Travel Fears and How I Overcame Them While Traveling Independently

It is always somewhat scary to head out to places unknown on your own. When I was planning my first long term solo independent trips I had many travel fears. I would research the crap out of them and find those one or two blog posts that brought my travel fears to reality.

• The biggest fear I had were the creepy crawlies. What if they were in my room, what if they got in my hair, what if…
• I was nervous about not having what I needed – which lead to me over packing.
• I was worried about getting around in a foreign place. How do I know where to go, how do I know the way, what if I got lost…
• I was worried I would hate it.
• I was worried that I wouldn’t meet anyone. What if I was alone all the time and no one ever talked to me!?

The thing is, a lot of these travel fears were worst-case scenarios for me. I was determined to find proof that these should be a concern of mine, and I did find some on random blog posts. But what they don’t say is that everyone is different, everyone treats every scenario differently and everyone has different standards. What one person hated, another person loved.

How I Overcame My Travel Fears:

• I slowly learned how to meet new people
• I learned that when I didn’t like something I could and did move on
• I learned how to use Google Maps like an expert (You can too with my course!)
• I learned the best app for offline maps from other travelers
• I learned how to get by using less and carrying less with me along with the benefits of that.
• I also learned that I can just mail things home if I want to buy things.
• I learned that I was rarely staying in bad accommodations where creepy crawlies would be
• I learned how to trick my mind into not seeing things I didn’t want to see…
• I learned to cohabitate with things that were not necessarily scary
• I learned to get use to seeing different bugs and things and they didn’t scare me anymore, just startle me when I first would see them.

There is a ritual I created when sleeping in rustic accommodations. I would always wear ear plugs (so I didn’t hear anything scuttle in the room, nor have anything crawl into my ears). An eye mask would be worn all the time where I could open my eyes easily if I woke up, not having to take it off and see something scary in the room.

I would wrap my hair in a scarf so nothing could make a home in my hair. Lastly I would always wear leggings and socks pulled up over the leggings so nothing could crawl on my bare skin. I never had any issues, but then again, I never was aware of anything because of this ritual. Hahaha.

I also stopped watching scary movies and TV shows. When travelling on my own if I heard a noise I didn’t want to immediately have my mind go to those scary scenarios from those shows.

A good lesson to ease your travel fears before your trip is to write down what you fear most when travelling independently. From here you want to decide what you can do if that situation comes to fruition. This way you have a plan.

I would also recommend talking with people who have gone where you are going, or have traveled a lot and get their point of view. Most of the time, the fears you have are usually just blown out of proportion. The media also likes to keep us fearful of leaving our backyard. Be aware, of course, but also focus on the good and the amazing experiences you will have and you will find out pretty quickly what you can handle and what you don’t want to handle. This way you know where your boundaries are and know where your sweet spot is going forward.

When you travel your faith in humanity will be restored over and over again. The more you can let go and not let things get under your skin the better your trip will be. Enjoy the adventure…this is something you have been dreaming of doing so don’t let anything stop you from having the best time!

Want even more tips and strategies for having a successful solo travel adventure? Check out my 6 part series on Solo Travel.