Pre-trip jitters

I'm like that for 3 months before! Sounds like you have a great trip. Bruges is one of my favourite places in Europe, and we leave for Greece ourselves in 4 weeks. Bon voyage!

I leave in less than three weeks for a long trip and for the past week I've been having the anxiety dream where I get lost in the airport and miss my flight. You're doing what I would do (distract yourself, double check lists, clean the house). Once you get going it should be fine. Bon voyage!

Yup!
One week ahead of a trip I start worrying and wondering WHY I decided to do this. Once I'm at the airport I'm fine and excited for a new adventure.

You didn't forget your sun cream? It's going to be lovely weather: look at the sun symbols in the weather forecast for the Netherlands!
Enjoy!

Whenever I would worry about forgetting to pack something, my father would say, "No problem. If you forget something, then we will buy it when we get there!" Before we take a big trip, I keep a "to do" list and every time I check something off, I feel a bit better. Cheers to a great trip!

I start having bad dreams about a month before a big trip that I forget stuff, or miss my flight or something. I completely get what you are saying!! I also feel weird on the flight out. I calm myself by a day or two before getting a pedicure, sounds weird but even if I just paint my own toenails I have to have pretty painted toenails before I leave home.

My take away for you: RELAX (easier said than done I know!) It will be ok, if you get there and forget something you can buy it there. My last trip I forgot deodorant and had to buy it first thing in the morning in Venice, it was not great. Just make sure you have the things you can't buy there. For me that is contacts, glasses, and medicine. Everything else is superfluous.

Have an amazing time, which you will, and hey who knows I might see you in passing in Greece!!! I will be there 4/28-5/5.

I always have pre-trip jitters - mostly anticipation tho...and hoping nothing goes wrong at home. We are travelling in July, so I expect in June to start having my crazy dreams about things going wrong on the way to the airport (flat tires, detours), and then finally getting there and realizing we forgot our passports. I swear I have this dream a few times before every trip.

No you're not alone, I do the same thing. I don't like the flying part much and I 'm always anxious until we get through security at the airport but you're doing some of the same things I do. I usually check everything 2-3 times as we walk out the door and get into the car as well, I'm always afraid I'll forget our passports or forget to turn something off, but I blame a lot of that on my husband, he has always done that so I ended up doing it as well :). I just got back from a week in Germany and I'm starting to plan and make my lists for a trip to London with my mom and daughter this summer. I know I'll be a little more anxious for that trip since my husband won't be with us but I know we'll have fun.

Have a great trip!

Yes! Always. It's the day before I leave. I don't worry about forgetting anything. I mostly worry about illness, at home while I'm gone or away. I am out of sorts all day. However, once I'm at the airport, I'm fine.

Absolutely yes! You are not alone. I just got my final communication from RS about our GAS tour in May and I am getting jitters again about 'what else do I need to do!' I don't think there actually is anything else I need to do for the travel part of our trip but that doesn't stop me from worrying. Have a great trip Tamara! You have been a great help for our upcoming GAS tour. Greece was our first one and you will love it!!

Of course! I'm already making the list of things to do before we leave, including: trash, light timers, outdoor light timers, irrigation timers, itineraries sent to those that need them, medicines that can't wait to be bought at a local store when needed (you know the ones), etc. If the big things are covered, then the little things don't mean so much if forgotten.
Enjoy your trip. We did the Greece tour 3 years ago and absolutely loved it! We're on the RS Ireland tour in June, plus a week on our own in the Netherlands after.
(oh, and I teach high school. There's only 31 days left of the school year, which I'm just as excited for!)

I am sitting here thinking, thank goodness I am not alone! We, husband and I, are leaving less than a week and I am beginning to worry. It has been hard to get to sleep and I am waking up with these random travel thoughts. There was a hail storm last Friday, we are expecting another storm today, that did roof damage for the second year in a row. Love tornado season, not. Then there are my babies, aka my two dogs. The day we leave I am riddled with guilt, they must be boarded. I know they enjoy their time there, but I still feel I am abandoning them.

