There are a lot of phobias related to traveling: fear of water, fear of animals, fear of certain environments, etc. Some of those phobias can be avoided depending on the type of traveling you’re doing, while others are a little harder to avoid. If you experience some common travel phobias, you might find that some aspects of travel are highly uncomfortable for you — so much so that you might be avoiding travel altogether. However, travel is an amazing part of life for many people. For that reason, it’s unfair to lose out on these experiences due to a travel-related phobia.

Fear is a powerful reaction, so it’s hard to overturn this emotion related to travel overnight. However, there are some tips you can use to deal with your travel phobia. Whether you’re afraid of flying, driving, being in unfamiliar places, crowds, or being attacked while traveling, it’s helpful to understand the psychology of these fears and how to deal with them.

Fear of Flying

Fear of flying is a very common form of travel anxiety. Flying phobias can stem from fear that the plane will crash, a fear of heights, a fear of small spaces, or a culmination of all of these and more. Conquering your fear of flying may take years, or it may never go away, but there are ways to help you cope while you’re in the sky.

 

• Do your research: The odds of dying in a plane crash were 1 in 188,364 in 2017. You’re more likely to die choking on food or by falling. Learning about these statistics and the amazing technology involved in modern aviation may help you feel better about flying.

• Talk to the crew: Telling your flight attendant about your fear can be really helpful. They may pay extra attention to assure you that turbulence is normal and keep you calm if you’re feeling panicked or anxious while in the air.

• Embrace distraction: Sometimes sleeping, reading, working, or watching a movie can be helpful distractions from the fear while you fly. If these work for you, embrace them.

• Get an aisle seat: Staying on the aisle can help with feeling cramped or anxious while looking out the window. It can also allow a flight attendant to be near you to help if you’re feeling panicked.

• Drive instead: Sometimes it’s better to avoid your fear. If you can drive, do that instead.

 

Driving Anxiety

Whether you’re driving or you’re a passenger, you may feel anxiety while on the road. Some people have a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) related responses to driving if they’ve been in an automobile accident, seen an accident, or had a loved one involved in an accident. A fear of driving is a difficult one to deal with because it’s such a common way of getting around. If this phobia is affecting your everyday life, you may be interested in counseling to help with this fear. Behavior therapy can be extremely beneficial if your fear of driving is linked to PTSD from a traumatic experience related to driving. Otherwise, you may try these tips:

 

• Focus on safety: Wearing a seatbelt, going the speed limit, and keeping survival tools (like a seatbelt cutter) in your car may help you feel more prepared and calm while driving.

• Practice relaxing exercises: Some breathing exercises and muscle tensing techniques can help you to stay calm if you’re feeling panicked while driving or as a passenger.

• Have a plan: Make a plan to stop driving if you’re too anxious, vocalize your worries to your driver, or get off at the next stop if you’re taking public transportation. Knowing you can stop or get out of a vehicle at any time can be comforting.

 

Phobia of Unfamiliar Places

Travel often has to do with going somewhere new. While this is exciting for many people, it’s stressful for some. This phobia can be triggered in everyday life, but when traveling it can be triggered over and over again. Unfamiliar places leave some people feeling unsafe, unsure, and anxious. If your travel phobia is about a fear of unfamiliar places, there are ways to help you through these feelings while traveling.

 

• Have a guide: Bringing a friend who has been to this new location or who has done this new thing can help to calm your nerves. If you can’t do that, consider hiring a guide to help you feel comfortable in this new environment.

• Do your research: In the internet age you can find photos, reviews, blogs, and articles about so many locations, hotels, restaurants, etc. Do a ton of research so that these places aren’t as new to you and you know what to expect.

• Stay close to home: Traveling to a place you’ve been or a place close to your home base will provide some sort of familiarity to help you feel more at ease than you might feel in a place completely foreign to you.

 

Crowd Anxiety

Being in a crowded place can trigger fear for a lot of different people regardless of their past experiences. Traveling may involve crowded airports, buses, and tourist attractions. These areas are loud, congested, and chaotic. Some may find this exhilarating, while others may find this terrifying. Military veterans adjusting to life back home may find a new phobia in crowds as a result of service; some who are claustrophobic may find that crowds trigger their fear of tight spaces, and some suffering with anxiety disorders find that crowds trigger an anxious reaction. However, there are some ways to help feelings of crowd anxiety:

 

• Wear headphones: Wearing headphones can help eliminate one of the sources of sensory overload for you.

• Stay in the back: Sometimes crowd anxiety is due to fear about those around you or others looking at you. Sticking to the back of a crowd, plane, or restaurant may help that uneasy feeling by being able to observe everyone.

• Practice avoidance: If crowds trigger a fear response from you, try traveling in a way that avoids crowds. Drive yourself, go to a cabin, or pick less popular locations.

 

Fear of Abduction/Assault

In the news and in movies, there are a lot of stories about tourists being hurt in some way or another while they travel. For some people who are afraid of traveling, the fear stems from these situations. These instances are rare, but so are plane crashes, so fear is often present regardless of probability.

Those who have experienced a traumatic incident may have PTSD-related anxiety stemming from their trauma, but some may even have trauma genetically passed down by parents that can cause this phobia. It’s important to understand that any PTSD-related fear, or fear that makes everyday life difficult can be helped with counseling. For those traveling and experiencing this fear, here are some ways to deal with the phobia:

• Travel to safer areas: This means choosing safe destinations, staying away from unsafe parts of town, and spending the extra money to stay somewhere with good security.

 

• Send frequent updates: Keep frequent contact with your loved ones at home with photos, locations, and updates so they know where you are.

• Hire a guide/talk to a local: Making contact with a local or hiring a guide can help you so that you know which areas are unsafe and what can help you avoid trouble. There is some information that locals will know better than anyone else.

• Blend in: Don’t flash your wealth or make a spectacle of yourself so that you don’t stick out to people who may be looking for a victim. Focus on staying with others and keep your travel documents safe.  

 

Travel-related phobias are not uncommon. Travel can be stressful and overwhelming, which can make fear take hold a little easier than it might when you’re in your comfort zones. However, for many people, travel is a beautiful part of life. It allows us to gain new experiences and have adventures we might not be able to have right outside of our front door. If you experience a fear related to traveling, know that there are ways to cope. Fear doesn’t have to stop you from getting out and experiencing the world.