Reducing Travel Stress

November 12th, 2007 12:00 pm

Starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through Christmas and New Year’s, airports, train stations, bus stations, and highways are all packed with people wanting to go visit with their friends and family in other parts of the country. Normally it takes about an hour to get checked in for a flight and board the plane, but suddenly it can take three times that. If you’ve ever been in line at the airport on the day before Thanksgiving, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Added to the increase in number of travelers, there is also the slowdown in processing each person. Most of us do not travel all that much. Even if we do travel for business, it is likely that the rest of our family does not. So part of the problem comes from having many people trying to check in and go through a myriad of security measures that they are not familiar with. This takes time.

The highways are also packed beyond capacity. Drives that are normally serene trips at highway speeds suddenly become stop-and-go or flowing much more slowly. With the winter weather bringing cold, snow, rain, and darkness, roads are slick, and tempers are flaring.

Every flight is full. Every line is long. Every bag is stuffed way beyond what it was designed for. Every person is stressed – joyous, but stressed. Traveling is, in fact one of the most stressful parts of the holiday experience.

While I can’t get people off the roads or out of the airport, I can offer suggestions to make your travel plans much less stressful and more positive.

First, and definitely most important: give yourself plenty of time. Are you one of those people who likes to push everything to the last minute? That’s a recipe for disaster this time of year. If you are flying, get to the airport three hours before your scheduled departure. If you are driving, assume the roads will be loaded and either leave a day in advance or at least early in the morning, before most people have started.

Second, pack wisely. Ask yourself what you really need to have with you, and don’t pack anything that isn’t necessary. For me, this means toothbrush, razor, deodorant, 2-3 days worth of clothes (I can do laundry there, after all), a book to read on the plane, a camera, my mobile phone, and the gifts I’m bringing with me to give to others. Nothing else. Nothing else. Do I really need six sweaters, two coats, and three different pairs of shoes? Not likely. Can I live without them? Absolutely.

Once you have figured out what you are taking, pack to check. Sure, you might save a few minutes at the destination if you don’t have to go to baggage claim. But trying to carry everything on the flight with you adds a lot of pressure during the security and boarding processes. Carry on a book, your coat, and a snack… let the rest go in the baggage compartment; after all, that’s what it’s there for.

Finally, keep a sense of humor and proportion. Sip a coffee while you stand in line to check in. Watch everyone around you as they go out of their mind wondering if they will make their flight and congratulate yourself on being calm. Start a positive conversation with the people around you, focusing on the good things and choosing to let the bad things go without verbalizing them.

Discuss how nice it will be to see your family and how much you look forward to this time of year. Share stories from travels in the past. Talk about how your team is doing, or what a great autumn it’s been, or even just how gosh-darn wonderful it is to chat with someone who, like you, isn’t stressing out over everything.

This is where practices like meditation and mindfulness pay off. By building a habit of seeing the good things, you make it easy to call on that habit when others can’t… you bring calm and joy to stressful situations.

If you find yourself getting worked up inside, please, please, let it go. Go outside and vent. Meditate. Sprint a block or two. Do something, anything, that releases the pressure and reminds you to remain civil in how you treat those around you. Even if you are worked up, don’t make the mistake of taking it out on others.

Remember that you are traveling to get away from it all. After all, isn’t being happy the point of the trip? Decide to get away from it all before you even leave the house, and leave your worries behind.

Enjoy your trip!