Oh, and Tamara, have fun on your trip!!

Wow, I'm glad to know I am not alone! Its funny you can be so nervous about something you want to do so badly!

Moncton NB - I am so glad to hear about Bruges. It looks so picturesque, I am really looking forward to just wandering the canals without any big plans. Hope you have a wonderful time in Greece!

CL - I almost always have a dream that I get to the airport and realize I left my passport or camera at home (the camera is just as important to me!). I was surprised I didn't have that dream last night, perhaps because I took a benadryl this time.

Tonfromleiden - Thank you for sharing your weather report! I was completely prepared for dreary, cool, rainy weather for the first part of our trip and am so excited it is looking like we may get some sunshine!

katsrad - so fun that you may be in Greece at the same time! It seems like a very popular destination this year! Hope you have a lovely trip.

Nicole P - I have that dream too! As reliably as I used to have a dream about forgetting my locker combination and loosing my schedule so I was late to every class before the first night of school every year!

Wray - I usually worry about getting sick, as I catch something on almost every single vacation. This year, however, I just got bronchitis a few weeks ago and am still having some asthma complications from it, so I am hoping I have paid the piper and will have smooth sailing. Because that is exactly how it works... lol!

jlkelman - Can't wait to hear about your GAS trip! It was just amazing, you will absolutely love it! Please share a report when you get home! Glad to hear you loved Greece.

Debra - I always feel guilty about our babies too! They spend their time with my in-laws and their doggy cousins, and they always do fine, but I am always sure they must think we are never coming back for them. Once we are there I forget about it and my in-laws send us pictures and everything is fine, but oh, the guilt when I pack them up and drop them off!

And do everyone else - thanks so much for reassuring me that I am not crazy (or at least that I am not alone in my craziness...). I guess there is a thin line between nerves and excitement! And I appreciate all the well-wishers! My favorite thing about this board is how excited everyone is about everyone else's trips - I love to talk travel but no one in my "real" life gets it. Happy travels to all!

I used to worry about not having my ticket when I got to the airport or train station. Now I print the ticket when I get there. I've had my share of travel flubs and it always works out. Often things that go wrong are the most memorable part of the trip. The only thing to worry about these days is my passport, IDP and credit/debit cards. If I've got those with me, I'm good. My phone is a big deal too since it's my camera, calendar, GPS, travel alarm, access to websites (trip adviser, Airbnb, air and train sites, etc.). I wouldn't want to lose it.

I feel the exactly the same way on the day of the flight, sometimes the day before.

And I also have the dreams about getting to the airport and realizing I have no passport, or getting stuck in a mammoth traffic jam on the way to the airport. These dreams are year round, regardless of impending trip. And the traffic one is intense these days because we fly out of Toronto on Labour Day! We have almost decided that we are leaving home at 9am for a 4pm flight. Long weekend traffic into Toronto is horrendous.

Funny Nicole mentioned flat tires - and not to worry you Tamara - but I remember when we went to France in 2011, DH was working a part day and I was home packing. I took the car for some servicing and discovered the tire was at 13%. Then when I was finishing packing I took the cellophane off my newly hemmed pants only to realize they weren't my pants. I raced back to the tailors and luckily the other person hadn't picked up mine before then. We were nervous, to say the least, by the time we got on the road. We also had some worries leading up to a China tour because we couldn't tell ourselves that we could buy anything we forgot!

It will all be good and you will have a wonderful time.

Tamara, you’ve described me to a tee!! Super happy and looking forward to a trip to Europe for months, then, in the last few days I get extreme anxiety and wonder why in the world did I think this was a good idea???

