Pre-anxiety travel? How to deal with it?

 With all sorts of people out there, some of us might be the type to feel extremely stressed out and worried or anxious before a trip. This can take the fun out of it no doubt but with proper preparations, attitude, and mindset, confidence can be built and anxiety can be quelled. Below are a few ways or tips on how to identify pre-travel anxiety and how we can handle it to help our journey be slightly worry-free.

1. Research - Researching up on the destination can be informational and saves us from major culture shocks. Anxiety can stem from the fact that we are stepping into a new foreign land that we're not familiar with and causes worry and concern. Google is our best friend in such cases so do Google up on your travel destination and learn a little bit about the place before you hop onto the plane.
2. Identify the trigger points of pre-travel anxiety – In the case of anxiousness before travelling can be linked to multiple aspects of our lives. Solely luggage preparations may not be enough to solve the problem. Therefore, understanding ourselves and mentally and emotionally while preparing ourselves for the trip is another way to deal with pre-travel anxiety.
3. Talk, don't avoid – Once we've identified the sources of anxiety, talk to friends or family members to lift the burden. We are surrounded by people so talk about the problem instead of avoiding it is able to lift the burden off our shoulders.
4. 

   Ample preparation time – In the previous point, we've mentioned that those of us with anxiety should prepare ourselves mentally and emotionally. By allowing time for ourselves to register the idea of travelling and carrying preparations requires time and if one feels rushed then maybe it's time to take a step back on the next trip and give ourselves a little bit more time to prepare.
5. Prepare for the unexpected – Travelling is a messy business, by which we mean that not everything goes according to plan. We may have planned a wonderful time but life never always go the way we want it. By lowering our expectations back down to Earth can also prevent us from suffering setbacks or disappointments in our travels.
6. Take breaks – While packing and preparing, be sure to take breaks and not wrap everything around yourself. We are all human after all, and a break or two may turn out to be even more productive than we thought.
7. Write a checklist – Writing a checklist with items that are essential to the trip may aid us during those spells of memory loss. It also helps us keep track of what is done and what is left undone; and boy, does watching those items getting crossed off build up the excitement.
8. Plan ahead – For those who have a fear of flights, heights or just pure anxiety of plane rides, planning ahead by reading up on ways to cope with the stress before the actual plane ride. For those who hate boredom; maybe throwing a book or two into the bag might help.
9. 

   Don't procrastinate – Preparing for a trip is no small feat, it requires hours or scheduling and arranging and up until the actual flight, we might all be worn out. Therefore, leaving everything till the last minute is a horrible idea that might take the entire fun out of the journey even before it began. This is why we should have a little progress each and everyday to even out the workload.
10. Don't over-think – Constant worrying and over-thinking will do nothing to help with pre-travel anxiety. It worsens it; know that all preparations are done and all there is left is for the plane to take off. Believe that everything will turn out just fine. It's a vacation, not a migration. XD

With all said and done, the journey is just as important as the destination so let's all enjoy the scenery while we hike up the mountain. Till next time, happy and safe travels everyone!!