Common Travel Anxieties
Why do we travel? To celebrate, to have fun, to relax.
But why do we not travel? No budget, no time, FEARS.
So what do travelers fear about traveling?
FEAR OF GETTING SICK
Swine flu or the H1N1 virus is the latest travel scare specifically in Mexico. The State Department warned against unnecessary travel to swine flu infected areas particularly Mexico. VP Joe Biden advised on staying away from planes and enclosed areas. The media has also showed melodramatic coverage of the situation. But there are regions who are doing necessary actions to clear that their area is swine flu-free, like the Los Cabos Convention and Visitors Bureau and Baja California Sur.
H1N1 is one, but the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has a long list of other disease you can get from travel. So better take necessary precautions: have your shots.
FEAR OF BEING AIRBORNE
This may be the usual travel anxiety you would encounter. But you must know that there is only a one out of 11 million chances of your plane crashing. The fear causing factor may be the fact that you cannot control the circumstances once you are thousands of feet up in the air. Psychologist Elizabeth Lombardo says that we must take note that you are far safer flying in a plane than when you are driving your car or walking along a curb.
FEAR OF BEING AWAY FROM HOME
According to hypnotherapist Bryan Toder, that the fear of being away is the second most common travel related phobia. The feeling of separation from your children, your dog, or your job can be stress provoking. There is this uncertainty when you are away from your comfort zone, your home.
FEAR OF A TERRIBLE FLIGHT
Turbulences, the scrimmage in security lines, unpleasant food, flight delays, substandard airports and noisy and crowded planes. Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman calls this more of an annoyance than fear. Instead of having your relaxation in your travel, you will be encountering a lot of hassles. The U.S. Travel Association says that this annoyance has cost 41 million trips over the past year or $26 billion to our economy.
FEAR OF THE INABILITY TO FIND THEIR LUGGAGES.
According to the Transportation Department, there is only a one in 285 chance that you can lose your luggage. But not all airlines have the same system. High-tech airlines like AirTran uses the current scanning technology, bringing their luggage losses to 1 in 500. But to regional airlines like SkyWest, Atlantic Southeast and American Eagle, risks are doubled, better have a hand-carry only.
Many travel for business or pleasure, so they would not want to be stressed and waste their time searching for lost luggage.
So, how do you get over these fears? Avoid travel? Psychiatrist Tracey Marks says otherwise. Avoidance only reduces anxiety temporarily, but it can be a bigger fear or phobia in the future.
Better desensitize yourself. Travel!
