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Do You Get Pre-Trip Anxiety?

If you're a bundle of nerves before traveling, here's what the experts suggest..

Posted December 2, 2021 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

• Anxiety before traveling is very common.
• The mind floods with things to worry about.
• Travel journalists are not immune from pre-trip anxiety.

I was walking with my friend Harriet the other day, and she told me that she and her family were meeting in two weeks on St. John’s Island in the Caribbean. “Ahhh…” I said, smiling, "I can imagine what you are looking forward to. Sunshine. Warmth. Swimming. Sailing…” “No,” she responded. “I’m so nervous I can hardly focus on anything else.”

“What are you nervous about?”

“Making sure I get my negative COVID test in time. What if my flights are changed or even canceled? Not packing the right things or forgetting important things. Getting all my important papers together…”

“You have pre-trip anxiety ,” I offered.

“Yes,” I continued. “Take it from someone who knows about it from the inside. It is common before traveling. Make that very common.”

‘You mean I’m not alone?” Harriet asked. “I thought it was just me.”

“You know about the countless times I have hit the road as a travel journalist. You probably think it’s second nature to me. Well, the truth is that I am always nervous before leaving. I invariably pack the wrong clothes. If it’s hot at the destination, I’ve packed for cool weather. If it’s cold, I have to buy warm clothes when I get there. And that’s just the beginning,” I added, laughing. “I have a packing list that is five pages long where I include anything I could possibly need in case I get stranded somewhere because of a strike, terrorist attack, or coup d’état.”

I could see Harriet’s face relax. “It’s a big comfort to know I’m not alone. And it even has a name.”

That night, I got an email from her. “Today I went from 'Oy!' to laughter from knowing I’m the only one with this ‘condition’ or ‘dis-order.’ Maybe it’s PTAD (pre-trip anxiety dis-order)! Whatever, I feel better and a little less anxious.”

Dealing With Snafus

One of the biggest sources of agita occurs when travelers have made extensive plans in advance and there are snafus. A restaurant never received their reservations. A special museum exhibit has reached the maximum number of viewers and they can’t get in. A private tour has been canceled. They can’t find the confirmation email for a private car to pick them up at the airport.

I have a very easy solution to that, although it might not suit everyone. Except for where I’m staying, I don’t plan anything. That eliminates all the stress of worrying about whether or not I will see and do everything at the destination. Instead, I show up, meet people, listen to local recommendations, and let the place reveal itself to me on its own terms. By traveling this way, I have had fabulous, funny, educational, touching, bonding , surprising, sometimes life-changing experiences wherever I go.

Over the years, I have asked the experts — seasoned professional travel journalists — if they get pre-trip anxiety. Karen Lupine (pseudonym) said, “Before trips, I feel the need to clear my to-do list, no matter how long. It’s like wanting to prepare for a perfect life when I return, all caught up. I never get it all done and it’s stressful , but every trip it’s like this.”

Traveling With Medical and Physical Challenges

Jorie Gavin (pseudonym) confided: “Ever since I became a type 1 diabetic seven years ago, I have to pack a week in advance to make sure I have everything. Forget my insulin? I'll die. Forget candy when my blood sugar gets too low? I'll die. Forget test strips and blood meter? Won't know my blood sugar. I need to bring doubles and triples of everything. It takes up half my suitcase. But, still, that does not stop me from traveling. I just take fewer clothes.”

My colleague Barbara Wysocki shared her way of dealing with anxiety that results from a physical challenge. “In the years since my eyesight dimmed, my best strategy to avoid anxiety is to ‘depend on the kindness of strangers.’ That includes asking flight attendants to fill in customs forms and relying on doormen and concierges at any convenient hotel for everything from taxis to show tickets. I repay my travel karma by reaching out to new faces when I'm back home.”

Travel writer Lina Zeldovich says she gets anxiety every time she travels. “I worry about missing the plane, bags getting lost, flights being canceled, missing connections, canceled hotel reservations (happened more than once), and losing passports. And I am a nervous flyer, too, LOL. So, basically, everything. But I will still travel, dammit! I proudly wear the badge of a nervous travel writer.”

And my award-winning travel photojournalist husband, Paul, is not immune from pre-trip anxiety. He is concerned that he’ll get an urgent assignment and need photos and article information he doesn’t have with him. As it’s impossible to take every file, it’s already happened a few times.

Some of the strategies mentioned may help or give you ideas for calming your anxiety monster. Or maybe, like Harriet, you’re just relieved to know you are definitely not alone!

Judith Fein is an award-winning international travel journalist who has contributed to 130 publications, the author of three books about transformative travel, an inspirational speaker, and an opera librettist.

