Departure nightmares

Mostly I stress about getting to Europe and having no money because various plastic cards won't work. I make sure I've notified the proper banks and have some cash in my money belt. Once there, I have never had a problem except once........ Wellonce I used two different computers to access my bank records and they threatened to cut me off to protect me from fraud. I notified them right away that it was indeed me using the two computers and please continue allowing me access to my funds.

Yes, I have dreamed about being at the airport and not having my passport, which is 3 hours away! The last two trips to Europe, both of my ATM cards have stopped working, even though I contacted the bank. Guess I'll have to keep taking my husband with me for backup!

Geez, I always have that nightmare about forgetting my passport, now I have credit cards to worry about! Honestly, I start planning my trips a year in advance so by the time I get to "departure day" I just check everything off my list and pitch it. I stop worrying the minute I get on the plane.

I used to have a recurring nightmare that I was staying in Europe. I had been there some time and had accumulated a lot of new stuff, stuff I didn't bring with me. It's scattered all over my room. Now I have to get back to the airport. It's just about time to leave, and I have no idea how I'm ever going to pack it all or in time. I always make a list of what I'm taking, and it always includes my German-English dictionary. One time I didn't check it one last time, and I forgot to put the dictionary in my bag. I realized as I was on the bus to the airport. I thought, "well, that's confidence." I bought a new one in Munich (I needed a new one anyway because they have changed the spelling rules since I bought my last one.) Ironically, I never needed it on that trip.

I had one bad dream, the night before my flight from the United States to a destination in Europe. I dreamed that I awoke, in my home, at a time that was later than the time when I must depart from my home, to go to an airport. Then I really awoke, at a time that was ten minutes earlier than the wake-up time that I had set on my alarm clock. Once, when I awoke in a small hotel room in FLorence, Italy, in the morning, I had no memory for three minutes. That is, I did not know what to do. I did not remember what things I wanted to carry with me that day. I think the main cause of that was : a person's brain is not fully awake until the person has been awake for three minutes. (I do not need to drink coffee for my brain to be awake). And, I wonder if my brain was not functioning well in the morning because it was my first morning in a strange environment - nothing in the room to aid my memory.

Who else here is chuckling at Lee's anxiety dreams about over-packing?

How about the one where you get to the airport and aren't wearing any pants?

This really did happen to me. I was flying from Indy to Cincinnati to Paris. I got to the airport and wondered why the person checking me in was spending so much time paging through my passport, and also thought it strange that she asked for it at all when my flight was to Cincinnati. Good thing she did because it turns out I took my old expired passport by mistake. I rushed to the taxi stand and asked to cut the line and sped home in the taxi, had the driver wait while I ran in to get my new passport, and sped back to the airport. I live about 45 minutes from the airport and made it back in plenty of time but it was nerve wracking and cost me $100. In the old days when we didn't have to be at the airport so early, I would not have made the flight. So I also make sure I have my current passport (and have hidden away the old one).

Richard: That wasn't a dream. :)

I have had nightmares before traveling. Learned a valuable lesson: Watching the movie "Alive" the night before a long flight doesn't make for a good night's sleep.

I used to dream about showing up and realizing I didn't have my ticket. The dreams went away with ticketless travel. Nowadays the nightmare would be not having an ATM card - but I haven't had that one yet.

Yes!!! Now I know that I'm not the only one....

Hah, the times that I have had the nightmares is when my passport is not current or is in for renewal. Then I seem to dream that I have won the most wonderful trip, but I can't go because my passport isn't current. ; ) Pam

Also don't watch any episodes of "Lost" before getting on the plane.

No matter where I am flying, I always, always dream about running late to get to the airport and wake up to that prickly feeling on your skin caused by the adrenaline rush that was dream induced. The night before I travel is always a "nightmare", no pun intended, because I am guaranteed little restful sleep from the crazy dreams that leave me exhausted and stressed. :-(

I have what I call anxiety dreams. Whenever I am approaching a deadline I have a standard anxiety dream. I simply can't get to where I am going. The dream creates all different environments and generally involves not being able to pack everything, not be able to get to room I booked, not being able to catch the plane I am supposed to be on, etc. Yet, I do pre-planning, planning, checking and rechecking. So, anxiety dreams I suspect are quite common!

Always have dreams about awaking too late, still haven't packed, wondering if they will hold the plane for us. duh? Used to have the no-pants dream at the airport, but not anymore. Glad THAT stopped! Chuckling about Lee and his dream. Most likely over-the-top souvenir shopping in Europe spread all around his room. Too much Käthe Wohlfahrt or just some garden gnomes?

I can't say I've had a travel-related dream yet. All of my anxiety dreams/nightmares have been school-related. For example, I've signed up for a class but forgot to attend all semester or I've shown up late for the big test or the test is being given in a restaurant and the test itself is on the menu but I can't get the waitress to give me a menu. I still have these dreams and I last attended school 23 years ago. I don't recall the appearing without clothes dream, but I understand it is a common one. Now that you've mentioned it, I suspect I may start with the lost passport dreams.

"How about the one where you get to the airport and aren't wearing any pants?" Maybe that's a latent desire to make the TSA search easier and quicker. Maybe we should try this!

Well we are here in France! None of the nightmares came to pass but I can tell you this, it's the last driving trip we take without a GPS. Yikes! Totally lost yesterday. I did think for about five minutes that I left my bag in a rest station in Italy and it contained the passports, money and information. Thank God that I found the bag in the back seat, but I think the life expectancy went down. Loving the Hotel de la Darse in Villefranche sur Mer. Lovely balcony room overlooking the sea. Highly recommended.

I anxiety dream too, and I usually don't go to sleep at all before an early flight because I'm terrified I'll over sleep (I've done it once before and barely made my flight to Tokyo). Have a great trip!

Thanks for the update Andrea. The hotel sounds wonderful.
Thanks for sharing. Continue to enjoy your trip.

Yeah, but even Monk is treatable with something like Prozac or Zoloft. Some of these issues here might require something a bit more potent, like Risperdal. :)

Thanks to all posters for new nightmare fodder! Some were so interesting I couldn't stop reading them! Regardless of the nightmares before I go, I agree that once on the plane, it's too late to do anything about it (like wondering if I turned off the coffee maker that morning).

I'm always afraid I'll forget my passport or that they won't accept my plane ticket. Or that I'll miss my flight or that it'll turn out they put me on the 'no fly' list by mistake lol. I sometimes worry I'll arrive in Europe and realize I've forgotten my camera/tickets/printouts or something.

Doesn't anyone have recurring nightmares about a crazed clown in a creeper van? It's never at the airport or in Europe...just on my street. I wonder what it means.

"Europeans who smoke are sophisticated, and Americans who do the same are oafs" Saw the other two, and agree, didn't see that one, James.

@Grier: GAH! How horrifying! I am glad you made it! I personally have the "no shirt" dream. I dream that I get all the way to the airport with no bra on, and no shirt - just my parka over a pair of pants and my shoes. It is GHASTLY. Ghastly.

I eat the European way, specifically the German way, over there and here because I choose to. Cultural sensitivity has got nothing to do with it. Am I discriminating, the answer is yes.