Managing Anxiety when Traveling

I've struggled with anxiety my whole life. It's one of those things that waxes and wanes, but it's always there. When Jason first got the job at Southwest, all I could be was excited - where should we go first? The options seemed limitless!

Well, soon the anxiety set in - how do we book hotels if we don't know if we'll make it? How can we get around without Google directions internationally? What about the can't miss attraction - should I book tickets and risk not making it? My Type-A-obsessive part of my personality took over.

And for some things, it's definitely a positive, right? I always "over-plan" (which usually equates to "perfectly-plan") trips. I can't tell you how many times we've had to use this kind of stuff to help us. Last-minute Australian visas? Yep, I've got us covered. Where was the exact pickup spot for our bus in Teotihuacan? We're good! But my stress levels usually sky-rocket in the weeks leading up to a trip - and this isn't fun for anyone. Jason has helped me tremendously in this regard over the years, but somethings are just too ingrained to truly change. 

So how do I cope? I work on the things I can control:

Plan

What I've learned is that travel is stressful, and it's natural to get anxious. And what helps me manage that anxiety? That excessive planning. 

So yes, I really do love the trip-planning! But it's also a coping mechanism for me. Knowing the plan (even if it's hypothetical) is crucial to my ability to manage my anxiety levels. It absolutely isn't a perfect solution, but knowing in detail, how to purchase an Oyster card, how much to put on it, and how to easily navigate the London underground, help me to feel more calm before and when we arrive. 

Booking airport transfers is also wonderful! That way, we have someone waiting for us when we arrive and we can just relax after a long day of travel.

Treat.Yo.Self

Planning some intentional downtime into our trips is always a must! We love to get cheap massages in Asia, grab a long and luxurious dinner, spend an entire day (or two) at the pool - whatever relaxes you. This is vacation after all.

We try to eat healthy/local food. After airline food, I usually need a few days to detox. Taking care of your body is key! We also love to go for a hike or take a yoga class.

Book a Tour

Jason and I aren't typically fans of big tour groups, but we do enjoy the smaller groups (Eating Europe Food Tours is one of our favorites) for a more personal experience. It is also nice to not have to think about logistics for a bit - they take care of everything for you! We also hire private guides when we can afford them and it just makes everything JUST a bit easier. 

At a minimum, we book tickets to the attractions that we just can't miss. For example, I made reservations for ice-skating at Somerset House a few months before we left. That way, I didn't have to worry if tickets would sell out or not. If I would waited even a few more days, we would have missed out on our favorite activity in London! 

The one thing I will say to those who deal with anxiety is to try and not let it be an excuse  to not travel. The memories we make FAR outweigh any negatives. 

And sometimes I can even convince Jason to book tickets when all the uncertainty becomes just a little too much. For example, our next trip to the San Juan Islands in a few months has been attempted a few times, but either flights were full or hotels on the islands were sold out. So we finally just booked everything and we couldn't be more excited!

Looking Forward: 2017

2016 was a year full of international travel: Bali for my big 3-0, Tulum for Jason's birthday, Ireland and London. We started the year with some downs (mainly Tahoe and annoyances in Bali), but more than made up for it from February on with some amazing trips. 

We had such a great time exploring Russian River with our best travel pals, eating our way through Boston, having a cousin catch-up in Portland, going on a doggie trip to New Orleans and taking a quick trip to St. Louis to visit family. It was also great to visit Texas Hill Country a few times for a bachelorette and a wedding!

Overall, 2016 was great to us and we're well underway with the planning for 2017. We're hoping to make our annual trip out to Northern California wine country, visit the San Juan Islands, and head back to Portland for family wedding festivities! If we're lucky, we might be able to fit in a few weekends trips around the US as well.

For our "big trips", we jumped on a CRAZY deal to Hong Kong in April and we will also be heading back to England to explore more of the countryside (The Cotswolds, Cornwall, Dorset) and spend a few days in London in August. At the end of that trip, we'll head to Innsbruck, Austria for a few days of alpine adventure!

We never stop being thankful for this incredible opportunity to travel, explore and expand our thinking. We are truly better people for the experience. Thanks SWA!

