How To Deal With & Avoid Travel Anxiety

As you probably already know, I love travel. I get so excited every chance I get to take a new adventure and discover a new location. However, just because I love something, doesn't mean it's always easy for me. I do experience some travel anxiety and fears of flying. These fears have been a part of my life ever since I first discovered my love of travel. I truly thought that after years of taking many flights, I would grow out of the nerves I get when I fly, but that hasn't been the case unfortunately. Nonetheless, I am a strong believer that if you let fear win, you miss out on life, and I also believe that life begins at the end of your comfort zone... therefore I simply decide each trip to be stronger than my fears, place my faith in God, and enjoy my life. There are several things I do to relax and try to actually enjoy my time in the air or on a flight. Over years of travel and hundreds of flights, I have discovered a few things that help shift my mind from panic, stress and fear of what bad things could happen to focusing on the fun adventures that lie ahead. If you are like me and struggle with some travel anxiety and fears, then I hope this list will help you out too.

Download Music / Positive Playlist

Before our last Europe trip, I downloaded quite a few songs that made me feel happy, calm, relaxed, positive, etc. Most of the music was Christian music. Having that in my ear to drown out the noise in my head of fearful thoughts was extremely helpful. My favorite song I downloaded was Captain by Hillsong United. That song would not only calm me down but often it would put me to sleep, and that says a lot because I don't sleep easily on planes.

Read

Another great way to distract yourself or take your mind off the flight is to read. Bring a book that will put you in a good state of mind. Probably not one that will get your mind racing down a negative path. Maybe bring a few books to choose from, or if you're not a novel lover, maybe grab some magazines before take off.

Watch Movies

Again, another distraction. Are you catching a theme here? I especially love this one on long flights that are over seas. They not only keep your mind in a good place, but movies also make the time go by faster. Now, I personally love watching comedies, or inspirational movies while I fly. It really doesn't matter what you watch, just keep in mind watching movies like "Final Destination", "Snakes On A Plane", or "United 93" might not be ideal picks while you're in the air and searching for peace of mind.

Journal

If you enjoy journaling and find it calming, this might help. Sometimes I journal while I fly; I start with a positive topic and take it from there.

Alcoholic Beverages

Now I'm not saying get all drunk and sloppy, but heck a few drinks might give you some liquid courage. If you get drunk and sick on an airplane, don't blame me...

Take Melatonin & Nap

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid. Make sure you take the correct dosage and make sure it's okay for you to take, but sleeping is a great way to pass the time.

I hope you find these tips helpful! If I've missed one, please comment below and let me know!! I'd love to give new ideas a try. Thanks for reading, make sure to subscribe below to receive future posts.