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5 tips to ease pre-travel anxiety

Author: Cheryl Carmin, PhD

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• Try to figure out what it is about travel that is making you anxious. What are you saying to yourself? Can you identify your “What ifs?” Once you’re able to understand what you’re afraid of, ask yourself if the fear is realistic. Even if your worst-case scenario is something catastrophic, does the very small likelihood of its occurrence outweigh the severity?
• If you have traveled before, what has your experience been? Did any of the things you’re worrying about happen? If they did, how did you manage? There’s a good chance you’re not giving yourself credit for being an effective and resilient problem solver.
• Is the over-planning, list-making or other strategies really helping? Everyone has their own way of preparing for travel. Making others conform to your way may cause arguments with your traveling companions and more stress.
• Do you have strategies to help you to relax? Slow, paced breathing is one strategy that many people find to be effective. Try an app for your smart phone, or one of the free relaxation recordings available from Ohio State’s Center for Integrative Medicine that help you to restore your calm equilibrium.
• Don’t skip the self-care activities. Just because you may think you’re in a time crunch the week before a trip, build in time for exercise. Physical activity is a great way to manage stress. Pamper yourself. A haircut or a manicure may be an important part of your pre-travel preparation to help you de-stress.

What provokes anxiety differs from person to person. This is definitely not a ‘one size fits all’ phenomenon. It may be useful to separate out if you’re afraid of the act of traveling or the destination.

• Our mental health experts are here to help you. Learn more

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Don’t panic — here’s how to handle your pre-trip anxiety

If you feel a little jittery in the moments before you leave for the airport, you might be suffering from pre-trip anxiety. It’s an increasingly common malaise in a world of uncertainty and inconsistent customer service.

“Pre-trip anxiety is a form of anticipatory anxiety,” explains Marie Casey Olseth, a psychiatrist based in Minneapolis. “It’s not a specific phobia, such as a fear of flying or fear of driving, although these phobias can contribute to the anxiety felt by someone with pre-trip anxiety.”

Symptoms may include a sleepless night before a trip, an upset stomach, or feelings of dread. To put it more bluntly, you’ll freak out a little before you fly. But don’t panic. Given the modern-day realities of travel, a little anxiety is inevitable and more common than ever. Fortunately, it’s treatable, and perhaps even preventable.

I have a close relative who always has a predictable pre-trip meltdown. It starts with packing her bags days — sometimes a week — before the journey. She insists on arriving at the airport several hours before the flight because she’s afraid of missing the plane. She’s easily agitated, no matter how smoothly the trip preparations go. And she can’t sleep the night before her departure, which doesn’t improve her travel-day disposition.

It would be tempting to blame all of that on pre-trip anxiety, but it’s a little more complicated, says Prakash Masand, a psychiatrist and the founder of the Centers of Psychiatric Excellence, a Durham, N.C., clinic that specializes in treating anxiety and depression. “Believe it or not, some people confuse excitement with anxiety because the symptoms of restlessness and increased adrenaline mimic each other,” he says.

So what’s the difference? Fear, dread and worry set pre-trip anxiety apart from mere excitement, according to Masand and other medical experts. If you’re so agitated that you’d rather call the whole thing off, it might be a severe case of pre-trip anxiety.

Under the best of circumstances, pre-trip jitters can make the journey uncomfortable for you. But under the worst of circumstances, they can affect you and everyone around you.

“It can mean not wanting to go on a trip, being uncomfortable on long car rides or flights, or being intimidated by security announcements, or personnel at the airport,” says Jennifer FitzPatrick, a Baltimore social worker and author who specializes in treating stress.

No one is immune. Consider Valerie Bowden, the author of the book “ Backpacking Africa for Beginners .” She has a graduate degree in social work, which included taking many psychology classes.

“Even with my training, I experienced a lot of anxiety before one of my last big trips,” she recalls. “I was heading to Africa for seven months of backpacking. I broke down in tears in near fetal position during my layover in Frankfurt. I was terrified of everything that could go wrong.”

It would be disingenuous if I didn’t admit to my own fears, so here it goes: I don’t sleep well the night before a trip and I get nervous at airports. Like Bowden, I was also skittish about visiting Africa, although my biggest phobia involved all the shots I had to get. I hate needles.

It would also be unfair to the anxiety sufferers if I didn’t acknowledge that they have a reason to be worried. Accidents happen. We’re also traveling in an uncertain world, fraught with unpredictable events. A closer look at the latest Chapman University Survey of American Fears reveals that many of our top worries have a travel element of some kind, including terrorism, fear of heights and sharks.

Fortunately, there are ways to address pre-trip anxiety. Among the treatments:

Cognitive behavioral therapy: “Ask yourself how likely the negative outcome really is and how terrible it would really be,” says Judith Beck, founder of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. “Take each non-catastrophic prediction and figure out how you’d cope if the negative outcome did happen.” Beck says you should replace any negative images you have with more realistic scenarios.

