Travel anxiety is actually more common than you think. It can strike at any time and can make it difficult for people to get from one place to another. Whether it’s for vacation or travel, travel anxiety is a real thing that should be taken seriously.
Managing Pre-Travel Anxiety
Here are seven great tips that you can use to help alleviate your worry.
Recognize your Anxiety And Challenge It
When anxiety hits, it can be difficult to think rationally. The first step is to recognize when your anxiety hits and to challenge it with facts. Concerned that the place you’re visiting is going to suffer some impending disaster? Ask yourself what the odds are of that occurring.
It can help to look up the statistics of the location you’re visiting before you plan your trip. You can do that by inspire4travel before you book your vacation.
Repeating A Necessary Phrase
Take the following statement as a mantra: “Anxiety is a necessary and helpful part of traveling.” Many people think that this may reinforce anxiety, but telling yourself that it exists can actually help. It can actually help you to channel your anxiety into actions that are helpful, such as making sure you’re not forgetting anything.
Identifying Anxiety Triggers
There’s more to anxiety than just feeling nervous. There are actually triggers that instigate its onset. It could be worrying about getting to the airport on time, forgetting your passport, or not knowing the directions to your hotel. You can combat them by taking the extra steps to ensure there are no worries.
Let Your Mind Roam
Instead of worrying about what could happen, allow your mind to continue playing out these scenarios to their logical conclusions. This breaks your mental loop of worry and allows you to see for yourself that whatever you’re imagining may not have such disastrous results.
Keeping a Log Of Your Travel Wins
It doesn’t hurt to keep a log of your past trips, as you get to see for yourself just how much fun you had and what little you had to worry about. This log will help you see which roadblocks you’ve overcome so that travel becomes easier for you in the future.
Planning Ahead
If you’re going to a foreign country, always do your research so that you know what to expect. Learn a few common phrases in their foreign language, if you need a visa to get there, whether you can drink the local tap water, and what are the local customs to observe so that you don’t offend the general populace.
Talking To Someone
It doesn’t hurt to get professional help for your travel anxiety, especially if it’s affecting your everyday life. First, you have to ask how much your travel anxiety affects you, and then ask yourself how important traveling is to you. If it’s not that important, then don’t feel like you always have to travel.