First things first; a little anxiety is ok. It’s the thing that makes us extra vigilant and stops us from entering unsafe situations. For some of us, it’s simply a sensation in your gut or something that tips off your “spidey senses”. But for some people it goes a lot further than that and can become debilitating. All of the sudden, your heart is beating extra fast, you start sweating and the “what if” thoughts take over. In this post, I’ll share some proven strategies to help you overcome international travel anxiety.
International travel anxiety is real. The night before your first flight: sleeplessness, “what-if” scenarios you triple check everything. To add to this anxiety, we are constantly bombarded with all the things on the news, a social media algorithm that plays into our paranoia and let’s not forget that friend of a friend that knows somebody that had a “situation”. It’s enough to make you never step foot outside your front door.
The reality is, mishaps happen. Even to the best of us. Whether you are traveling to Boston or Bangkok, you need to be prepared. How do you pump the brakes on your fears, get comfortable with a balanced amount of anxiety and keep moving. Imagine the feeling of stepping off the plane calm, not panicked with everything in place. It’s possible. This post reveals some proven tactics to beat first-trip anxiety and actually enjoy exploring the globe.
5 Ways to Conquer First-Time International Travel Anxiety
International travel is a combination of a lot of things that can send most of us over the edge. Airports, long flights, crossing borders, navigating languages, the list goes on and on. Just writing this list makes me want to get back under the covers. Feeling jittery is normal —but these five strategies, backed by psychology and travel research, will help you switch from panic to poised.
1. Thorough Pre-Trip Planning
Minimizing anxiety starts by eliminating surprises. Putting together a solid plan can calm your nerves. It makes you do a bit more research and leave less things to chance.
Even if you are working with a full tour company, it’s helpful to create a day-by schedule for your trip. Breakdown your itinerary into a bulk timeframe to identify requirements. For example, indicate when you will need self managed transportation. But be careful to leave space for a little adventure.
Create a checklist of all the documents you need. You can download my beach trip checklist template here. After you have organized everything put them in a secure place so it is less likely that they will be left behind. Before you begin your trip, make sure you have digital copies of important documents, just in case. Check out this video for some tips that might be helpful.
As you prepare, spend some time getting to know your destination. Researching neighborhoods, public transportation and cultural etiquette can go a long way to help minimize anxiety. Know where to go for help in case of an emergency and identify on the ground support in your destination.
2. Pack Comfort & Familiarity
Ever since the spread of COVID, every time someone coughs on a plane, I stick my face in my shirt, scarf, blanket or whatever I have. I might be slightly overly suspicious but for good reason. Being in cramped quarters with a bunch of strangers for more than a few hours will have you evaluating everything.
Knowing this, I pack a few things to help me stay sane and safe through one of the most stressful parts of travel; the airplane.
Since we can’t fly the plane ourselves and flying private is a dream not yet realized, we have to make our time on commercial flights more palatable. I never get on a flight without noise-canceling headphones. They help to block out loud noises like crying children and random sneezes. But they should also be filled with familiar playlists or sounds that are calming. With some nice jazz or RnB, I can get through most anything. Just make sure you charge them up in advance.
I still bring along an N95 mask, Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. Since COVID, these items help to reduce my anxiety about coming in contact with the germs of others. I also travel with a hoodie, my own blanket and eye mask because I’ve never trusted the ones on the plane.
Next, I always have water and emergency food nearby. Who wants to wait on the flight attendant to drop off some salty peanuts when you’re starving. The only thing worst than hangry stress for me is the horrible headache that occurs when I’m dehydrated. And long flights are ripe for both.
3. Cognitive Reframing & Mindset Shifts
Ask yourself: “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” It might sound counter intuitive but writing down worst case scenario fears along with a rational counter can help to shift your thinking.
For example, you forgot to bring your jacket and it looks like the temperature will be below freezing a couple of nights. The counter, go buy another jacket or layer up with the things you have.
Once you’ve identified them and written them down with positive outcomes, you can start to deflate catastrophizing thoughts.
Now that you have worst case scenarios all plotted out, set your focus on micro-goals that you can celebrate. Celebrate completing packing. Pat yourself on the back for an on time check-in. Do little shimmy after you make it through security. You get the point. Focus on small wins rather than the whole trip to reduce anxiety.
4. Leverage Travel Tech
Two things that can shake you up on international travel is not knowing the language and fearing getting lost. In some countries, I feel I can sound out the letters to fake my way through a trip. But in some places, it all looks like gibberish. Trying to navigate around a city and not ask for help can take my travel anxiety from 10 to 100 fast.
This is where technology can really help you out. Gone are the days when you walked around with translation dictionaries and confusing maps.
Today you can download Google Translate’s offline mode to ease language barriers. With this app you can translate written text or even speak into it to have it translate voice. It was a game changer on my last trip with menus in restaurants.
For navigation, download maps in Maps.me to get offline GPS guidance so you never get lost, even when you are walking around town. Next, add a currency converter to your arsenal to minimize stress over money.
Finally, safety abroad can also be a source of stress. Register with STEP (U.S. travelers) or local embassies for real-time security updates. And keep an eye out for weather conditions that may cause problems with a global weather app.
5. On-The-Go Calming Techniques
If after all of the planning and apps you still find yourself stressed, there are a few exercises you can do to help bring your heart rate down and get you thinking again.
The simplest is breathing. Box breathing is an easy technique to help get your thoughts under control. Inhale 4s, hold 4s, exhale 4s, hold 4s—repeat to lower pulse. This works well when you find yourself over thinking a situation as a reset method.
Another easy to execute exercise is grounding 5,4,3,2,1. In this exercise you identify 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste to anchor in the present. By engaging your senses in this structured way, you are redirecting your mind away from anxious thoughts and back to the present moment providing a sense of calm and stability. This technique is particularly useful during moments of high stress or anxiety.
Finally, I like the reality check. In the moment, ask yourself “what can I do about this now?” It’s an easy way to reduce the problem to its smallest actionable elements. For example, your flight was just canceled. Yelling at the gate agent is not likely to get you anywhere, except perhaps more stressed. But you could go online and check to see what flights are leaving in the window you need heading to your destination. Now you’ve just moved one step closer to your destination which will automatically reduce your travel anxiety.
My Perspective
These techniques won’t solve all your problems but they are certain to reduce your travel anxiety and have you feeling confident enough to move forward with the international trip. Check out my blog for 5 Tips for Planning for your First International Trip for additional insights that might be helpful.
Detailed planning is a game changer in cutting surprises that spark anxiety. Itineraries remove uncertainty. Take the time to do this.
Make sure you have what you need to feel comforted and supported during your travels. From apps to gadgets, get what works for you. And if all else fails, do one of the on the go calming techniques and reframe your thoughts. A quick mind shift paired with simple breathing exercise can drop your heart rate by 10 BPM in minutes.
Choose one strategy to implement on your next trip—whether it’s journaling before you leave or downloading offline maps—and observe how your confidence grows.
FAQs About Overcoming Travel Anxiety
What if my anxiety hits mid-trip?
If anxiety spikes during travel, pause and practice box breathing (inhale 4s, hold 4s, exhale 4s, hold 4s) until your heart rate stabilizes, then resume activities at a gentler pace.
How can I sleep on my first overnight flight?
To improve in-flight sleep, wear an eye mask and noise-canceling headphones, recline fully if possible, and sip warm non-caffeinated tea before boarding to promote relaxation.
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