Travel Anxiety: Coping Strategies that Can Help
As peak summertime approaches and summer breaks begin, many people take time away from work to travel. This might involve going abroad, taking a short trip closer to home, or visiting friends and family for a week.
While travel can be enjoyable and restorative, it can also bring feelings of anxiety. For some, this begins in the lead-up to a trip, while for others, it may continue during the travel itself. This post explores travel anxiety and offers practical strategies to help you feel more supported and prepared.
What is Travel Anxiety?
Travel anxiety refers to feelings of fear, worry, or stress related to travelling or an upcoming trip. These feelings can be accompanied by physical symptoms such as a racing heart, muscle tension, shaking, sweating, nausea, or racing thoughts and overthinking.
It is a common experience and often linked to uncertainty, changes in routine, or unfamiliar environments.
What Causes Travel Anxiety?
There are many reasons someone may experience travel anxiety.
A key factor is uncertainty. Travel often involves leaving familiar surroundings and routines, which can feel unsettling for the nervous system. Humans tend to feel safer when they know what to expect, so change can naturally increase anxiety.
Another common trigger is lack of control. Travel can involve delays, traffic, weather disruptions, or last-minute changes. Because these situations are uncontrollable, they can feel particularly stressful. It can be helpful to remind yourself that there is often nothing you could have done differently to change the outcome of these situations. Even with the best preparation, it is impossible to know exactly how a journey will unfold.
In these moments, anxiety may lead to “what if” thinking or attempts to predict every possible outcome. While understandable, this can increase overwhelm and make it harder to stay grounded in the present.
Coping Strategies in the Moment
When travel anxiety arises, the goal is not to eliminate it completely, but to help your body and mind feel more regulated.
Grounding Techniques: The 5-4-3-2-1 method is a mindfulness grounding technique that can help bring your attention back to the present moment. Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
Deep Breathing: Slow, steady breathing can help calm the nervous system. Try inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 4, and exhaling for 4. Repeat until your breathing, body, and mind feel more settled.
Identify Worries: Try identifying what you are specifically worried about. Naming the fear can reduce its intensity and help you respond more clearly rather than reacting emotionally.
Focus on What You Can Control: Bring attention to the present moment. Ask yourself: What is the next step I need to take? Do I have my ticket, passport, and essentials? Who can I ask for help if needed?
Relax Muscles: Often we do not notice how tense we become when anxious. In moments of stress, gently release tension by unclenching your jaw, dropping your shoulders, relaxing your hands, and placing your feet firmly on the ground to minimise leg bouncing.
Sensory Soothing: Engaging the senses can be grounding. This might include holding a warm drink, listening to your favourite playlist, chewing gum, using an essential oil, or wearing a soft sweatshirt.
Challenge Catastrophic Thinking: If your mind moves toward worst-case scenarios, ask yourself: What evidence do I have that this will happen? Have I managed similar situations before? What would I say to a friend experiencing this?
Stay in the Present: You may be worrying about delays, missed connections, or future events. Gently bring yourself back to the present moment by noticing where you are (e.g., “I am sitting at my gate.”).
Preparing Ahead of Time
Preparation can significantly reduce travel-related anxiety by increasing a sense of predictability and control.
Plan and Organise Early: Create packing and to-do lists in advance to reduce last-minute stress. Packing gradually can also help prevent overwhelm. Ensure essential items such as passports, medication, tickets, and chargers are packed early. Forgetting something is a very common fear when travelling. However, it can be helpful to remind yourself that most items can be purchased at your destination if you forget them (e.g., clothes, toiletries, swimsuits, sunglasses, vitamins, sandals). For essential items, having a system to double-check can help reduce anxiety.
Bringing Comfort Items: It is okay to bring something a comfort item from home (e.g., a stuffed animal, blanket, or pillow). These items can provide reassurance and grounding during stressful moments.
Creating a Budget: For those who feel anxious about finances, creating a travel budget can help. This might include categorising expected costs such as accommodation, transport, meals, and spending money. Saving gradually into a dedicated travel account can also reduce financial stress.
Book in Advance: Booking accommodation and transport in advance can reduce last-minute stress and often helps with budgeting as prices may be lower.
Staying Organised: Keep all documents and confirmations in one place, such as a dedicated email folder or physical folder for tickets, accommodation, and bookings (e.g., transport tickets, hotel bookings, entertainment/activity bookings).
Familiarise Yourself with Techniques: Practising grounding and breathing techniques before your trip can make them easier to use when needed.
Prioritise Wellbeing: In the days leading up to travel, aim to maintain regular sleep, eat balanced meals, stay hydrated, and limit alcohol where possible.
Create a Personal Travel Anxiety Toolkit: Consider packing items that help you feel calm, such as headphones, earplugs, gum, snacks, water, a comforting scent, a stress ball or fidget item, a written list of coping strategies, or any prescribed medication.
Make a Flexible Plan: Try creating a travel plan that allows for flexibility. Remind yourself: If something changes, I will deal with it one step at a time. This can help reduce the pressure for everything to go exactly as planned.
Final Thoughts
Travel anxiety is a common experience, particularly during times of change or increased travel. For many people, anxiety is strongest before a trip and begins to ease once the journey is underway.
Although it can feel uncomfortable, there are many ways to manage these feelings and support yourself throughout the process. With preparation and coping strategies, travel can become more manageable over time.
Travel can be a stressful experience, but many people find that the positive memories created during a trip outweigh the difficult moments beforehand. Wherever your travels take you this summer, I hope you have a safe and restorative trip.
If you are struggling with travel anxiety or anxiety more broadly, support is available. Speaking with a therapist can provide a safe space to explore your experiences and develop strategies that work for you.
If you would like to book a session with me, you can get in touch by emailing contact@renewedhorizonscounselling.co.uk or by filling out my contact form. I look forward to hearing from you.
