Travel anxiety can ruin holidays and prevent you from enjoying your hard-earned break. If you feel worried or nervous in the build up to a trip, there are steps you can take to minimize your discomfort. Check out our sure-fire tips for handling travel anxiety now…
#1. Identify Your Triggers
Knowing what triggers your anxiety is the key to overcoming it, so it’s important to identify when your anxiety starts and what provokes it. For some people, pre-travel anxiety starts the minute they’ve booked a trip, while others don’t experience any nervousness until they’re due to leave.
Keeping a journal or diary can be a helpful way of recording your anxiety and identifying exactly when it begins. Once you have this information, you can begin to tackle your travel anxiety.
#2. Change Your Itinerary
If travel anxiety occurs on every trip, it’s time to change things up a little. Perhaps the hustle and bustle of the airport makes you nervous? If so, try booking a flight at quieter times, such as during the evening. Alternatively, choose to fly from a smaller airport, if you can.
For some people, leaving their home unattended is the cause of their anxiety. If this provokes feelings of unease, put a plan in place so you know you’ll feel more comfortable when you’re away. Asking a trusted family member to house sit for you or installing smart cameras may give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.
Changing your routine can help you to break the cycle of travel anxiety, so be sure to modify your usual plans and avoid the usual triggers.
#3. Dress for Comfort
Buying a holiday wardrobe can be a major source of excitement but it’s important to keep your destination in mind. When you’re choosing outfits to wear on holiday, you’ll want something that’s functional yet fashionable. With the right materials, for example, you can avoid feeling too warm when you’re in a hotter climate.
Similarly, functional attire will help you to get the most out of your trip. If you’re strolling around quaint, cobbled streets, for example, you won’t want to be wearing your best stilettos. Instead, plan your holiday wardrobe around your destination and choose items which are effortlessly on trend yet supremely functional.
#4. Minimize Your Symptoms
Anxiety can cause some truly unpleasant symptoms, so you’ll need to practice your coping methods in advance. When we feel anxious, we tend to ‘over-breathe’, which leads to dizziness. This only serves to increase feelings of anxiety and could signify the onset of a full-blown panic attack.
However, there are numerous techniques to minimize the symptoms of travel anxiety. Many people find that yoga, mindfulness and meditation enable them to cope with anxiety effectively. Similarly, learning how to breathe calmly can have a significant impact on your levels of anxiety.
#5. Prepare for Success
If you’ve experienced travel anxiety in the past, it’s easy to imagine it happening again. Of course, this way of thinking actually increases the chance of you feeling anxious the next time you’re due to go away. While it’s easy to imagine things going wrong, positive thinking can get you in the right frame of mind.
Instead of focusing on the anxiety you felt the last time you went on a trip, think about the elements of your trip that you’re looking forward to. Imagine every element of the journey going well and picture yourself feeling calm and serene throughout the process. This kind of mental rehearsal can help to banish negative thoughts and minimize anxiety. As a result, you can overcome your travel anxiety and look forward to exploring the world once again.
