Stephanie Jean

I leave for Florida in the morning, and I find myself dealing with some pre-trip anxiety. Even for a seasoned traveller, pre-travel anxiety is a very real burden, but can be dealt with! First, I’ll share what has me so anxious, and then I’ll share how I’m coping.

My anxiety is coming from a few places. One, this is the first solo trip I’ve taken over such a distance. I’ve never gone through TSA screenings on my own before, and I’ll only have myself for company on my layover in Newark. I’ll be the only one navigating gate to gate.

Travel in general makes me anxious because I’ve had so many negative traveling experiences, ESPECIALLY when I’ve been trying to get home. I still haven’t figured out how to describe this problem, exactly, because while travel is amazing, the act of traveling to and from totally sucks. Being in a new place, exploring a new city, having unique experiences, learning a new culture, those are all AMAZING and worth the sucky part- which is getting there. I have a stupid amount of horror stories from trying to get home, and I won’t bore you with them. At least this time, there’s no international travel involved.

One of the airlines I’m taking charges for overhead space, so I’ve decided to pack my entire trip in a single backpack, therefore only taking a single carry on with me and not being charged $35 to stick my bag above my head.

Not to mention all the other variables that come into play when traveling, including traffic, the possibility of getting a middle seat, etc.

Now, how deal with that anxiety…

• Reason.
  This might seem obvious to some, but for someone with an anxious mind, it’s worth the reminder. For example, I know I have nothing that would interest TSA on me while traveling, so I shouldn’t worry about getting through the line. I just have to remind myself of that because it’s so easy to be intimidated by the agents and the machines.
  This is another way to deal with the general traveling anxiety- I have to remind myself that I will get there eventually. It might take sprinting through the airport, it might take a five hour delay, it might mean not eating anything remotely healthy for 24 hours, but eventually you do reach your destination.
• Packing light.
  Lucky for me, I am staying with my best friend since middle school, and we’ve always had a “what’s mine is your’s” policy. I’m going to assume this is still the case, even though she lives 1500 miles away now, so I at least don’t have to worry about packing shampoo, conditioner, etc (Thanks K!). I picked out my outfits for two days, and will plan to wear the same thing while traveling the other two days just to make it easier on myself. The shoes I wear down will be the shoes I wear the whole trip. I’ll make a pharmacy trip while I’m down there if I need anything like contact solution or the like.
• Lists.
  It helps soothe my anxiety to physically cross things off as I toss them in my bag. That way I can be sure I’m not forgetting anything.
• Leaving early.
  Getting to Logan Airport in Boston is a nightmare, especially when you factor in morning rush hour traffic. We will be leaving our house early to get me there without any problems. I’d rather be sitting in the airport waiting to board than sitting in traffic wondering if I’ll even be able to board.

That’s it! I’m praying for a smooth trip and a good time. One of them, at least, I can be sure of. 😉

Do you have any travel tips? What’s your favorite and least favorite part about traveling? Let me know in the comments!

When I come back, I’ll be sharing my adventures from Florida’s Atlantic coast and Orlando! Until next time, namasté. ❤