Exposure therapy: That’s where a therapist introduces you the stimuli that are causing the anxiety. This allows you to work through this anxiety and fear with support. Michelle Maidenberg, a psychotherapist in Harrison, N.Y., does that by watching videos of takeoffs with her patients. “Following this, an individual can come up with alternative responses that refute or reality tests those given fears,” she says.

Exercise: This increases the production of serotonin and norepinephrine, otherwise known as “feel good” chemicals, in the brain. “These can help improve your mood before a trip and relieve some of your anxiety,” says Bryan Bruno, the medical director at Mid City TMS, a Manhattan-based medical center that treats anxiety and depression.

De-stressing: “When you feel anxiety coming on, pause to breathe,” says Carla Marie Manly, a Santa Rosa, Calif., psychologist. “Focus on your inhalation and exhalation. Notice that you can calm your body just by breathing.” Deep breaths can help quiet your symptoms at the moment — when you’re at the check-in counter or pulling into traffic.

But perhaps the best remedy is experience. Take enough trips, and you’ll soon realize that most of your worries are unfounded. If you miss a train, you can always catch the next one. If you forget to pack something, you can buy a replacement when you arrive.

Easier said than done, though. I’ve been on the road almost nonstop for most of my career. Still can’t get a good night’s rest before a trip.

Read more from Travel :

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Feeling anxious about your first trip? Try these 6 expert hacks

For some people, travel can cause a lot of anxiety, even under normal circumstances. Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 55% of people who had flown recently said air travel was more stressful than going to work .

And then the entire travel industry came to a halt. People all over the world were forced to shelter in place. As a result, some people haven't traveled away from home in more than a year.

Even the most confident road warriors may now find that hitting the road is an unfamiliar, uncomfortable experience. If that was the case for you before the global health crisis, it might be doubly true today.

But if you trust your instinct and ease yourself back into travel, you might find your next trip is a breeze.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

Visit a familiar destination

If you're anxious about planning your first trip since the onset of the pandemic, don't feel pressured to splash out with a whirlwind tour of a new continent or your first-ever cruise.

"A lot of anxiety comes from fear of the unknown," said Iris Waichler , MSW, LCSW, an author, licensed clinical social worker and patient advocate who also writes for Choosing Therapy, an online therapy platform. So, Waichler says, anxious travelers should plan a trip where they "can control as much as possible."

Waichler recommends choosing a "place you have been before and are familiar with so you know what to expect in terms of accommodations and what is involved in getting there."

This might be your favorite country or it could be the state park around the corner from your home. Christina Tan , a luxury travel influencer, also says to choose a place "you have been before and [that] give you happiness and positive vibes. Take it easy," she said. "Don't go for a new adventure yet."

Wherever it is, picking a place you feel comfortable in and know well can mitigate some of the anxiety. After all, things will still look a little unfamiliar: The last time you traveled, you didn't need to wear a mask or stay 6 feet apart from others.

Be prepared

There's never been a more important time to research the specifics of your trip in advance and plan for worst-case scenarios.

Tan says to "prepare ... travel insurance, regular medication, vitamins and [a] first-aid kit."

Travelers should also call in advance to make sure they have all the information they need to feel comfortable with their travel decisions. Waichler said you can call in advance to get more information about medical services, vaccination requirements and more.

Pick your favorite pastimes

What you're doing is as important as where you go. If you've never skied before, you might not want to hit the slopes for the first time during a pandemic. And even if learning to surf has long been on your bucket list, now might not be the time to plan a trip centered around an entirely new activity you might not even enjoy.

The first time I traveled during the pandemic, I made sure the trip was filled with hiking and that I had easy access to state and national parks. Not only did this make it easy for me to stay outside and avoid other people, but it also meant I could look forward to an activity I love and am comfortable doing. I didn't have to learn any new skills or buy any new gear — two things that can be inherently stressful.

Stay close to home

You don't have to fly across the globe to travel. And, in fact, choosing a close-to-home destination for your first trip can help you ease back into the process. There are a number of benefits to this. For one, if you stay in your state, you won't have to adjust to any new rules or regulations or factor in testing requirements or quarantine mandates. But if things do go wrong — even if that means you simply decide that you're uncomfortable and want to return home — it's much easier to do so if you're within driving distance.

Remember, if you travel abroad right now, you don't just have the normal logistics (flights and accommodations) to consider. You'll also need to arrange a COVID-19 test within three days of your return to the United States. You might also have a destination's travel requirements and restrictions to contend with. Plus, there are simply fewer flights and services available to travelers right now. When you dip your toes back into travel, consider the beach town around the corner — not on the other side of the planet.

