Tips for Managing Travel Anxiety

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wanting to take a overnight trip with Charlie and David, but anxiety has stopped me from planning the trip. I’m excited to have Tips for Managing Travel Anxiety to help me and Charlie, from Jules Jean-Pierre, therapist at Grow Therapy.

Common reasons people experience travel/flight anxiety 

Common reasons that I have found as to why some people experience travel/flight anxiety, over the course of 10 years as a therapist, are the following:

1. fear of dying
2. fear of getting Covid, due to having had a loved one pass away or having had Covid themselves
3. fear of turbulence – not feeling safe on the plane due to past experiences
4. fear of people, related to 911 (both discriminatory and non-discriminatory reasons)
5. claustrophobia – feeling as though there is not enough room on the plane and feeling trapped with little to no air  
6. motion sickness – this causes an uncomfortable experience due to sickness and feeling judged because they have to get up a number of times to be in the restroom 
7. fear of judgment – families with small children often are fearful their child will be crying during a significant portion of the flight and that other passengers will have a negative response and judge them.

Solutions for addressing travel anxiety

Some first line solutions I would suggest for individuals who struggle with travel anxiety are the following:

1. If you are prescribed medication for your anxiety, I recommend taking it at an appropriate time so that it helps for the duration of the flight.  
2. If you experience motion sickness, take medication, such as Dramamine, at the appropriate time so that it can support you for the duration of the flight, sit in the aisle seat (if possible), have back up medication and most importantly be mindful of what you are eating.  Bring, pack or ask for snacks that settle your stomach. 
3. Distracting themselves with a good movie or book.
4. During one of my trips, I discovered that one of the channels on the flight was a meditation channel.   
5. Another coping skill would be deep breathing for those who have practiced it enough.  It’s important to practice deep breathing so that you are prepared to use it and are aware of when it works best for you or there’s a possibility it will be ineffective.  There are many types of breathing exercises that can be found online so it’s important to choose something that is easy to recall during times of stress.  An example of one breathing technique is box breathing. Here’s how to utilize box breathing:
   1. Breathe out slowly, releasing all the air from your lungs.
   2. Breathe in through your nose as you slowly count to four in your head. 
   3. Hold your breath for a count of four.
   4. Exhale for another count of four.
   5. Hold your breath again for a count of four.
   6. Repeat for three to four rounds. 

Meditation to curb travel/flight anxiety

There are many different apps that individuals can choose from such as Calm, Shine, Serenity, Liberate, Headspace, Sleep Sounds and Exhale. I personally would listen to Exhale. Exhale is an emotional well-being app designed for all women of color and it specifically speaks to assisting me tap into what they call “soul medicine”.

Here are some different types of meditation that can help:

1. Some individuals like meditating to a specific song or instrumental on repeat, which is soothing and meditative, this helps to keep the person feeling calm. 

1. Others may enjoy and benefit from guided imagery, which helps their mind focus on imagery away from the plane.  

Products for travelers with flight anxiety

Each of the items below has the potential to create a space of calm or neutrality. The purpose of coping skills is to actually cope with the situation as best as possible, not ignore it.  

1. For travelers that respond well to touch for the purposes of feeling grounded, I would recommend a weighted blanket (if allowed).  A weighted blanket can feel as though someone is holding you safely in place. 

1. Another item I would suggest is noise-canceling headphones which help ease any tension from noise on the plane which can possibly make an individual lose focus.  

1. For an individual who struggles with focus, I suggest an item that’s easily accessible such as a fidget spinner, which concentrates their mind on being able to consistently move (an object) in their seat.   

Natural supplements that can help with anxiety

Here are the names of a few supplements that can help with Anxiety: St John’s Wort, Valerian Root, 5-HTP, Ashwagandha, Lavender. 

There are many natural supplements that can help with anxiety, and it’s always recommended that an individual converse with their primary care physician, a naturopath or herbalist so that you can avoid taking the wrong supplement or dose of supplement.  

Understanding your travel anxiety

If a person is in therapy, then I would say that it is important to work on determining what the root cause of the flight anxiety is and to work on it with your therapist. Each person is unique to their trauma and associated anxiety. For some people it is directly about being on an airplane. For others the anxiety may not be rooted to anything that has to do with being on a plane at all. Our brain is unique with the many pathways of association to painful memories so that’s something to discover in session with a therapist.

For those not in therapy, come up with a game plan and practice, practice, practice. This is essential to having the best possibility of a successful flight. Each type of anxiety (generalized anxiety, panic disorder, acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.) is different but at the root for all is fear, therefore the type of anxiety you have doesn’t matter as much as knowing and practicing the right coping skills that can get you through the flight. 

Knowing that there’s an issue is a great first step, the next is deciding to do something constructive about it. 

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates