How do you overcome the fear of traveling?

Oh Julie1014 I am right there with you. I actually discovered that I had anticipatory anxiety this year, when my husband and I planned our first visit earlier this year to go to Guadalajara, Mexico to visit his sister. I thought I was going crazy from the anxiety. But I was prescribed .25 mg of Xanax and instructed to take it first thing in the morning and at bedtime about a week before we left and until I felt it was no longer needed. I ended up going on that trip and had the best time ever. I even went again about 2 weeks ago.

I too have Crohns and think that was the culprit of the anxiety. What if I get sick down there (my beloved husband said, then will go home), what if the food down there doesn't agree with me (a niece who has travelled there alot, told us of safe places to eat). I think the best tip is just to plan ahead.

I hope you take the time to talk with a therapist and maybe she/he can help you work thru this. Many on this board recommend CBT and have found success with it too. Sending good wishes you will be able to travel again soon.

Good luck,
Gail *Nanners*

Thank you for the wonderful replies. It's so nice to know I'm not alone. Blessings to you all! Julie

My anxiety is also crohns related. It helps me to have a mock comfort zone at my destination. So - when we go to our inlaws we have our own bedroom and bathroom, that is my oasis. When I traveled to Singapore my hotel was my safe zone. The plane was the hardest part but with xanax and lots of self talk I got through.

I want to share what works for me but I don't want to sound like I am just saying "just get over it" because I'm not. I find that once I do something that makes me SUPER anxious, and do it successfully, I am a lot less anxious the next time. So if you are afraid of travel what if you book a hotel room, in your home town. Go and sleep over no matter how miserable and panicked you get. Promise yourself it is one night of your life and you will fight through it. When you finally get home to that ahhhhh safe place you will realize in retrospect, hey - I did it. I'm ok. Then it a little while try it again, might not be so bad. Then try traveling somewhere a little further.

Recognize what really scares you, underneath it all. Is it getting sick? Then research hospitals and doctors. Is it pooping your pants? Bring a change of clothes, take immodium. Is it crowds? Stay out of the cities and go to a nice country inn. Is it feeling alone? Then go some place familiar like a mall in a different city. Same stuff different place, etc.

I also keep track of times I am scared and do something and it goes really well, times I go and it goes ok, and times I go and it is a disaster. My disaster list is really small. My I wasn't scared at all list is small. My I was scared, did it, and it was fine list is huge. I remind myself that the movie in my head is always a horror film and the reality isn't going to be so bad.

And then there is always the good old "what is the worst the absolute worst that could happen." That tends to put it into perspective. Most likely your worst won't change history, won't stop the world, and won't matter to anyone else as much as you. You will realize that even if the worst happened you would wake up the next day and life would just go on.

But Shia - you have to remind yourself - even though it SUCKED you survived your panic attack on the plane and got home in one piece, right?? I didn't see you on the news - you didn't get arrested - you felt insane but did you cause a scene? Did they have to turn the plane around or emergency land for you? I'm guessing not. You felt miserable - but it wasn't the end of the world. If you go to Vegas with your friends and feel miserable can't you always stay in your hotel room? Or go home? I HATE flying more than anything in the world and I know how petrifying it is to put yourself back in that miserable aluminum tube - but - in the big scheme of things it wasn't as big as it felt when you experienced it. I vomitted and pooped all the way back from Vegas one and swore I would never fly again. But then I realized, as much as I was miserable and panicked it was 5 hours of my life and I lived to tell about it.