Travel Anxiety

Travel can be a wonderful relaxing experience for people. It can be a great opportunity to learn about new cultures and see new amazing places. It can also be stressful for many at different stages of the trip. For many its the flights and crowds. For others it might be the fear of the unknown. For my personal experiences when traveling during the Covid-19 Pandemic I had many wonderful trips that are memorable and where amazing, but I also started having anxiety due to the many challenges that occurred during those times. I was stranded multiple times due to some of the un-reliability of airlines during that time period and severe weather events. I was stranded in Phoenix during the great Texas Ice Storm that crippled the state. Our flight got canceled multiple times including an hour before departure that caused a run to another gate to catch a flight already boarding. We had the difficult experience in Antigua where we were faced with being on the island for an additional 7 days due to no flights (see the link below for that story). I have many other stories including an airplane breaking its landing gear and blocking the only runway on the island, a plane taking off minutes before they would be forced to cancel the flight due to the pilots timing out (at their maximum flight hours), a fire fighter strike stranding us in another country, an airline forgetting to staff a flight with flight attendants and so much more. I started getting anxious before heading on a trip worrying if I would be able to get back home. I knew I would love the trip but the after-travel portion I worried about. During Covid-19 you add the anxiety of a positive Covid test meaning you would not be allowed back into the US for 14 days. I ended up being quoted in the New York Times about my opinions on the test that at the time did not really help in 2022 when the pandemic was in its later phases.

You might be thinking why do you go through that to travel? How do you handle your anxiety since you travel so much? You might have travel anxiety yourself from an experience you have had or just watching the news about some of the travel chaos we have had in the past. For me I have some methods and have gotten some great advice in that area.

1. Try to stay relaxed and realize that you cannot control everything. This is a big mindset change for planners like myself. I like to plan for all details and that is good in some cases but to a point you have to let go and deal with things as they come. Its difficult to do but will allow you to relax a bit more as you can only do so much and can’t control the weather and other people. While I was waiting nervously at Beef Island Airport in the British Virgin Islands where our flight had been delayed indefinitely due to a fire fighter strike that occurred right after landing there to change plane, the man running the small store told me “Do not worry about it as it won’t help a thing. You will get home but not necessarily when you want to”. It didn’t help at the time but I have thought of that when things have looked bad since then.
2. Know that there are people who can and will help you along the way when you travel. While you might think at airports and other places during travel that everyone is grumpy and is there to mess up you day, that is not the case. I have been helped by many a person on my travels and it really relieved stress and helped with anxiety. When trying to get home from Phoenix due to the Texas Ice Storm I thought all was well and our flight was going to leave on time back home. We walked through security to find out our flight was canceled. In a panic I ran over to a gate and asked the agents if they could help. Let checked and a flight to Houston was boarding as we were talking and they could get us on it. They even called for a cart to meet us on the way to rush us to the gate. Everyone involved helped get us home that day. Just recently I left my backup pair of glasses in Dominica. I called the hotel and the airport to see if they found them. Both the airport and the hotel kept in contact and eventually the hotel found the glasses and sent them back to me! There are people who can and will help!
3. Even though things are stressful at times during travel stay kind to others and try to help others. You never know what someone else might be going through. Many of the airport workers are stressed and understaffed so a bit of kindness can go a long way to maybe make someone’s day a bit better. I’ve found also helping someone in need makes you feel better and relieves some stress.
4. Use a Travel Agent and have Travel Insurance so you always have someone on your side to help out. When my flight got cancelled heading to Florida to connect to a flight to go to The Bahamas a Travel Insurance agent helped me work out a way to get to there by flying into Orlando and renting a car to drive to Fort Lauderdale. We made our connection the next day and our extra expenses were paid for by insurance. Having a Travel Agent work with you on a booking will also give you more piece of mind having an expert in your corner.
5. Do your research and be prepared. If you have researched the country you are visited so you are aware of anything that might be going on you can relax a bit since you are not going into the unknown. I have heard many people say that they won’t travel outside of the United States since its so unsafe out there. Do your research and you’ll find many places in the US are less safe than many other places in the world and we aren’t afraid when we are going about our business at home.

There is no way to get rid of all anxiety but know that in the end you will get home with travel memories and stories you can tell others both good and bad. Over the years I have stopped worrying about things like “will the weather be good enough for us to see xyz?”. Like anything in life sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. We have been places like Norway where it is normally cloudy and rainy but when we got there the weather was perfect. In other places its rained and been terrible. You just have to learn to roll with what happens and try to focus on what you can control and relax about the rest. Find what tools works for you like if you don’t like flying (I love flying personally) apps like Calm have sessions to help you with that fear. Airlines like British Airways have programs that help get you over the fear of flying.

Give travel a chance and get out of your comfort zone and you will be rewarded in ways you never would have thought possible like has happened to me!