KEEP CALM AND TRAVEL | HOW NOT TO LOSE YOUR MIND WHILE TRAVELING | THE BODY OF LOVE

Good planning will lead to a more enjoyable travel experience.

WARNING - IF YOU SUFFER FROM FLIGHT ANXIETY THERE MAY  BE TRIGGERS IN THIS ARTICLE 








I have been traveling on planes since I was a little girl – and yup – Pan Am was one of my favorites. I even had 

the iconic Pan Am bag. 

I have traveled first class, business class, economy, in the 

cockpit jump seat, and very uncomfortably, in the pursers jump

seat on a trans-Atlantic flight (never recommended).

 If there's one thing I have learnt in all my years of traveling, 

it's when we get on a plane we are no longer in control of – 

anything…..
In my mind it is literally a case of “Jesus, take the wheel!”. 
The days of “Pan Am” luxury and delight are over - the romantic 
glory days of airline travel has been scrapped for what can be 
termed as “buses in the air”.

The most we can hope for is a monotonous flight with decent neighbors who will not kick you in the behind, or push back the seat so they are lying in your lap, and maybe, a pack of pretzels that have not expired.

These days I am beyond backpacking and couch surfing.

Neither my sciatica nor my nerves can handle the strain. My health and well-being are far too precious for me to risk being in pain for the sake of saying “I went there”. 

My last flight to New York was uninspiring. The only highlights being the child sitting in front of us who projectile vomited and managed to get it all over the luggage of the woman sitting next to us. This was compounded by the smell of salt fish filling the entire cabin, because a passenger thought it would be a good idea to keep opening her bag to see if the fish had – I don’t know – second thoughts about traveling (?) 

I thought my pre-teen daughter handled that episode quite well despite the overwhelming noxious scents that filled the aircraft cabin.

Our journey back home was just as “fun”. We missed the 4.30 am alarm and was woken up by the taxi company saying they were outside (it took us 15 minutes from “up!” to “out!”)

Then! after queuing in line at the airport for an hour and half, we were told at check-in we were too late! The relief I felt when the agent said casually said “oh, my bad……..” and we hustled to get from security to boarding gate - starving and grumpy.

And then!!!….. the child in front of us on the way back to Barbados also threw up – this time my hand luggage was the recipient of her gift of nature.

My exhausted daughter did not take well to being vomited on, and burst into tears, blubbering how awful our whole 10 day trip had been. Eh?! Of course hormonal teenager got a side-eye, and then I calmly told her that all these episodes were part and parcel of traveling and basically “we got away good”. (Barbadian vernacular)

When we got back home, our house guest related that her trip to Barbados had been delayed by 5 hours. A passenger had a psychotic moment, and was crawling down the aisle, because he thought he was a snake.

So yeah – your travel nightmare is all relative to other folks travel nightmares.

It is still my goal to “go here, there and everywhere”, and it is part of my life plan to visit India. I’m not a teenager, so going to India means being fully prepared for what will be a long and impactful trip. (I get anxious just thinking of it)

In the meantime – short haul trips make up my travel itinerary.

Plane view - Bahamas - taken by my daughter


So – how does a nervous wreck like me prepare for travel? 


I know I can’t control everything - so I plan – and then plan some more. 

I plan for what I can control. I set boundaries and put things in place to deal with unforeseen travel bedlam. This limits the amount of stress and anxiety the trip may cause me.

Here are my travel trips to ensure stress free travel.



Avoid Activity Fatigue. 

Decide your purpose for traveling. Is it to relax, have fun, 
sightseeing, educational etc. and build your itinerary around 
that. 

My last trip to New York was to celebrate a mile-stone in my 
daughter’s life. So the itinerary was designed around what she wanted to do 
and see. I didn’t try to compete with this by insisting on having
my own itinerary – there are only so many hours in the day 
and only so much energy. I didn’t want to go home and back 
to work stressed and frazzled. 

Avoid Money Stress

• Make sure you have enough money to comfortable get through the trip - try to account for all eventualities (think unforeseen delays, unexpected illnesses, accidents)
• If your wallet or purse gets stolen who can help you.
• Does your bank know you're traveling 
• Remember luggage charges
• Tip! Make sure you know the cultural expectations
• Taxi fares, us fares, train fares.

