I have travel anxiety. Kind of ironic for a co-host of a travel podcast - feels embarrassing. I do love exploring new places, but the act of getting there and the discomfort of figuring out something new causes anxiety. Often at the last minute, I don't want to go at all. People, airports, flights, people, lots and lots of people. This physical act of traveling and for many of us, being in an unfamiliar environment causes anxiety, even if we’re excited to be there.
This happens mostly when I’m traveling abroad, but sometimes I get derailed in large cities like New York City (unlike my co-hosts who grew up there). If I'm traveling with my dog, now I have anxiety over his reactions and his comfort. When my children were younger, I had anxiety over whether or not they would get sick, lose something, or god forbid wander away and get lost. It's a never ending cycle and the mind loves to go down the different rabbit holes spiraling into the catastrophic.
My most recent experience with this type of anxiety happened while driving solo in Ireland. The roads were so narrow, driving on the left side of the road, being in locations where the cell service was sketchy, prime time for anxiety to show her worst. Thankfully I have a lot of mindfulness and mindset training and can self regulate before it starts to get bad. To be clear, the anxiety never fully goes away, it just becomes more manageable.
Here are 5 things that you can do when you notice yourself feeling anxious or nervous while traveling.
Pause - find your breath. The breath is the most powerful tool for regulating the body and one minute of deep breathing will activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Observe your surroundings. Often we’re not in any danger just anxious because we don’t understand what is happening or how to do something. Being in observation mode allows you to reassess the situation and sometimes there will be other people who you can watch and follow - like the time I couldn’t figure out how to pay for parking in Japan or how to buy a cruise ticket in China. I watched, observed until I understood the basics of how to accomplish the task.
Ask for Help. This seems obvious, but I’ve realized that people (i.e. me) will try and figure it out themselves before asking someone for help. Ok, maybe it’s just that I’ve noticed this in myself - especially if I don’t know the language. But I like to think that I’m not alone in this habit.
Use Your Technology. I’ve noticed, in my family at least, that they will forget about the powerful computer in their hand with access to a wealth of information. Suddenly they are staring at me with a “deer in the head lights” look when the solution is a few clicks away. Though of course if the cell service is sketchy it's best to have screenshotted everything in advance...
Trust Your Instincts. If you think you’ve gone too far or turned the wrong way, you’re probably right. That little voice, our intuition, is something many of us ignore or second guess. The second you feel something isn’t right is the precise moment to practice step 1 and pause.
~Benefsheh