I absolutely love traveling, but I have to say there are times when I have had anxiety prior to taking a trip, wondering if I packed everything I needed, was the trip going to go smoothly, was there something I forgot to do?  This is completely normal when traveling.  Other things that can cause anxiety is if someone said your destination is dangerous or you realized you booked a trip during a really popular time or a huge event is happening.

Don’t let the doubts and fears overwhelm you.

Practice Self-Care prior to Your Trip

Here are some ways to practice self-care:

Exercise: Whether you are on vacation or at home it is a good idea to make sure you incorporate some kind of workout into your day.  I personally love yoga and walking.  Often times people make excuses like they don’t have the money for a gym or if the person travels a lot, they don’t see the point in joining a gym because they aren’t home enough.  If that is your reasion, I would highly recommend following Juliette Wooten with BCTI Global.  She has all sorts of work out videos from yoga to step aerobics.  Juliette was my yoga teacher and she is so amazing, I encouraged her to create a YouTube channel.  She always has new content and it is really high quality.

Long walks: Long walks are great, they are relaxing, no worries and they don’t cost a thing.  I love to take my iPhone with me and listen to inspirational books from Audible.

Meditate:  I love HeadSpace and Calm.  They are both really great meditation apps.

Be Creative:  Reading, writing, playing music, listening to music, drawing, and coloring are all really great ways to express yourself creatively.

Enjoy Company: Hang out with the people you love and are encouraging.

Be Healthy:  Eat healthy nourishing foods, rest and relax.

Figure out what is bothering you

Do you feel safe on your trip?  Do you feel like you won’t be able to communicate with your loved ones?  Are you afraid of flying?  Are you scared of being alone?  Is there something you will be missing when you are away on your trip?  If you can figure out what is bothering, figure out how to resolve the issue the best you can.

If you don’t feel safe maybe you can check out some of the products I recommend to make your trip a total bliss.  For example, the Portable Safe can be locked down on something in your hotel room and you can put all your important belongings in it to keep them safe.  If you are scared someone will come into your hotel room at night you can use a door wedge to make it nearly impossible for someone to come into your room.  You can also get a whistle, so if you are in a difficult situation, all you have to do is blow the whistle and surely someone will come to your rescue.

If you are scared you won’t be able to keep in touch with your loved ones, I would recommend getting a Skyroam Hotspot so that you can have internet anywhere.  Also, if you are traveling abroad, you may feel like you can’t contact your family and friends but with Whatsapp, you can call your family without being charged anything from your phone provider.  Make sure to turn off roaming on your phone though.

Are you afraid of flying?  Now that is a hard one to fix, but I once had a teacher that taught about the Law of Attraction.  What we focus on expands.  She told me that when she goes on trips she envisions angels holding up the wings of the plane and that really gives her peace when flying.  First of all, think positive, take time time to meditate and envision your entire trip from start to finish the way you want it to go and expect it to go well.  I would also recommend checking out the article I wrote on packing.  You might find something helpful it might remind you of something you meant to bring with you to make your trip more enjoyable.

If you are scared of being alone, remember Whatsapp, so you can call someone anytime you feel lonely.  If you really don’t want to take the trip alone, try to find someone to join you.

You may just be scared of the unknown, which is completely normal.  The best way to predict the future is to create it.  Make plans and get organized.  That may help release your fears of the unknown.

Sometimes you just need the experience to remember that you love traveling and that is why you planned this trip in the first place.

Plan Ahead

Plan where you are staying for the night, what you are going to eat when you get there, where you plan on going when you first get there and who you may meet.

Remember that it is ok if it doesn’t go as planned, but it is very helpful to plan ahead.

HAVE EXTRA MONEY

It is important to make sure you have extra money for unexpected expenses.  If you get in a situation where you would feel more comfortable taking a cab, you want the money to be able to do it.   You may get to your destination and decide you want to upgrade your hotel room or get a hotel room in a better area.

Knowing you have extra money can put you at ease.

Your trip

Be adventurous or relax, have fun.  Remember this is your trip. You can enjoy the trip just to have alone time or go out and meet people. Follow your bliss.

Your dream vacation may not turn out as planned.  Be ok with change.  Make it something amazing that you will remember the rest of your life.

If you need a break take it.  This is a vacation.  You don’t have to make it a vacation you need a vacation from.

It’s ok to cancel

If you want to cancel because of your fears, I say push through the fears and enjoy the vacation, but if you really need to cancel, allow yourself to cancel.

Know your limits

Remember what caused your anxiety, so that you can avoid it in the future.

I prefer to travel in the United States to avoid huge expenses, visas, fundraising, etc.  I can also drive to my destination.  Vacation in a way that makes you feel safe and that turns your vacations into a bliss instead of anxiety.

Relax

Often times you just needed to get on the vacation in order to relax and release any anxiety you had.  99% of the time you will be so glad you went on the trip.