I think the anxiety comes from having so many responsibilities and obligations here at home.
Knowing I go through this every time helps me to not give it energy and make it worse. I just keep telling myself over and over that it’s going to be wonderful... it’s going to be amazing... because it always is.
Every trip, no matter how long, I’m sad to leave Europe and am so grateful I was able to go.
Just change the voice in your head to a positive one and go have fun... : )

Andrea - so funny about your dry cleaning and flat tire! Why do these things always happen on travel day? My day so far is going kind of like that - one of my dogs seems to be under the weather and has had an accident in her crate and thrown up on the rug, and now I just received notification that our flight is delayed by 3 hours so we will miss our connection and have been booked on a later flight to Paris instead. Hopefully we are getting all of the bumps out of the way now! And hopefully our flight doesn't end up cancelled!

I'm the same.
I love all the months of planning; then the day before I leave I want to stay home.
Once I'm at the airport it's all fine.
Go figure.

Being an IT guy and organized by spreadsheet, I am usually very calm pre-travel. I tend to panic later in hotels in the middle of the night. I suffer from insomnia during the best of times and I never quite sleep well anyway. So, my spouse is sleeping soundly and I lie awake and the "what-if's" start popping into my mind. "What if there's an earthquake here - I'm halfway around the world!", "what if my sister needs help at home?", "is my home being looked after properly", etc.

Tamara, with your day going as it is, perhaps a glass of vin? Or two?

Never used to be, but now I am exactly the same as how you describe your own feelings. For me the anxiety was through the roof in 2012 when after visa processing my Passport only arrived in the mail on a Friday afternoon, and I was travelling on the Monday. It’s certainly an age thing ... oh for the untroubled carefree attitude of youth again.

My jitters come when we have bad weather moving in on the day of departure. Like today when we left tulsa ok very bumpy flight for about 15 mins or so and landing in houston. Then we got on stand by for newark. Awaiting in united lounge for our 9:55 pm flight to shannon ireland for 8 day heart of ireland then bouncing over to do the 10 best of scotland

I have periods of anxiety preceding each trip, but now that I've made 7 successful solo trips I remind myself of that fact and usually my mind settles right down. I've done my research, have plans A, B and C for most situations and the rest I figure will be an adventure.

TC - might not be a bad idea! But we got to the airport, the Lufthansa check in people were very kind and so apologetic about the delay (even though we didn't complain) and even gave us vouchers for dinner that we enjoyed a very nice meal with, so things are definitely looking up!

djp_syd - I hope it isn't just an age thing, as I am 34 and (hopefully) have a lot of years of travel ahead of me. If so, I'll be a wreck by the time I retire! Luckily, my hubby is super calm and laid back and balances my nervous Nelly tendencies out nicely ;)

That’s totally me too! I console myself with the fact that I’ve never come home from a trip wishing I hadn't gone. ; )

Glad you posted as you can see you are not alone! I am the same way, too. Usually a few days before the trip I get nervous about everything. I worry I won’t make flight connections, my hotel will not have my reservations (that I already reconfirmed,) I won’t be able to get between my destinations, and I’ll probably be run over crossing a street or fall off a mountain hiking or something. I start to think I would have been much better just staying home, and why did I ever plan to do this. This anxiety usually ends once I get to the airport. My next trip is coming up in just a few weeks and so the pre trip anxiety hasn’t hit yet!

You are totally normal. I don't ever question myself "why am I going?", but I do worry if I forget to pack something or get lost or hurt or something. If you forget something, you can buy it there. Have travel insurance for medical emergencies. You already know that as soon as you get on the plane, you are fine. Keep busy and it will all be fine. Have a great time!

I always get nervous before a trip, at some point the worrying builds to a crescendo. At that point it just gets exhausting and then I let it go. After I get on the ground in Europe I am in the zone and it's a marvelous feeling of freedom and willingness to be a bit bold, take a chance on a tight train connection, etc.

