Traveling with Anxiety 

If you deal with anxiety then you might feel as though traveling is something that you could never do. Just the thought of going to an unfamiliar place for an extended period of time might send you spiraling. However, you can travel, enjoy your time, and keep your anxiety to a minimum. Here are some tips that I use whenever I travel.

Start small

If you’ve never traveled before then you should start off with smaller trips. Explore your city or town for the day. Staying in a familiar environment will help to keep your anxiety in check and it will give you the opportunity to boost your confidence to travel more.

Plan your trip

If you’re ready to go on an overnight trip plan each day of your journey and save it to your phone. I have saved myself a lot of stress when I know what I am doing or when I can see where I had planned to go next. You will also want to plan out transportation and accommodations. Staying in a city is a lot easier because public transportation is very assessable.

Stay organized

If you’re going abroad you will need to keep things a little more organized. I have a backpack that I use whenever I travel abroad because it has several compartments that come in handy. I use the interior pocket to store my passport, tickets, and any papers I might need to have. I place my wallet at the bottom and keep my charger and portable wifi on top of it because that makes me feel more secure. There’s also an outside pocket near the straps that I keep my transit cards or tickets in. Keeping my things packed away like this helps me to know where everything is all the time, and being able to see them easily is very comforting.

Have a routine

Make a routine that will help you feel more at home wherever you’re staying. I try to wake up around the same time every morning and eat breakfast by 10:30 (I’m a late riser). I usually don’t eat breakfast at my hotel because I want to taste as much of the local food as possible so I make sure to give myself enough time to reach the restaurant. Also, a later breakfast means dealing with fewer people in the restaurant and a more relaxing start to my day.

Take a lot of pictures and video

Most people take pictures whenever they travel, but I usually take my time and get every angle I can get. It gives me something to focus on and keeps my mind off of other people looking at me (I have a fear of being stared at). Also, you are guaranteed to get some amazing shots and you will get to enjoy where you are a little longer.

Stay connected

Keep in contact with a few friends throughout the day through text messaging. Whenever I message someone while I’m on a trip I feel less alone and less anxious. It helps ground me and lets me know that I can rely on someone besides myself regardless of where I am.

Keep it simple

Don’t feel pressured to see everything and do as many activities as you can fit into the day. This is your trip and you should see and do what you want. I have canceled going to another site because I was tired, so I went back to my hotel to rest. You will enjoy yourself a lot more if your schedule isn’t packed. There have been times where I didn’t feel like doing anything on my trip so I went to a coffee shop with a book to recharge myself. Afterwards, I felt a little motivated to go explore around the city and I would happen upon a random street performance or see some amazing art. Remember that you are in a new city so everything is a new experience and something you have never seen before.

Traveling is something that everyone should do as much as they can. You get to see how other humans live and experience a culture different from your own. You will eat, see, and feel new experiences that will change your perspective of our world and draw you into the human experience. Safe travels✈️