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What Is Travel Anxiety, and What Can You Do About It?

Experts say ignoring your stress only makes it worse. Here’s what you can do

a worried passenger at an airport
Need help managing travel anxiety? You’re not alone. About 25 million adults in the U.S. have a fear of flying, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Raúl Soria
By

Jaimie Seaton,

 
AARP
Published April 08, 2024

When returning home from a trip to the Bahamas for my 40th birthday, I found myself on a small prop plane, violently bouncing and bumping through a thunderstorm in pitch darkness. My husband and daughter were at the back of the plane and I was in the front with my toddler son. At a certain point, I became so convinced that the plane was going down that I asked the woman across the aisle to take care of my son if I had a panic attack.

We landed safely, but I’ve had travel anxiety, including fear of flying, ever since. I’ve continued to fly, but instead of sitting by the window and marveling at the experience, I sit on the aisle and pretend I’m not in an airplane. I imagine I’m being magically whisked to my destination. Before takeoff, I listen to a book, and during takeoff, I close my eyes, breathe deeply and focus on my destination.

I’m not alone. Travel anxiety and fear of flying are common, says Lisa Wilson, a licensed independent clinical social worker and associate at the Center for Travel Anxiety in Washington, D.C. About 25 million adults in the U.S. have a fear of flying, and about 40 million Americans are living with an anxiety disorder, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

Travel anxiety refers to a feeling of worry or fear around traveling. It can happen before you go or while you’re traveling. Some people develop travel anxiety after a specific event; others can’t identify a cause. You may have traveled by car, train or plane for decades without concern and suddenly develop a sense of panic or anxiety, Wilson says. 

When that occurs, she says it’s best to address the anxiety instead of pretending it’s not happening.

Wilson says the symptoms of travel anxiety are distinctive to the person rather than the form of travel. They tend to be the physiological symptoms associated with the fight-or-flight response, “because fundamentally, what we’re talking about in terms of panic or anxiety, we’re talking about the body’s response to a perceived threat,” she says.

These symptoms can include a rapid heart rate, tension in the shoulders or elsewhere in the body, sweating, nausea, a feeling that you can’t breathe, pressure in the head and an irresistible urge to move your limbs. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and travel anxiety overall can stop you from making plans and traveling altogether.

Address the anxiety

“If you notice that [you] are making decisions based on [your] anxiety, it’s time to get help,” says Wilson. She adds that you don’t have to wait until your travel anxiety is affecting your plans. If you’re starting to feel discomfort about travel, that’s a good time to reach out for help too.

Jonathan Bricker, a University of Washington psychologist who has studied the fear of flying for more than 20 years, says aviophobia is a hodgepodge of different phobias that converge on an airplane. There are people who are afraid of dying in a plane crash, those who are claustrophobic and those who fear having a panic attack and not being able to escape or get help (agoraphobia). He adds that it’s very common for people to have more than one disorder.

Bricker, who treats people for aviophobia, advises making a flight plan (see sidebar) so you — not the airports or airlines — are in charge of your travel. He also says to face your fears and recommends looking at YouTube videos of people taking ordinary flights (avoid incident or crash videos). “The goal is to open up, be open to the fact that you’re going to have … these physical reactions … and to let them just come and go,” Bricker says.

Wilson advises being attentive to the experience of anxiety and responding quickly before it gets out of control by utilizing supports such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and listening to podcasts and books to return to a state of calm. She advises figuring out what methods work best for you and using them during the trip. 

A recent study on stress found that a majority of people age 45 and older ignore and/or downplay their stress. This can make travel and flight anxiety worse, says Wilson, because they’re layering avoidance on top of the stress. So you need to dissolve the avoidance to remove the stress.

“The key is getting effective help to address the concern and get back out there and get to the places and the people [you] love,” Wilson says.

Making a flight plan

Here are tips from Jonathan Bricker, a psychologist who specializes in air travel anxiety, that can help if you have a fear of flying.

1. Identify why you are traveling. What makes it matter to you? Is it seeing family or friends you care about? Is it traveling with someone who matters to you? Is it seeing places in the world you are curious about?

2. Do meaningful activities while you’re traveling. Rather than just avoid the experience of airports and planes, explore the airport, read an informative book, listen to a podcast or watch an interesting movie. Do it because you want to, not to distract yourself from your anxiety about flying.

3. Breathe. Breathe in one full breath. Hold it for three seconds. Release it all the way. Then hold for three seconds. Repeat this cycle three times.

4. Repeat one word. Before you leave for the airport, take the scary thought (e.g., “crash”) and repeat the word aloud for 90 seconds. Repeat three times. Notice how the word loses its power and meaning over time. 

5. Don’t drink. The anxiety will rebound after the alcohol wears off.

6. Try talking to an exposure therapist. Do this at least two months before your flight to gradually confront your fears.

7. Try virtual reality. Work with a therapist who provides virtual reality therapy for fear of flying.

8. Consider medication. If you must use medication, use only a fast-acting anxiety drug at a low dose, once, and only under your physician’s prescription. This is not a long-term solution, just a way to get you on the plane and on your way.

Jaimie Seaton has lived in and reported from South Africa, the Netherlands, Singapore and Thailand. She’s written on travel for Skift, The Independent and CNN.

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