I'm sure you're off on your adventures now, but I just wanted to add that this is a great thread. I always have this wave of 'what IF????' that hits 24-48 hours before departure. That's usually followed by 'why did I book this???? what was I thinking????' which then makes me feel guilty for the money being spent. Plus, I'm the one who usually picks our trip destinations, so I feel responsible. What if my other half doesn't like it???

To date, we have traveled, had great adventures & returned just fine. Not everything always goes to plan. My other half and I call ourselves the master of 'cope and deal' when things don't work out and we have to find plan B, plan C, etc. But isn't that part of travel itself? It's an adventure, and it's hopefully a learning experience as well.

Hope your trip is amazing!!!

“I love all the months of planning; then the day before I leave I want to stay home.”

S.Jackson... that’s me!!

"Does anyone else get pre-trip jitters?"

Yes, absolutely! It happens to me before every trip, and I also have the same reaction as S.Jackson posted above. A few days before departure, I have thoughts about cancelling and just staying home. However once the trip starts, those feelings dissipate quickly and I have a good time.

"It happens to me before every trip." Maybe not every single trip but still very true. I most often get the jitters, the travel willies, on the morning of the date of departure. True, the thought of canceling occurs too...fleeting but it still does.

Interesting -- the only time I remember even considering cancellation of a trip was when I got a diagnosis of breast cancer ... And even then, the surgeon said that since it had likely been growing for years, waiting another few weeks wouldn't be a problem. (Trip was for a solar eclipse, so it couldn't be rescheduled. It was fantastic!)
I do obsess over packing, making revisions up until the last hour as weather forecasts change.

only every trip

ah - It is Saturday mid afternoon here. You should be here by now... feeling better?

Hi Nigel! Much better! We had several delays and other bumps, and arrived much later than expected, but we took it all in stride! We are so happy to be here!

Have a great trip! I used to get nervous about forgetting to pack something. Now I go with ‘as long as I have my passport and a credit card, anything else can be arranged if necessary!’
I’m going to Bruges and Amsterdam in September! I’ll look forward to your trip report. Have a great time!

Well, a dream update. My crazy vacation dreams started last night. Two months out. I dreamed we were at the airport...very early for some reason...when I realized I had somehow forgotten my camera gear AND our toiletries! But we didn’t have enough time to go home and get it. So hubby was running around the airport trying to find me a camera...at some point the airport turned into a close approximation of a store I used to work at. But there were some Asian girls that had a bunch of cameras for sale. I think I went with the Sony...lol.

But at least I had my passport.

What other crazy dreams am I in store for??!

Airline tickets. Check.
Credit and debit cards. Check.
Passports. Check.
Andiamo!

I'm a week from flying and already the jitters kick in for me. Not over where I'm traveling but over 6 separate flights during the trip. I'll look up in the sky and see a plane fly by and already I'm thinking, MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO FLY!!!!!!! Thankfully it subsides once I get into the airport...and have a scotch.

Yup - always happens to me. Hopefully this story will relieve a little of your anxiety.
48 hours before we left for Spain I cut my finger pretty badly -and spending 4 hours in the ER was not part of my "pre trip" planning! So needless to say, getting my gear together was bit challenging and I didn't check/recheck most of the items I normally do - I just decided that as long as I had passport, tickets, money, meds and phone and dressings - everything else would work out.

And lo and behold it did - I didn't forget anything crucial - realized I didn't pack a couple of t shirts I'd meant to so ended up picking up a couple in Barcelona -not a big deal.
So the "lesson learned" is that as long as you've got those those 5 items (assuming you don't need dressings :-) it really will be just fine.
So go for a walk, stretch and get some exercise and think of all the fun you're going to have on your trip!!!!!!

I do ! I also do something a bit morbid . I write a letter to each of my ( now adults but I started doing it the first time I left them when they were very small children ) letters . Each letter is a personal love note to that child and an assurance that if I don't come back not to grieve too much etc .
I hide the letters in my bedside drawer . If I do t return they would be found . After I return I often forget about them , or move them to a box in my closet , they'll get to read them
Someday