Avoid Immigration Chaos

• Check with the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country you are going to and confirm travel requirements. 
• Make sure your Passport requirements are up-to-date and not too close to expiry, 
• Ensure that you have the right Visas permissions and travel documents for entry and national travel 

Avoid Baggage Confusion 

• Be aware of luggage restrictions – Long haul allowances are different to short-haul, especially in Europe.
• Make sure your luggage is visible and tagged with something that is easily identifiable on the carousel.
• Make sure you have your name and address and contact number on the luggage (avoid your home address – unscrupulous persons have been known to take info off the tag to target your empty home)

Avoid Health Pandemonium 

• "Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it."
• Stay healthy by making sure to take your regular vitamins and medications.
• Check travel requirements for any special medication such as insulin etc.
• Make sure fruit is thoroughly cleaned before eating. I use these wipes for cleaning fruit and hands when I am traveling as I am very sensitive to pesticide, and the million hands that have handled the produce.
• Make sure to eat cooked vegetables. Raw vegetables – especially lettuce – are notorious for causing food poisoning.
• Balance your digestion by taking probiotics. You can also make sure yogurt is part of your meal plan (kombucha and kefir are excellent too)
• Drink fresh, clean water. As much as possible avoid drinking from taps and glasses.
• Carry your own bottle if you can and refill from reliable sources.
• Take out that travel insurance if you don't have medical
• Drink a lot of water 

Avoid Wardrobe Anarchy

Living in Barbados means that I come across a lot of tourists. Trust me - once you’re dressed nobody cares what you’re wearing as long as you are decently covered.

Travel light. Pinterest has lots of ideas for clothing combinations that will stretch your wardrobe for weeks
Make sure you comply with the dress codes of the country you’re visiting (if they have them)
Essential items for me are comfy shoes for walking, a warm cardigan for travel, underwear, good quality t-shirts, and black trousers. 

Avoid Travel Sickness and Anxiety

I have a “comfort pack”. These are things I know make me feel good, bring down my anxiety levels and help me deal with unforeseen issues.
Chamomile tea bags – I take my favorites with me – chamomile is cooling and calming for the nervous system and digestion. Easy to pack and it’s relatively easy to get some hot water from somewhere
Peppermint Oil – I put some drops on a couple of balls of cotton wool and put them in a zip-lock bag. Peppermint helps with nausea, overwhelming odours, and travel sickness. Sealing the cotton balls in a zip lock bags retains the vapors and you don’t have to worry about oil spilling or restrictions to liquids in hand luggage
Hematite crystal bracelet – I never travel without This powerful crystal. It helps me keep grounded as I tend to get fuzzy headed with the poor oxygen levels in planes. Hematite is great a crystal to help you emotionally regroup from the stress of traveling and to counter jet lag.
Music and meditations – I take a playlist of my favorite music and a couple of calming meditations. My favorite is Deva Premal’s “Dakshini” – her music puts me in a wonderfully relaxed state.
Organic sleep aids - to make sure you get enough rest - Sleep Well spray from Arbonne is a must for me to sleep well, along with my melatonin.

I hope you have found some resources to make your travels a 

little less stressful. Before you pack up and leave - here are 

some great links to sites that have endless resources for pre-planning 

and packing. 



Eagle Creek - http://www.eaglecreek.com/travel-tips-packing-lists - awesome tools to customize your trip by activity. 

Pinch A Little Save Alot 

http://pinchalittlesavealot.blogspot.com/2013/08/free-travel-planning-kit.html - if you are girly like me you will appreciate Bekah's beautifully crafted,free printouts for travel planning. 


A little adrift - http://alittleadrift.com/rtw-travel/ - join Shannon on her trips around the world – and lookee here – so many resources!! 


The Chriselle Factor - http://bit.ly/1LweYoo - because I love a bit of chic and a bit of fun 


Please Share! Let's hear your tips for traveling safely and stress free. 

If you suffer from flight or travel anxiety - hypnosis has been proven to be a fuss free, drug free and sustainable way to with cope and overcome anxiety.

CLICK HERE FOR RESOURCES FOR FLIGHT ANXIETY






Would you like more love in your inbox?

Enter your email in the “Follow by Mail” section at the top of this post. 

I promise only nice things to make your day better {no spam thank you ma'am}






You can also follow and share on twitter @thebodyoflove






Or click here for our  Facebook  page