Traveling Assumptions

Here we go again. We’re planning a trip and that means certain assumptions. The more we do it, the truer it becomes.

I will deal with my travel anxiety by trying to add even more to my task list than I usually do, rather than less

My husband will deal with his travel anxiety by waking up two hours early

Traffic on the way to the airport will be incredibly heavy

But we’ll arrive with plenty of time anyway

I will be “randomly” selected for secondary search even though I’m a Trusted Traveler

People will constantly get between my husband and me in line or in crowds

Our gate will be changed at least once

Maybe our type of plane will change too, and suddenly we’re both in middle seats

Or our seats will be changed without notice so we aren’t even sitting together

There may be a five-hour delay some time on the trip

We are probably going to be hungry, like crazy hungry

It will rain, no matter where we go or what time of year

I will always be freezing in a hotel room and he will be hot

One of us will get a working key card and the other won’t

Whenever I leave any room, I will turn the wrong way and head the wrong direction 

A lot of people will take these opportunities, and more, as reasons to complain. Complainers have no idea they’re doing it. It’s like sports commentary, like a golf announcer only less interesting.

Experienced travelers will accept that there are natural constraints, and work around them.

Because I know that my travel anxiety makes me delusional about how much I can or should get done, I acknowledge that I will always try to do a deep clean of my house or revamp my filing system, and I work around it. I have started leaving myself notes in my reminder app that pop up a few days before a trip.

Dear Future Me, quit wigging out. Love, Past Self.

Because I know my husband can only be happy if we’re at least a few minutes early, we talk through our agenda together. In the world of engineering, they may literally bill their time in 7.5-minute increments. “When you say ‘leave by,’ do you mean we’re walking out our front door or do you expect us to be driving away in the Lyft?”

We know our trips are always subject to constant gate changes, seat changes, and inexplicable delays, so we plan around it. Bring extra food and backup batteries, and shrug.

We know to check the map constantly, because I have the directional sense of a fig beetle.

We also have rules about how many attractions we try to see in a day, how often we stop to eat, and how many days we spend in a city. There is a constant temptation to try to fit in too much, and then feel frantic instead of relaxed. If we let FoMO take over, it will destroy any sense of fun. Any anti-anxiety policy is a good policy.

At this point, we’re getting it down. We do the one-minute perimeter check when we leave a room, so we aren’t forgetting stuff. We check the map so we aren’t going in the wrong direction. We help each other cross-check our luggage so we don’t forget anything.

Probably the most important thing we do is to pause and make eye contact and smile at each other. We remind ourselves that THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!

We travel under the assumption that travel itself is inherently annoying and exhausting. The better we get at anticipating these minor annoyances, the more we can avoid them. The better we get at monitoring our energy level and emotional responses to whatever situation, the better we get at knowing when to take a break.

When we come home, it will be the fascinating stuff that we remember, not the petty complaints. We also recognize that the biggest hassles make for the most interesting traveler’s tales. We never know when it will be our last trip together and it’s our job to make the most of it.