5 Simple Ways to Ease Stress & Anxiety When Traveling
Traveling is often romanticized as this great adventure. And while it can be a fantastic experience, it can still be filled with stress and anxiety. Anxiety when traveling can happen for a number of reasons. Let’s discuss what those are and five simple ways to help ease that stress.
Why Can Traveling Be So Stressful?
While generally, traveling is enjoyable, a lack of familiar support systems and disruption to daily routines can cause stress. Unexpected situations can arise, and the unknown can be anxiety-inducing. Even if nothing negative happens, people feel on guard or anxious to get to their destination.
Some other factors can be financial or safety-related. Even thinking about this all is getting us stressed. So how do you lessen anxiety when stressful situations or thoughts occur? Here are some tips.
5 Tips to Ease Anxiety When Traveling
1. Eliminate Common Stress Triggers
Okay, to be fair, this might not seem simple. There are lots of reasons we feel stress or anxiety. However, there are some common ones you can plan around. First, get a good night’s rest before you travel. (We know, easier said than done!) However, lack of sleep can exacerbate anxiety symptoms.
Second, eat and have snacks on hand. Your gut is tied closely with anxiety, so it’s important to eat and maybe even avoid that extra dose of caffeinated coffee. Lastly, breathe. Yes, take a deep breath. Travel has its unknowns, but when you take a moment to embrace change, it can be more enjoyable than stressful. Now, let’s try maybe some actually simple tricks. (We promise this was the hard one!)
2. Take the Time to Plan Ahead
Speaking of unknowns, a great way to reduce those is to plan ahead. This starts with research. Begin researching your destination. This will help you set appropriate expectations, make itineraries, schedule activities or make reservations, and know what to pack.
Also, consider your type of travel when planning ahead. For example, while airports might have baggage restrictions, buses can accommodate more. Or how some forms of transportation take longer than others. You need to accommodate for the length of travel time too. Planning ahead will give you better peace of mind while traveling.
3. Budget Your Finances
Financial strains when traveling can be a significant stressor and incite anxiety. Money can limit where we go, how we get there, where we stay, and what we can do. The spending can strain a person’s finances and make the vacation not worth taking if you’re trading the stress at home for stress on holiday. Here are ways to reduce the financial strain:
- Like checking your budget and being realistic about what you can spend.
- Book a trip you can afford and plan to save until you reach the vacation fund goal.
- Research what you need and want to do on vacation and the associated costs.
It’s also important to be realistic with you’re traveling buddies. There may be differences between your expectations and theirs. It’s helpful to set boundaries and let people know why you might pass on some activities.
4. Have a Backup Plan
While this could be considered a part of planning, it’s significant enough to mention by itself. When traveling airlines lose luggage, you could get sick, or maybe your wallet could get stolen. These are things we never want to anticipate. However, considering a backup plan to do if they do happen can save a lot of extra stress.
For example, when traveling via plane, make sure to keep your must-have items in your carry-on bag. This includes medications, all your travel documents, and a change of clothes/toiletries. If you lose your wallet, have a list of your cards and call them to freeze your accounts. Keep an extra stash of cash or a credit card separate, so you have funds. Here are some more tips for making backup plans.
5. Anticipate the Positives
It’s easy to spiral into negative thoughts. Stress loves misery. So do yourself a favor and take out a piece of paper and list all the beautiful things about your travel plans. What are you looking forward to? What is the reason you travel? How do you best accomplish that? For instance, if you want a relaxing vaca, maybe schedule less, take a book, and take a timeout from social media.
Whatever it is, write it down, and when you are feeling that anxiety rise, take out your list. Review it. Adjust or add more as needed. The visual is a great way to center yourself and regroup.
Something Else to Think About
Traveling can improve your mental and physical health by encouraging you to ease into calm and relaxation, breaking up your daily working routine, visiting new places, having new experiences, and meeting new people. Relieving the tension and stress of your work life lets your mind relax and heal.
Chesapeake Charter has transported people for over 40 years to various drivable destinations, we have a variety of cars ranging from Passenger Motorcoaches, School buses, Mini Motorcoaches, and our new SUV car service.
If you’re making short trips to the airport, doing a night on the town, or traveling in big groups across the country, call us and check out our options to have you traveling with plenty of amenities for you or your group. Contact us online or by phone, and let us get you to your destination comfortably and safely.