Anxiety Ruining Your Travel? Here's How You Can Keep Those Jitters at Home

An anxious mind wanders the land of horrendous experiences, which can keep it cautious but can also inhibit one’s desire of traveling the world. As easy as it is to pack up and leave, it’s always heavier to travel with the emotional baggage. Traveling with anxiety can possess its own set of challenges, but challenges are meant to be overcome. Right?

I wish I could hold your hand and travel with you but all I can do is help you prepare for most predictable situations with a list of these DO’s and DON’Ts

Do’s

Planned itineraries:

A planned itinerary would help you manage your vacation and organize your time before you arrive at your destination.

Always list your stops along with the means of transport that you would use to get there. A simple table with the following can be a solution to put that anxious mind at ease.

Keep your valuables safe:

One way to ensure that you are never left stranded without any money is to split it into at least two cards and to also have some cash handy.

My suggestion would be to carry a fanny pack, like this one from Decathlon (click on this link) which has been my go to for safekeeping. You can wear it under your clothes and keep all your valuables like passport, extra cash, identity cards etc. safe

Maintain a travel journal

Writing down all your experiences can help you improve your travels the next time. This can also help you calm down and focus on the present. Journaling can help you identify your travel triggers for the future and improve your experiences the more you travel.

List down your items:

Make a list of all the items that you would like to carry for the trip. This will help you identify the vital items and then pack them accordingly in your backpack. For instance, the first aid kit could be the top of your bag for quick access. Listing will help keep a tab on your items and you won’t be panicking over losing your stuff.

Identify your triggers:

Once you are aware of what triggers your anxiety, you can be well prepared and learn how to deal with it prior to your trip. This can come handy while dealing with crowded places, finding correct directions or even for the simplest of tasks like taking a metro in the new city. You can then employ strategies to overcome a foreseeable anxiety attack.

Read up about location:

Reading about the location’s safety status, transportation system, local activities etc. can help you prepare your trip. For instance you can read about your journey from the airport to the hotel and all the means that you could use to get there. Like taking a taxi would be the easiest option but also the most expensive one, at the same time public transportation does it in pennies. Activities that interest you could also be pre booked and you can easily plan your day around them.

Remind yourself that you can always come back home:

This one has helped me on numerous occasions. The thought that things could go terribly wrong or I might hate the new city gives me great anxiety, but the fact that I can always book a flight back home when not comfortable in my surroundings puts me at ease.

Remind yourself why you love to travel:

In the back of your head you really know why you want to travel in the first place and this should be your constant reminder. Bringing all the positive energy together and realizing that this is where you ought to be will change your perspective more than you can imagine.

Carry all sanitary equipment

With the onset of Covid-19, it had become ever so important to take the necessary precautions to avoid those unwanted trips to the hospital. Carry your masks and sanitizers but along with that a small first Aid Kit with all the necessary medications and equipment will help you in tricky situations.

Don’ts

Don’t overpack:

I cannot stress this one enough. No, you will not need that third pair of jeans or the millionth pair of underwear. All your clothes can be washed at any destination if needed. What you will be stuck with instead, is carrying all that heavy luggage around. It can be tiresome to keep the list updated and be aware if you packed everything, again and again. The lesser things you have, the less you worry about.

Avoid anything that may inhibit your thinking capabilities:

Like mentioned, being alert makes your mind less anxious hence anything that would inhibit your senses should be avoided. For instance while visiting Amsterdam, where Marijuana is available freely don't let intoxicants hinder your thinking capabilities which in turn would add to your anxiety and stop you from having a good time.

Don’t think negatively:

The thing about negative thoughts is that they can snowball into a huge blow. Keep a tab of your negative thoughts and try to keep them aligned. If you are worrying about missing your train, focus on making sure you don’t. Stop going further into situations that would arise if you missed the train. Take deep breaths and bring your attention back to the present.

Avoid traveling alone:

If traveling alone can make you anxious, avoid it at all costs. If you want to brave through and feel the solo spirit, make sure a buddy has all your details and location data.

Avoid crowded locations:

This is quite an important one. Being surrounded by too many people is the most common cause of an anxiety attack. This doesn’t mean that you should skip out on the touristy destinations, but you could try and avoid the crowd. You could do this by visiting the place in early hours of the day, pre-book the tickets and avoid the queues, and if you can wander around at night, why not? For instance, the best time to see the Eiffel tower is after 10 PM. You might not be able to go to the top, but you’ll get the best view of it.

Don’t force yourself into uncomfortable situations:

If a dormitory is not your thing, take the cheap hotel next to it. Stay aware of things around and what makes you uncomfortable. If everyone in the common room wants to go to the nearest bar but you would rather stay back and away from the crowd, go to bed. It’s okay to say no to plans if they’ll eventually lead to anxiety. Things that make you uncomfortable will take up unwanted space in your head which could be instead used to make happy memories.

Remember, travel is supposed to make you happy. Make you feel free, so everyone should feel as such. So, making sure everything is according to your comfort should be a priority. Have a safe trip ☺

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