Jetting off on holiday is something most of us can’t wait for, but for a select few it can be an incredibly stressful affair. Whether you’re an anxious traveller or you suffer from generalised anxiety, pre-holiday jitters are something that can put a dampener on your trip before you’ve even packed your suitcase. While it’s perfectly normal to experience a little travel anxiety, there’s no reason why it should stop you from enjoying your holiday. It’s possible to ease your nerves, sometimes even beat them - simply read on for some top tips to prevent anxiety and make your holiday easier.
Educate Yourself and Be Prepared
Doing your research so that you can be prepared is a great way to ease your travel anxiety. It’s a good idea to do a little research through places like TripAdvisor before you even make your booking, so you can make an informed choice on your hotel and any places you may want to visit. Reading a few travel reviews is also a good way to educate yourself on important things you need to know about your destination. If you know there’s going to be something, in particular, you’ll struggle with, take measures to prepare yourself for it. If you suffer from travel sickness, make heading to the pharmacy a priority; or if you’re travelling somewhere where you’re advised not to drink the water, pick up some anti-diarrhoea medication as a precaution. The same can also be said for the travelling element too. If you’re a nervous flyer, download a few movies or a season of your favourite show onto your phone or tablet, make a playlist of your favourite songs, or bring a book you’ve been dying to read. Knowing that you’re prepared can work wonders at calming your nerves.
Plan Ahead to Avoid Travel Anxiety
The organisation is key! Knowing what’s happening on what date and at what time is a great way to help you feel more in control. Aside from the basic plans like your flights and your hotel, it can be a good idea to plan things like how you’re getting to the airport. If you’re travelling by train to the airport, plan what time you’ll need to be at the station and find out what platform you need to be at. You could even buy your tickets in advance if you’re feeling super organised! If you’re getting a ride from someone, sort timings out well in advance and confirm with them nearer the time. It will help avoid travel anxiety. You could even reduce the stress further by arranging to take your car when you travel to the airport. There’s plenty of sites around that will help you save money on airport parking, meaning you can make your way there without the stress of relying on public transport. If your flight is at an ungodly hour, you could even book an airport hotel so you can literally get out of bed and head straight to the check-in desk!
Travel Insurance
Another way to calm that pesky travel anxiety can be to ensure you’re covered for any eventuality. Yes, it may seem that thinking about being taken ill or having an accident on holiday isn't a great way to ease those nerves, but it could stop you from paying a whole lot of hefty medical bills in the long run, should the worst happen. Even if you’re only going to be away for a couple of days, it’s a good idea to get your trip insured just for complete peace of mind!
Make a To-Do List
We all know that feeling of having a million and one things to do before you head off on your trip. You need to print off your travel documents, do a few loads of laundry and pack your suitcase, all on top of your job and your daily chores. Putting pen to paper and listing everything you need to get done is really helpful for clearing your mind and making sure that you stay on top of things. If you’re generally quite forgetful, it can also be a good idea to make a packing list too in order to avoid travel anxiety, especially if you’re travelling with children or having to pack your other half’s case on top of your own!
Prioritise!
This goes hand in hand with the above tip. Prioritise the tasks that are most important to your trip. For example, while it would be nice to have a shiny clean house waiting for you when you get home, picking up any prescriptions you need or finding your passport are probably more important! If you do end up with a little extra time, that’s a bonus! The same goes for packing too - list things like medication, money and phone chargers first so that you won’t end up forgetting what’s most important and will save yourself from the stress and travel anxiety. If you’re packing for your kids, if they have a favourite comfort toy, make sure that’s one of the top things on your list too!