Book with an expert

More than ever, travelers of all stripes are turning to group tour operators, travel agents and advisors. Again, there are so many logistics to consider when you're traveling, and requirements can change overnight.

Take the pressure off by leveraging an expert who is responsible for coordinating all the details, keeping track of the rules and vetting providers. Plus, if you opt for a group tour experience, you'll have a built-in network of other like-minded travelers you can turn to for support if you're feeling anxious.

Give yourself permission to wait

Even if your family, friends and neighbors are announcing travel plans, don't feel pressured to book the first flight out of town. If the thought of traveling makes you anxious right now, or even months from now when, hopefully, COVID-19 is less of an immediate threat, it's okay to keep your thumb on the pause button.

"Tell yourself it is OK to feel anxiety about traveling," Waichler said. "There is nothing wrong with it. It is normal to feel anxious about traveling ... when we are so used to living under so many restrictions [and] with so much uncertainty ...."

Travel is, of course, always a deeply personal decision, and that will continue to be true even when vaccines are widely available and we've achieved some level of herd immunity. So take your time. And, if you decide to book a trip and realize at the last minute you're not comfortable, feel empowered to back out. It's understandable if now isn't the right time for you to travel.

Even though I have travel anxiety, I've taken more than 100 flights in my life. Here are the 8 things I've found most helpful in getting through them.

• I have travel anxiety. My fear of situations outside of my control causes me to feel stressed and anxious, and little makes me feel less in control than traveling, especially air travel. But I'm not alone — about 25% of the US population experiences anxiety related to flying .
• Despite my anxiety about flying, I've survived more than 100 flights in my life, 14 of which were long-haul flights. I've learned that, even though flights make me anxious, traveling also brings me happiness and growth.
• To ease my anxiety on flights, I've tried several tips for anxious flyers backed by experts in my years of travel. 
• Here are the eight strategies for surviving long flights with anxiety that have helped me the most.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

1. Arrive at the airport early.

When I'm anxious about a flight, I give myself extra time to check-in, get through security, and get to my gate.

According to the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT), planning ahead is crucial to avoiding and reducing travel anxiety.

Since I get anxious about missing my flights, I usually plan ahead by giving myself a 30-minute cushion.

2. Pack your carry-on with security measures in mind.

Another thing that makes me anxious is going through TSA. Going through security always makes me feel like I'm hiding something — even though I'm not.

So I plan ahead by packing all my liquids and electronics into easily accessible parts of my carry-on. This makes the process go by as quickly and stress-free as possible.

Even if it's not the most effective way to pack the bag, I just fix it after getting through security as a sense of relief rushes over me.

3. Drink water — only water.

According to Dr. Robert Quigley of MedAire , caffeine and alcohol can leave you feeling dehydrated and heighten anxiety .

Airplane cabins also have dry air , so make sure you stay hydrated and avoid drinks with caffeine and alcohol in them. 

4. Plan ways to distract yourself during the flight.

When I'm going to be in the air for hours, I plan out my schedule for the whole flight, keeping in mind what will make it go by faster. Even if it's just watching 10 episodes of a new TV show and then napping — having an idea of how I'll spend the trip is helpful.

According to Todd Farchione, Ph.D., of Boston University's Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders, distractions help alleviate anxiety, and people associate tv with home and safety.

So letting your favorite TV show consume you for your entire flight may be the best way to spend it.

5. Pay attention to the safety presentation — even if you've flown before.

As a kid, my family made fun of me for how avidly I paid attention to and followed along with the flight safety demonstration every single time we flew — but I stand by it.

At 23, I've flown more than 100 times in my life, and I still always follow along with the safety pamphlet in the seat pocket in front of me. It helps me manage anxiety to remind myself that there's an emergency plan and I am in on it.

Healthline backs this , stating that preparing for the "what ifs" can help relieve travel anxiety.

6. Try meditating in your seat with apps like Breathe.

There was a time in my life when I wouldn't have even been able to picture myself meditating, and thank goodness that's no longer the case.

According to research out of Carnegie Mellon University , meditation reduces levels of a substance in the blood that's linked to stress.

The thing that makes me most anxious about flying is feeling like I'm stuck in this space, but an app called "Stop, Breathe & Think" helps me get out of the space for a few minutes with guided meditations. 

7. Think about where you're going and what you're going to do there.

Maybe you're embarking on an adventurous trip, maybe you're headed somewhere relaxing, or maybe you're just traveling for work or heading home.

Either way, according to Travis McNulty , a licensed mental health counselor, visualizing yourself at your destination can help combat stress.

8. Download music that relaxes you. Lots of it.

According to the American Psychological Association , music relaxes people. So when all else fails to relieve your flight anxiety, this is a solid back-up plan.

When I have a seven-hour flight ahead of me, I download at least seven hours of music that relaxes me,  just in case. 

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