Tips for the Anxious Traveler

I was so nervous for this Paris trip! I have been flying since before I could talk, and every year since then, and for some reason, this time, I just had so much anxiety.

“Is the plane going to crash?” “Will there be an attack?” “Is someone going to pour acid on me?” I had all of these crazy thoughts going through my head before my trip and I am going to share with you how I was able to ease my nerves and enjoy myself!

1. Familiarize Yourself With Facts

This one helped me A LOT with the flight! For the first time ever, I had a fear that my plane was going to crash! I researched the probability of a plane crash like crazy. Turns out the odds of you dying from a plane crash are one in 11 million, where as dying in a car crash are one in 5,000. Facts like these really allowed me to calm my nerves. Even if a plane does crash, you have a 95 percent chance of surviving! Remember that next time you fly. P.S. my flights both ways were amazing, we experienced hardly any turbulence and there were no delays. It is so pointless to get worked up over things you can’t control.

2. Make an Itinerary

England is my second home, so I really just went wherever the wind took me while there. Paris was another story… With all of the recent attacks going on and personally knowing a relative of a terror attack victim, I was so afraid that something was going to happen! Not only did I research all the Do’s and Don’t for Paris, I also planned out every single day that we were there. To be honest, I felt safe when I actually arrived to Paris. The people were friendly and there were a lot of Police around the popular monuments. The ironic thing is my family is afraid to come to America because all of the gun violence you hear on the news.

3. Meditate

I meditate at least once a day in the evening, for about 15 minutes. Some people meditate in the mornings and others meditate twice a day. This is one way I clear my head and also put my body into complete relaxation. If it is hard for you to sit still for that long, or if you don’t know where to start, there are a ton of apps that can assist you. I started with the Headspace app.

4. Listen to Music to Clear Your Head

I love listening to music. It gets you in the zone, whether it is while you’re flying through turbulence or going hard at the gym.

5. Pack Everything you May Need and More

I’m not going to lie, I packed two-and-a-half suitcases for this trip! I just did not want to forget anything and I wanted to be prepared for whatever may come up.

6. Block Out Your Crazy Thoughts

At the end of the day, the crazy things you are thinking probably WON’T HAPPEN! There is no need to worry about things that you can’t change, so just think happy thoughts.

7. Get an International Phone Plan

A lot of phone carriers have International phone plans. AT&T only charged $60 for a month of International data, talk and text. This way you can use maps and do research while you are away from your hotel.

8. Sleeping Pills or Alcohol

I didn’t take any sleeping pills and only had a glass of wine on the plane, but I know many do one or the other. Sleeping through a long flight will definitely make the flight feel shorter and who knows, maybe you’ll wake up and be at your final destination!