Tips for the nervous traveler | The Odyssey Online
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5 Tips For The Nervous Traveler

Because airports and anxious minded people go together about as well as orange juice and toothpaste.

Sarah Petti
Aug 01, 2019
The Ohio State University
32
5 Tips For The Nervous Traveler
Unsplash

I absolutely love traveling. I love venturing to some part of the world and immersing myself into a culture entirely different than my own. It's the most rewarding experience that life has to offer. However, that doesn't mean that airports and the actual traveling part doesn't stress the absolute hell out of me. The anxiety of airports and flying is enough to detour people from ever getting a chance to see somewhere new. Fortunately, there are incredibly easy ways to ensure that your traveling experience doesn't include stress crying in an airport bathroom.

Think ahead before you pack

Before you go anywhere you obviously need to pack a suitcase of sorts; but are you sure you remembered everything? Did you pack enough underwear? Are you sure you don't want to bring that one pair of shoes? Do you have enough soap to last? The easiest way to stop this panic; plan ahead. The day before you want to pack write down everything you *might* want to bring and then narrow down from there. Rather than putting the pressure on yourself of getting everything ready in one night, give yourself some time to plan.

Arrive way earlier than you need to

This one seems obvious, but my father has consistently done this for every vacation and it has saved us more than once. The standard time to be at an airport before your flight takes off is 2 hours. If you're able to, get there 2 and a half hours early. Knowing that you have plenty of time to get through check-in and security with cut down on stress and leave less room for error and mistakes on your part.

Wear a good outfit

A good outfit day is basically the equivalent of being invincible. There's no better time to feel your best than at the airport. I'm not saying you should dress straight off the runway, but there are plenty of ways to dress comfortably and still look good. When you feel better, you'll do better.

Go hands free

If possible, check your suitcase so you don't have to worry about lugging around a carry on or find a way to pack everything into a backpack or other personal item. That way if you need to sprint you can and if you need to reach and get something quickly you're able to as well. This also makes it so much easier to keep track of your belongings and important documents.

Eat at every opportunity 

Staying fueled and hydrated is definitely the most important thing to do while traveling. Doing anything on an empty stomach makes everything much harder than it needs to be. I know it's easy to walk past the pricey airport food, but you will most definitely regret not eating that $9 Cinnabon before a 5 hour flight. Save yourself the added stress and stay snacking throughout the journey.

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