Pre Vacation Nerves/Jitters?

[gopher101]

Who else gets pre vacation nerves/Jitters?

My trip is in a week and we are flying for the first time. I have it all set up but am worried I didn't give myself enough time to get to airport. I know I did. The airport is around an hour away from my house, I booked a car service to pick me up 3 hours before my flight leaves and is a small airport so TSA will not be horrible.

Always every trip for me, something gives me absolute nerves and has me worried for no reason.

 

[Karalee402]

Who else gets pre vacation nerves/Jitters?

My trip is in a week and we are flying for the first time. I have it all set up but am worried I didn't give myself enough time to get to airport. I know I did. The airport is around an hour away from my house, I booked a car service to pick me up 3 hours before my flight leaves and is a small airport so TSA will not be horrible.

Always every trip for me, something gives me absolute nerves and has me worried for no reason.

This is me 100%! I can write check-lists, make sure I have everything perfectly planned, but I still worry before we leave. Usually, once we hit the road, I'm good, but I definitely worry in the days leading up to a trip!

 

[Pooh2]

Same here!

We have not flown in 5 years and are flying next month.
I dislike everything about the flying/airport experience.

Over the past 5 years, we have taken about 6 road trips that were between 4,000 to 5,000 miles.
I get the pretrip anxiety for road trips too but not nearly as much as with flying trips.

Once we get to our destination, It's all good until return travel day!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Oh yea I get pre vacation anxiety every time.

 

[Smugpugmug]

If I'm flying, I have so much anxiety up until the second I am physically on the plane and the plane is moving. 100% guaranteed I'll be watching my flight on Flightaware the night before.

I hate literally everything about the airport/flying experience and wish I could magically teleport to my destination.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I definitely get it, and it's worse the further away / longer we're going. It's not exactly fear anxiety though, it's more of a restless antsy feeling, like I need to pace around. For me it's the waiting time, when everything is pretty much packed and ready to go except what has to wait for the very last minute, but then I still have to get through a few more days. Like everything about my life is focused on the vacation that's two days away, but it's still two days away and I've really done all I can do in preparation. Also the restlessness that comes with waiting in the airport, waiting on security lines, waiting to board, waiting to taxi, etc. It's the waiting. While I'm still at home, my solution is to clean like mad. It gives me something to focus on, and then we'll come home to a nice clean house. My family thinks I'm crazy.

 

[SpaceMan5]

You are not alone @gopher101

Leading up to the trip I am constantly checking the weather app, writing out lists, overthinking it all. I have come around a bit and have finally realized that if I did forget something there is usually a Target nearby.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Oh yes, same. I have nightmares where I can't find the hotel room, or the hotel itself. Or that I'm at my destination with a large party of family and *none* of them want to leave the room and do any of the things we'd planned.

That's extreme, I admit. I also am a compulsive list-maker when I have a trip coming up.

Germans have a word for it: Reisefieber. It perfectly describes travel nerves.

 

[BayouQueen]

Yes, indeed. I laughed when I saw this thread -- it's so timely. I'm like a total basket case with a trip coming up. I've gotta get moving or I'll implode. But I think it's just way worse because it's our first "major" trip since pandemic, and it makes me realize the pandemic really left a mark. Gotta get our there and shake it off!

 

[BayouQueen]

Oh yes, same. I have nightmares where I can't find the hotel room, or the hotel itself. Or that I'm at my destination with a large party of family and *none* of them want to leave the room and do any of the things we'd planned.

That's extreme, I admit. I also am a compulsive list-maker when I have a trip coming up.

Germans have a word for it: Reisefieber. It perfectly describes travel nerves.

Yup. Last night my dream was that there was an earthquake and our hotel leaned way over across the sea. But we had to get back to our room to retrieve our passports. Not an easy deal. lol

 

[mylilnikita]

Yes every time .lol. I also will get nightmares beforehand.

 

[gopher101]

deleted

 

[gopher101]

Yes every time .lol. I also will get nightmares beforehand.

I get at least one before every trip.

 

[antmaril]

I always get the pre-travel nerves, but only if I’m flying. The night before a trip, I ask myself ‘Who’s bright idea was this?” . A road trip usually doesn’t give me anxiety.

 

[Magical2017]

I get overly excited before a trip and cannot concentrate on anything else. It is understandable to be nervous your first time flying. There are a number of pre-travel lists you can download and adjust if that helps

 

[Skippy918]

Yes! I do! My husband keeps telling me to calm down. It’s usually the day before and travel day where I get really anxious. Then it eases once we are on the plane and then at the hotel or cruise ship.

 

[anniemae]

Yup. I never feel like I have enough time to get it all done, I question what we were thinking when booking the trip, who had the bright idea to take a 7am flight ( as I am running around the house finishing packing, checking that everything is off etc.) I worry and panic right up until we leave. I usually calm down by the time we get on the road.

 

[NotUrsula]

I stay up all night everytime before a trip if the entire family is going. If I'm traveling alone, not an issue. (I keep duplicate sets of toiletries in every suitcase so I don't have to pack them each time, but DH *constantly* messes with my system so I have to keep re-checking and re-packing every time if he's coming along, because he takes some stuff out but not other things, and I never know what might be missing. And yes, I know that I can go to stores at my destination, but it's a time-suck and I'd rather not.)

I used to be just fine about packing and getting everything together before 9/11, but since then I'm paranoid that something is going to cause a TSA problem, so I WAY over-think everything. (We also ALL have TSA pre-check, and I'm still insane on this topic these days.) However, I do love to travel and even mostly enjoy flying; it's just packing I hate.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Add me to the club! I'm always worried someone will get sick right before the trip, something will happen to the pets while we're gone, or something...

I actually enjoy flying, though, and I'm usually good as soon as we're through TSA and waiting to board.

It definitely got worse after the pandemic, in that a part of me kind of sees all plans as tentative now. (We had a trip get cancelled right as everything shut down.) I feel like I'm less excitedly obsessive about planning now, as if I'm afraid to invest too much time and energy. - But that's slowly getting better.

 

[poohs_hunny]

I always get the pre-travel nerves, but only if I’m flying. The night before a trip, I ask myself ‘Who’s bright idea was this?” . A road trip usually doesn’t give me anxiety.

Omg this is me exactly (and right now!) The worst part is, the bright idea was usually mine.