I'm an experienced traveler, but I still felt anxious before a big adventure. This is how I took one step at a time to find my own way in the troubles I had before traveling.
I checked my phone. It was Sunday night when I got home Melbourne.
I know exactly what I would be doing if I were there: Watch a movie, sweet snacks on hand, only half the thoughts, keep the previous work week in mind. In other words, there is almost nothing.
But while that Sunday night was being played for someone, it wasn't my current reality.
Instead, I was demolished several time zones, Hongkong Airport, trying to keep awake connection flying Kathmandu. I'm taking over Mount Everest Base Camp Trek – But after those daydreaming about the comfort of home, I tried hard to remember why.
Adventure Dilemma
Oh, yes. I was going out of my comfort zone. Surprisingly, this made me feel a little uncomfortable.
I often stayed there a few days and weeks before my trip, standing at the airport gate, and I stopped to think about my decision. 'Why should I do this? Am I crazy? Why am I Keep Do this?
Don't get me wrong. I love traveling. It wasn't about being the first stamp on my passport, nor was it my first solo.
Traveling is exciting. But nothing is one thing. It can also be daunting, challenging and exhausting. Home is home for a reason: This is where my friends are. I know this land. I speak language. I have a routine and stability. Very easy.
But the comfort of home ends up being boring. I think I think life is much more than I think when I visit the same cafe for the fifth time in a week. “I started to portray what else there. Savings were put aside and some of the planned things would be put together. In the blur, the trip was booked.
However, we are just in the end of the cycle, but about halfway.
During the time between booking a trip and departure, the initial energy of an adventure can sometimes become nerve-wracking, which in turn can become nervous.
Sometimes, changes are not all cracked. It's hard and rarely looks like you think it's. Of course, I was a little tired of my surroundings a few weeks ago, but now I am facing leaving them behind the unknown, are they really that bad?
If you are like me and tend to be captured by the push of “Travel loves me, travel doesn't love me”, then these are the things I do to help me get into G, from A to B.
1. Book a trip
I have nothing more to love than sitting on a fence. I often Let the passage of time make a decision for me. Sometimes this applies to traveling too. I will scroll on social media on Sunday evening, the algorithm will provide cafes for videos in the Albanian Alps, in Berlin and NepalHiking trails. Tempting, yes. But a few days will pass by and I will take the simple choice to stick to what I know.
Going out and seeing the world can easily become something you know about you should Do it, but never leave. There is only one thing. Action against impulsiveness. Book a trip. This sounds obvious, but the first step to getting out of the door is to leave.
At the moment of inspiration, lock something on paper and in the work there. In the future, you may not be grateful to you at first, but the future after the trip will certainly be. Plans made are much harder than plans never made.
2. Have a plan for the first day
Simply entering your destination doesn’t always mean a difficult job to accomplish. Arriving at a new place can throw a lot at you – strange sights, sounds, smells and cultures can be just as energetic and overwhelming.
Once you get to the accommodation, it's easy to get into “OK, I did, I'm “traveling” – working,' you might convince yourself that since the things outside of these four walls are different from what you've used, you're absorbing it – even if you stay away from it.
My solution? Make it simple with some achievable goals, which will get you out of the way. Do some research beforehand, find two or three attractions to visit, and focus on doing it there. It might be a place to have breakfast the next morning, or maybe even simply relax yourself around the block and enter your surroundings. Having a clear goal can help reduce the overwhelmingness of all these strange attractions and sounds as you focus on the task at hand.
3. Go with a group
As the saying goes, the question of sharing a question is halved, and there is something to say about the comfort of companionship.
Join a group adventure – like A brave journey – Help manage some anxiety that needs to find out a new place because you are surrounded by people on the same page as you.
This is especially true if you are traveling alone and remind you that this does not mean you have to travel alone. Seeing yourself isn't the only one doing it, not only you carry it with you, but it can also help you provide a sense of stability in other new things.
4. Chat with locals
Not only can it help travelers who provide safety blankets. Those who call residences in the area can also be a huge source of guidance. Your accommodation staff, the person behind the counter of that cafe you visited on the first day, is a vibrant bartender…they will all be used to asking questions from visitors of all kinds of travel experiences.
It only takes one second of courage to ask them for help, instructions or advice. Even if you don’t want to be a tourist yourself, it’ll only take a moment – you can go back and try to fit in.
In addition, the benefits are twofold. You (hope) you will get exactly what you are looking for, and your questions may be friendly and provide a kind PEP in your steps as you continue your adventure.
5. Slowly
If all you can think of in the first few hours or days of your journey is “I just want to go home”, then I have good news: Soon, you will.
The house you long for will come back. In fact, they may be faster than you think. Time will be quick when you have a lot of new and exciting things to deal with before you.
To offset this acceleration of time, try to slow things down. If after trying to ask someone for direction and spend the morning you need to break up with cup tea and lie down and do it!
Do things at your own pace. Use that break time to take a look, then pat your back and then go back there.
Because, if you are like me, it’s not long before you hang out at home on Sunday night, another week of work extends ahead of you, dreaming of stepping outside into a whole new world.
Follow Stefan's advice and book today's group adventure – A brave journey Ideal for anxious travelers.
