Three Steps To Overcome Anxiety Of Solo Travel

Written by @Hoteltravelgirl

As the world starts to get back to a new normal slowly, you may be thinking about traveling to those places you have always dreamed of. Jim Kwik, the author of "Limitless," conducted a recent survey where he asked the question, "if money were not an issue, how would you spend your time?". The answer that I noticed the most was travel.

If you are reading this article, you are probably interested in traveling but may not have a travel companion, or you may want to do a trip that your regular companion is not interested in. Solo travel can be the best experience of your life, don't let your anxiety about doing it alone override the opportunity.

Betsy Goldberg wrote an article for Virtuoso Travel, a luxury travel network, answering the question of why people love to travel. Some of the reasons she noted were;

• challenging yourself

• learning

• getting in touch with yourself

• escaping

• relaxing and rejuvenating

• appreciating your life

If you look at these reasons for travel, none of them need to include another person, the focus is on you.

So how do you overcome those thoughts of "what if something happens, what will people think of me traveling alone, will I be safe, will I be too afraid to leave my hotel room," and many other scary thoughts. The definition of anxiety is worrying about the future or fear of an uncertain outcome. Anxiety is a tool our bodies use to protect us, but too much anxiety is not healthy.

Here are three things you can do to help overcome solo travel anxiety:

1. Think of a memory when you experienced joy. It may have been traveling or enjoying an incredible meal, may be experiencing a great show. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and put yourself in that memory. What did you smell, what were the sounds around you, what did you hear? Feeling joy towards a memory can take you out of that fight or flight mode, and the feeling of joy could also be a new memory you make on your solo trip.

2. Join a solo travel group on Facebook or find stories on Instagram or blogs written by others that have traveled by themselves. Reading others' experiences will help your brain reset from thinking you can't to expanding your thoughts to "you can do this," just as others have.

3. Don't overthink it. It is good to have a plan when you travel that includes what you want to accomplish, what you want to experience, and any trip highlights that are "must-sees," but if you think through every detail and plan every minute, you will lose the opportunity to enjoy a lot of what travel offers us, as noted above in Betsy's article.

The world has changed when it comes to solo travel. As more people recognize that it is okay to travel by yourself, more tour operators, hotels, and restaurants are catering to this niche market. If the thoughts of planning this type of trip for yourself are overwhelming, working with a professional travel agent who understands solo travel is highly recommended. Travel agents can guide you through your itinerary, get you booked with tour operators that will support you in your destination, and provide you with insider knowledge to help remove your anxious thoughts.

As someone who has traveled over 2 million miles for business and pleasure, even I have had anxiety. The day before a trip to Bali, I ended up in the emergency room with anxiety-induced chest pain. After a series of testing, it was confirmed that the pain was brought on by my brain overthinking the experience. I did make my flight and had an incredible two weeks exploring the country. I realized that my anxiety and fear of "what if" could have ended my trip before it began, and I no longer allow fear of the unknown to limit my opportunity to travel solo.

Travel is an incredible experience, book the trip, work with professionals to assist you along the way, get back in touch with the joy that travel brings......and always remember to travel safely and with travel insurance.

This article was written by @hoteltravelgirl, the Managing Director of Hospitality Growth Solutions LLC, a hotel consulting company. Contact wendyc@byhgs.com for more information.