Travel Anxiety

[Lem0nade Inlay]

Hey Escapist,

I'm not looking for a whole heap of advice or anything, mostly just reassurance.
In about two weeks I'm travelling to Japan for a total of 13 days on a Study tour for school. We're not staying with a host family or anything, it's more like a holiday; sightseeing, staying at hotels etc.

Now, I've always wanted to visit Japan, it seems like an amazing place and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to go.

On the trip will be me and about 10 other guys (as well as some teachers).

I get the opportunity to travel and I've been overseas quite often (this will be my third time this year) and each time I go I always feel nervous and anxious leading up to it, which I thought was fair enough. Once I'm on my holidays, however, I feel great and always have an amazing time.

This time, however, my anxiety is far greater than normal and I'm not sure whether this is because of my upcoming exams (my last one is actually on the day we leave, as we leave at midnight) or because it will be my first time on a holiday without my family.

I don't mind leaving my parents really, I mean just a few weeks ago they were gone for two weeks on a trip themselves and I stayed with my auntie, it was no problem. But now I'm just nervous and I really hate being away. I believe this is also because unfortunately like many young people I have become addicted to social media, and I become anxious when I'm not able to use Facebook for a long time.

So yeah I don't know...I just feel incredibly nervous about the trip and I'm not sure how well I'll cope.
Sorry for all the backstory, but I really just wanted to ask the escapist:

- Do you guys ever get anxious when you're going on an overseas trip?
- How do you cope with it?
- Any advice?

I know many probably won't read this thread, but it's also nice just to write down all my thoughts.
Thanks!

 

[OCannen]

It's normal to feel anxious when going on a trip. I remember that I went on holiday on my own for the first time in 2002 to the US and I was tying myself in knots making sure everything was planned, everything was properly packed and I must have double checked my ticket forty times to make sure everything was in order.

I've been doing long haul flights since I was 5 so I know what flying is like, but the anxiety of being on my own for the first time almost made me sick. I got through it by just trying to stay calm and writing a list like this:

- Have ticket ready
- Have passport ready
- All luggage weighed
- Sorted out boarding pass at check in desk
- etc etc

So you can get through it step by step and not forget anything, but I'm a list kinda girl. I make lists for everything.

I'd say that the one thing you really should do is remind yourself to take everything one step at a time, hug your loved ones before you leave and plaster a big smile on your face until you're off the plane in Japan because I bet once you get there, even the most fake smile will turn real and you'll have an awesome time.

 

[Galletea]

I always feel nervous when going away. The easiest thing to do to is to schedule things leading up to the trip and go over the itinerary for where you're going, if you have one. It won't stop you being nervous but it does help.

I had to spend time in France as part of my studies and I couldn't find accommodation before I was due to leave. I had to find my way into the town, and then find a tiny hostel in a completely new place. Added to which my french was pretty bad, so I was really scared leading up to that. I just kept telling myself that I could just book a plane back, and that helped.

In your situation, you are in a group, and there are some teachers there. If you feel really nervous then the best thing to do is talk it over with one of the teachers. They'll understand, everyone gets nervous, and think about them, they have to organise things and make sure everything works as it's meant to.