Travel Anxiety Tips: How To Stay Calm and Balanced on the Go

Travel anxiety takes various forms, including culture shock, solo travel anxiety and fear of flying. It affects everyone from children going on holiday to executives travelling for work. While therapy and medical treatment may be required for more severe anxiety, there are plenty of simple methods to help overcome apprehension, including breathing exercises, careful planning and maintaining familiar habits. Discover travel anxiety tips to help you look forward to your trip.

Travel anxiety symptoms range from feeling tense to physical symptoms like nausea and rapid heart rate. As your trip gets closer, you may become irritable, lose concentration and have difficulty sleeping. While some people are familiar with their own travel anxiety, others may not realise that their restlessness is related to a new kind of travel. For example, travelling with children, going on a business trip or flying long haul for the first time. One of the best ways to manage travel anxiety is to acknowledge it in the first place, so you can deal with it.

It's common for pre-departure anxiety to begin quite a while before the trip starts, and there's plenty you can do in advance to manage travel anxiety. Consider a short warm-up trip, maybe somewhere local or familiar, to get used to certain aspects of travel that cause pre-trip nerves. This is especially useful if you're anxious about new types of travel, such as a solo trip or your first family holiday with children.
 

The build-up to your trip is also a good time to practise grounding techniques, which should help to manage your pre-travel anxiety and will continue to be useful once you set off. This includes simple meditation, like closing your eyes and focusing on a calming mental image. It also includes breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 technique, in which you inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds.

Making a packing checklist will help you feel more prepared and ensure you don't forget important items. This includes comfort items like favourite books, a particular blanket or a familiar scented hand cream. Along with essentials like passports and medication, include items that create a bubble, such as noise-cancelling headphones and eye masks. Consider packing natural remedies for travel anxiety, like herbal teas or calming supplements recommended by your doctor.

Just as comfort items offer reassuring familiarity, bringing some elements of your daily routine on the road will help you and your family manage travel anxiety. During packing days, the day of departure and the first part of your trip, take a few minutes to do regular things like listening to a favourite podcast with coffee or reading to your children. When you pack, make sure comfort items are easily reachable.
 

If you're flying, there are some useful flight anxiety tips to try before you even reach the airport. Digital check-in and early check-in reduce stress once you arrive, and researching facilities in advance, such as play areas and cafés, means you can be in a comfortable environment pretty quickly.

The flight itself may be a source of anxiety, but there are methods to help you cope with fear of flying. Your grounding techniques are important, as are distractions such as games and activities to enjoy with your family. During quieter times, try focusing on positives, such as picturing your beautiful destination.
 

A lot of travel anxiety tips relate to taking care of yourself physically. Try to eat light, nutritious food, and make sure kids do too. Avoid alcohol and set caffeine limits, especially as feeling jittery can be mistaken for anxiety symptoms creeping in. Hydration is essential because dehydration is linked to elevated cortisol levels, so be sure to drink enough water. Sleep whenever you get a chance, as rest also improves mental and physical well-being.

Arriving at your destination is exciting, and a few travel anxiety tips will help you start relaxing. Have a back-up plan for issues such as delays that lead to late arrival. Note the time of the next train after your intended departure, get the numbers of reliable local taxis, and check whether your hotel reception is open 24/7. Consider a night at an airport hotel the day you arrive to recharge before taking on new travel challenges. Novotel Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, right inside Terminal 3, is an excellent example.

Culture shock can sometimes be an issue, especially when you're jet-lagged or already tired, but using a high-quality language app will help. Free apps like Google Translate and Microsoft Translator are useful, especially as you can download certain languages to use offline. You can also point your camera at signs to translate. Google Maps lets you download certain areas offline too, to navigate your new location more easily.
 

Choose a hotel that has lots of different amenities on site, so you can unwind and have fun while finding your feet and getting a feel for the local area. Buffer time, which means building in rest days between excursions and activities, is another helpful travel anxiety tip. Picture a destination like Novotel Resort & Spa Biarritz Anglet, where you can enjoy the sauna, seasonal pool and spa between beach jaunts. Prioritise familiar rituals like leisurely breakfasts or family dinners – the on-site restaurant serves Basque fare. With a free shuttle and the airport nearby, arrival stress is minimal.
 

At your hotel, you can really start to unwind and feel travel anxiety ease. A good hotel ensures rooms are calm spaces with blackout curtains and carefully designed beds. Try to get into a regular sleep routine as quickly as possible to feel more balanced. Along with a comfortable, quiet room, gentle exercise like swimming and mindful walking leads to better sleep in the evening, helping you to ease that travel anxiety altogether.

Travel anxiety is very common and has a number of causes, from stress about the journey to culture shock on arrival. It can occur on trips of all kinds, from business travel to holidays. Symptoms range from insomnia and repetitive thoughts to nausea and rapid heart rate. Important travel anxiety tips include breathing exercises, pre-planning, and prioritising comfort items and routines. 

You should consider declaring anxiety when you apply for travel insurance, especially if it has been diagnosed by a doctor or you are taking medication. A little nervousness about travelling would not normally need to be declared, but check policy details and be as honest as possible to ensure you're covered.

Doctors sometimes prescribe medication like diazepam for fear of flying, but side effects such as drowsiness need to be taken into consideration. Always talk to your doctor before starting any new medication.

Travel anxiety in pets can be caused by unfamiliar surroundings and being restricted. Some travel anxiety tips apply equally well to pets, such as starting with short trips and bringing familiar items.