London {Camden, Winter Wonderland & Sketch Tea}

Our last day in London began with a quick tube to Baker Street. We got a glimpse of the famous consulting detective's house and then walked across the street to Regents Park. Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful, crisp weather. The football and rugby fields were packed!

We walked along the canal all the way into Camden Market. This was such a fun and eclectic place with tons of food stalls lining the locks. I chose a bulgogi burrito and Jason had a Japanese tonkatsu curry sandwich. We split some halloumi cheese fries as well - YUM! There were so many interesting shops to peak into, amazing street art and the locks themselves were beautiful. We spent a few hours here just walking around!

Being the Sherlock nerd I am, I wanted to get see where 221B is filmed (on North Gower and not Baker Street). Sadly, we couldn't grab a cuppa at Speedy's because it is closed on Sundays, but we still got to see BBC Sherlock's Baker Street!

After a quick tube ride to Piccadilly Circus, we decided to check out the Liberty London department store. It was all decked out for Christmas and super charming, but the prices were a little too rich for our blood. We wandered down the street to a little pub where we had a few drinks to warm up!

I had made us reservations that afternoon for a champagne Christmas Tea at Sketch. This is definitely an instagram-famous place, but it lived up the to hype! I loved the decor in the various themed rooms, the Christmas trees and snow all throughout the lobby and the spaceship inspired bathrooms. The food was delicious and I SO wanted to bring the entire tea-set home with me as well. It's a bit pricey, but definitely worth it!

Our evening ended with a quick glimpse at the Harrod's Christmas lights (we couldn't go in because it was closed!) and a walk around the Christmas Markets in Hyde Park. It was a whole spectacle - German-style biergartens, carnival rides, arts & crafts, and MULLED WINE! We grabbed ourselves some bratwursts and wine and took in the atmosphere. It was fun, but we were exhausted after our whirlwind tour of London, so we called it a night.

The next morning, we had a quick breakfast at our hotel before we had to leave for Heathrow to catch our return flight. We even got lucky and had two seats together in our own row! It was a wonderful Thanksgiving trip and, like I've said, we're in love with London. We have a trip planned already for next Fall, but London is one of those places that I know we'll return to again and again for the rest of our lives.

London {Notting Hill, Borough Market & Somerset House Skating}

We were lucky enough to be in London on a Satuday, when all of the wonderful markets were open. We caught a quick bus from St. Ermin's to Notting Hill and spent hours perusing the antiques and knick-knacks along Portobello Road Market. The weather was fantastic, so it was absolutely packed on the streets. I had printed out a little self-guided walking tour of the area as well because I wanted to see Notting Hill in all of it's adorable cuteness.

Our lunch stop was all the way across town at Borough Market. If we thought Portobello Market was packed...holy cow, everyone was out at Borough Market! We grabbed some yummy fish and chips at Fish! Kitchen, a meat sandwich from Hobbs Meat Roast and some mulled wine and took a walk to catch a glimpse of Tower Bridge.

We walked all along the Queen's Walk on the Thames from the Globe Theatre to the Tate Modern. The Harry Potter nerds in us HAD to walk over the Millennium Bridge and combination of the chilly air, musicians and the smells of roasted nuts made it feel like Christmas. At the base of the bridge there was a Christmas Market as well! We spent a few hours exploring the Tate Modern. While there were a few great pieces, I just don't think we are modern art people. I did love the Andy Warhol and the Guerrilla Girls section!

After a little pick-me-up at the museum's cafe, we went to grab a quick ramen dinner at Wagamama. We had exciting plans though, so we couldn't linger long. I had booked us a 6:45pm timeslot for iceskating at Somerset House! This sold out over a month in advance, so I would absolutely advise getting tickets as soon as your know your plans.

This was probably the best thing we did on our entire trip. We had an hour long skate in the middle of a beautiful courtyard. The whole event is sponsored by Fortnum and Mason, so the tree was decked out accordingly. They even had a little Christmas village set up inside with plenty of goodies for purchase.

Press play below to watch a little video of our skate!

After a fabulous day, we headed back to our hotel for a nightcap (or two) and called it a night!

Up Next: Our last day in London. We walked around Regent Park, Camden Market, saw all things Sherlock, had a delicious high tea at Sketch and ended our trip with Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.