Regardless of the numerous times i’ve traveled- I will forever suffer from Pre-travel anxiety. Yes its a thing and I have self diagnosed myself with the most extreme case.
It’s a mixture of overthinking, procrastination, and excitement. or perhaps a bad experience of missing a few flights as a child.
But do not mistaken this with of fear of traveling. Because I am easily your most crazed frequent flier who still gets butterflies every time the train whistles, car starts, or plan takes off. I’m thrilled.
But for some strange reason- I become restless 48 hours prior to my flight. Always.
Therefore as I’m sitting through my layover in Canada- I decided to explore what goes through head & here’s what I discovered.
I tend to write lists for everything- even things that don’t need to be listed..
For example, reminding myself to drink coffee ( which is far to habitual to ever forget )
I buy things I already have
Easily, I fool myself saying its a necessity for my travels
“Oh i need this ‘travel sized’ pen !” or “wow look at these travel size sun glasses” don’t forget the 10 + mini hand sanitizers and tissue boxes
I don’t sleep
Why sleep when you can think of 2034 itineraries for your first day in a foreign land? And of course the fear of oversleeping your 4:42 am wakeup call
I’m unnecessarily over prepared
Do you have 3 copies of your passport plus your flight confirmation number written everywhere? I don’t think so.
I never pack until the very last minute
I can’t seem to understand the clothes in my closet, its as if I have absolutely nothing- so of course I leave it for later
I try to do 10 things at once
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t? But when I'm about to leave, its amplified to the max. And I find myself taking irrelevant tasks because, why not?
Despite my self- diagnosed condition, I don’t think there’s anything that makes me more alive than traveling. I become a sponge and soak everything around me. Its experiencing the sounds, smells, and looks first hand. Constantly learning. Whatever you want to call it-hobby, passion, or drive. Im glad I found my love for being immersed in a foreign land.. may sound strange to many, but to me it feels like home.
Off to my middle eastern adventure! See you soon Israel!