Tips for Solo Traveling with Anxiety
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I love to travel, but I rarely do it alone. I took my first solo flight to Minneapolis recently, which was interesting. This was the first time I had flown in 10 years and by myself - yikes! I’ve struggled with anxiety for many years, but it has recently gotten worse. Hearing about all the terrible happenings in the news and around us causes me stress. I tend to be highly cautious. Here are a few tips to help me during my travels.
Well, what is anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal part of life. We all experience it from time to time, but people, like myself that suffer from chronic anxiety or an anxiety disorder have these feelings more often than others. They can cause panic, interfere with everyday activities, and are hard to control. Some symptoms can include feeling nervous, restless, or tense, a sense of danger, hyperventilation, sweating, and trouble sleeping, amongst several other things. It looks different for everyone.
Tips for Solo Traveling With Anxiety
While I’m not a medical professional, here are some things that worked for me.
Create A Plan
Do you know what triggers you? If so, write down a plan, and research your destination. Let your family or friends know where you’re going. Share your location with someone you trust, and don’t let others know you’re alone.
Learn what helps you to feel safe and put those things into practice. That meant getting to the airport early and researching where I would drop my car off and pick it up—knowing which gates to use and finding all available information about the airport so I would feel completely prepared.
Medication or Essential Oils
Everyone has their way of treating their anxiety; whether you choose medication or natural alternatives such as essential oils, make sure you have these readily available. Your oils must be in a TSA-approved bag, but I would use them before boarding your flight.
For me, I take a daily antidepressant and anxiety medication that can help me during a panic attack. Since I knew I would be flying and traveling to a large airport, I opted to take my anxiety medication. This helped to keep me calm while navigating the unknown.
Noise-Canceling Headphones
I have a pair of Beats and I love them. I put on my headphones and turn on a calming playlist to help me stay in tune with myself. I like white noise and rainforest sounds. It helps more than you know. This is a great time to practice breathing exercises.
A wired option like this is also great if you don’t want to burn your headphone battery.
Book or Tablet
I’m an iPad girl. It's rare that I don’t have it with me. I recently grabbed a keyboard for my iPad Air so that I could type while in flight. It was great. I know that if I can’t close my eyes due to paranoia, I have to be active, and this was perfect. I started a brain dump of all the things I wanted to write about and my plans for the blog. It was great getting it out there.
A book is also another great option. If you’re an avid reader or even a newbie, get a book, it will help you take your mind off what’s happening around you.
Relax
There isn’t much you can do when you aren’t the one in control. I prayed with my family before leaving home. I prayed when I got on the plane and prayed when we landed.
If you’ve done all of the things mentioned above, you’re good to go! Life just be lifin’ and there is nothing that we can do about it. Like the old Benjamin Franklin said, “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail.”
*Possible Tip - Upgrade your seat if you’re flying. My husband switched me to first class because he knows my fear of being around a lot of people and feeling uncomfortable. While the extra room was great, and the perks of boarding first made a difference, I’m not sure I’ll do it again.
Safe travels, friend! Let me know if you found this helpful.