How to Manage Travel Anxiety: 7 Tips

Does travel make you anxious? You’re hardly alone.

Travel anxiety isn’t a distinct diagnosis, but it is a concern that mental health professionals often hear from patients, says Neel Ramesh Doshi, DO, a child and adult psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California. “It has a broad range, from mild ‘pre-trip jitters’ often accompanied by insomnia, to intense phobias, such as an outright fear of flying,” he says.

Unlike generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which involves chronic, persistent, pervasive worry about everyday activities and events, travel worry is situational. It mostly surfaces before or during the trip, and unfamiliar environments or transit-related stressors can trigger it, Dr. Doshi says.

He notes that signs of travel anxiety may include:

• Avoiding travel, even when you want to go
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety symptoms (such as insomnia, nausea, or irritability) that persist for weeks before or after a trip

But, like GAD, travel anxiety is very manageable. There are several strategies you can try to keep it in check.

1. Create a Plan

Sometimes, spontaneity can be fun. But for people with travel anxiety, planning ahead has benefits. “Anxiety thrives on uncertainty and fear of the unknown — planning serves as a way to counteract this,” Doshi says.

Lauren Cook, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, California, who specializes in anxiety, recommends researching the logistics of your destination and making reservations when needed. “When we can prepare, it allows us to actually get excited and look forward to the experiences we’re going to be having,” she says.

2. Pack Coping Helpers

Bring a travel panic pouch with items you find comforting in anxious moments.

3. Ease In

“Essentially, the person is gradually and repeatedly working toward being exposed to increasingly fearful, anxiety-provoking stimuli,” says Gina Radice-Vella, PsyD, the chief psychologist and the director of internship training at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey.

For those who are afraid of air travel, she says, you might build up to taking a flight through the following steps:

1. Look at pictures of commercial airplanes.
2. Watch videos and listen to the sounds of planes taking off and landing.
3. Watch videos of an interior cabin on a plane during turbulence.
4. Drive to a local airport, walk into the terminal, and sit near the ticketing counter for one hour.
5. Visit a flight simulator center.
6. Book a short trip with a trusted friend or family member.

4. Challenge Negative Thoughts

Travel anxiety doesn’t arise on its own; it’s typically set in motion by a negative thought. “Anxiety often begins with our assessment of a situation, usually an overestimation of something bad happening coupled with an underestimation of our ability to handle it,” Dr. Radice-Vella says.

You may not be able to prevent your flight from getting delayed, but you can pause and evaluate your beliefs when it happens. Ask yourself: What evidence do you have to support or contradict these thoughts? From there, reframe the belief into something more balanced and realistic.

“A reframed thought might be: ‘This is an inconvenience, but I have my phone to alert others and make changes if needed, and airlines have processes for delays. I can handle this,’” Doshi says.

5. Practice Breathing Exercises

“Slow, rhythmic breathing calms the nervous system, lowers your heart rate, improves focus, and shifts you out of ‘fight-or-flight’ mode,” Doshi says.

He recommends box breathing: inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and hold for four seconds. Repeat until you feel calmer.

6. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Coffee and alcohol are common travel fare, but both can actually worsen anxiety.

Since alcohol is a sedative, many people have a drink or two to quickly ease their nerves. But its other effects on the body are counterproductive for anxiety relief. “It disrupts sleep, which is already challenging during plane flights, leads to dehydration, which mimics physical stress, and there’s a rebound anxiety effect when it wears off that can leave travelers more stressed than they were initially,” Doshi says.

Meanwhile, caffeine is a stimulant that mimics the physical symptoms of anxiety, Doshi says. Think: racing heart, jitters, and restlessness. “For an already anxious traveler, caffeine can produce sensations that trick the brain into thinking it is experiencing a panic attack,” Doshi says.

7. Seek Professional Support

While there are many steps you can take to manage travel anxiety on your own, there are instances when professional help is warranted. Doshi recommends seeking support from a mental health professional when travel anxiety starts getting in the way of life, whether that means missing out on opportunities, holding back your career, or putting a strain on your relationships.

Your doctor may suggest medications both for long-term anxiety and for situational distress. “They don’t cure anxiety, but they can allow for a meaningful reduction in symptoms so that you can effectively utilize psychological tools such as CBT,” Doshi notes.

A psychiatrist can evaluate your medical history and travel needs to help you decide whether medication is right for you, he adds.