You have dreamed of your trip for months, you have organized your agenda, you have searched for information about the destination, you have booked flights and hotels, and, finally, it is just around the corner: the day of departure. That day you decide to leave your routine behind for a few moments and focus on enjoying, knowing and feeling free from monotony.
However, a voice within you does not stop finding excuses to add worries to your trip: What if the trip goes wrong? What if you miss the plane? What if you get lost and are not able to ask for help? What if everything turns out the other way around? What if this trip is, after all, a catastrophic idea? You go to a country that is in Africa. Won’t it be dangerous? …
Pre-trip anxiety is a real thing, and many travelers experience apprehension a few days before leaving whether it is their first trip or the thousandth. These obstacles are not at all pleasant while you are trying to enjoy the trip, but fortunately they can often be addressed and overcome with time and practice … It is not invincible, and with a little preparation you will not ruin your trip, so get down to business! construction site!.
Learn to recognize panic and anxiety
Accept that anxiety is part of the experience and, instead of it destroying you, use it as motivation to do the things that you can control, prevent and prepare so that everything turns out as well as possible and so that surprises do not affect you so much. Being prepared is the best way to avoid an anxiety attack.
It is important that you know what affects you the most about travel and that you pay special attention to that to avoid problems.
Covers the basics when traveling abroad
- Learn some common phrases
- Find out if you need a special visa
- Make sure your passport is valid
- Find where to exchange currency for the best rate
- Don’t forget about electrical outlets
- Find out if tap water is safe to drink
- Do you need a data or roaming plan?
- The local emergency number
- The «tourist traps»
Plan your trip
Have enough information about your destination and what you will do in it. Make sure you wear the right clothes and that you have everything close at hand in your backpack. Prepare backup copies of your documentation and even have a printed travel itinerary on hand. If you take medication or anything else you need during the trip, take extra doses with you and always have them ready.
Have your first day planned
Knowing what awaits you (at least in an abstract way) once you land will help calm your nerves and give you precise instructions on what to do, step by step.
Look for logical solutions
There are things that may not go according to plan. But, do not focus only on the problems that may arise, if you are going to imagine those terrible scenarios, also think about what you could do to solve them.
