is the risk score calculated?
Each journey inherits the risk band already published in its own Dizzout guide, mapped to a fixed score: gentle 25, manageable 50, rough 75, notorious 92. The report then counts and averages those ratings by band and by category. It is a summary of published assessments, not a new measurement, so equal ratings tie on purpose.
Is this a trend over time?
No. This is one current snapshot of the index. We publish a single point in time, not a year-over-year series, so the report describes where things stand now rather than claiming any change or direction.
Can I reuse the charts and the data?
Yes. The report is licensed CC BY 4.0. The charts are downloadable images, the underlying figures are available as CSV and JSON, and the citation line below gives the exact attribution. Link back to this page and you are free to republish.
Journalists and bloggers: cite freely with a link to this page. The report updates as the guides behind the index are added or re-rated. Dizzout is a drug-free sound therapy app from Kinda Smart Inc.; this page is educational and is not medical advice.