Weird dreams inspired by travel

The first week or so back home from a trip I usually have dreams every night where I'm trying to get somewhere or find some place, to the point that I think I'm there and actually have to get up to reassure myself that I am indeed in my own home.

I am prone to travel anxiety dreams. Many, many years ago, I took my first solo trip to the US Virgin Islands. I was so anxious that I would forget something "essential" like contact lens solution that I dreamt about it. Guess what - it was a self-fulfilling prophecy! Now, I try not to sweat the small stuff. Thank goodness for eyeglasses and disposable contacts.

Pre-trip, I tend to dream that I'm halfway through the trip and realize that I haven't typed a single blog entry or taken any photos, and for some reason this makes me really anxious. Or I'll dream that I've packed all sweaters for a trip to a hot location, or that I haven't packed any underwear, or else a random collection of useless stuff (like a single rainboot ... I don't even own rainboots!).

I don't dream too much about places that I can recall, but at least two or three times I've had dreams about trying to get to the airport for a flight...usually there is a car issue (I had one weird dream where we broke down, my old boss drove by, picked us up, but he had to do something first before he could take us to the airport and ended up going down this backroads dirt road...what the?!)...and a few times dreamed about getting to the airport and forgetting my passport.

Had one last night. Dreamed that I was with a hearing tour group (no one knew sign) and for some reason I was alone, and my "buddy" (the buddy system) told the group leaders that I'd decided to cut the tour short (it was something similar to the BOE 21) and fly back home. So I show up in the morning for the scheduled bus departure and no one was there. Asked the front desk and they informed me (through writing in my broken German and their slightly better English) that the bus had left. Very kind of them to call on the next hotel to leave a message for the tour group. (I think I was left behind in Salzburg? I remember walking around and seeing the Hohensalzburg fortress so...)

Later in the day, (makes sense if they were driving down to Venice?) the front desk hands me a message (I'd come back from drowning my sorrow in mozartkulgn - the blue wrapper kind) that the tour group had arrived (in Venice?) and that there were no plans to get me caught up with the group - that they'd already cancelled my hotel room for all stops (apparently I paid the single supplement charge?) and that it was my own fault that I got left behind (despite the fact it was my "buddy" who told them...?)

Yeah, not a good one.

Probably why I'm cautious about joining any hearing tour groups sans sign language interpreters - due to the potential for miscommunication. (Bus scheduled to leave at 9, but they change schedule and only issued a verbal announcment - which of course I do not get - and show up at 8:45 only to find the bus gone, having left at 8).

Once I dreamed I was in CDG airport and forgot to bring my passport. There was a library in the airport and I was hiding among the bookshelves for fear of getting caught without a passport and locked up. Another time I dreamed I was stranded in CDG and sleeping on benches. I don't know why I dream about that airport. I've only been there once and it wasn't traumatic!

I dreamed that I took a friend to Siena for lunch. I lived in Miami at the time.

I loved reading about everyone's dreams!

I'll dream about being in Florence or Amsterdam, for example (of course they look nothing like they do in real life) and having no luggage, no camera, nothing. I'm kind of annoyed that I have nothing with me: "Oh shoot, I forgot to pack." In my dreams I always skip the flights - it's as if I teleport from St. Louis. I just appear in a city in Europe. If only real life were like that!

Before leaving for a trip and after coming back home I always have dreams about being late for my flight, not being able to find the airport, not being able to find my clothes to pack, forgetting my passport, etc...makes me nuts!!

I had a travel dream last night probably because I was reading these in the evening. My sister and I got to the airport in St. Louis (I don't remember where we were going) and I realized I forgot to pack shampoo, conditioner, basically all toiletries except what I carry in my purse from day to day like hand lotion. She said I had time to go home and get them but I didn't think I did. Then my parents showed up to see us off. They had a luggage cart packed with stuff except, of course, shampoo and conditioner.