Travel Anxiety

Anxious: wanting something very much, typically with a feeling of unease.

Eager: wanting to do or have something very much.

These are the emotions I am experiencing in preparation for an upcoming trip. It's not unusual for me to be eagerly awaiting to go on vacation, or to be a little nervous about the flight to get there. This trip, however, will be the longest we've ever gone on. It will be 26 days!

The longest we've been away before, both of us together, has been 2 full weeks on a trip to Christchurch, NZ. That was the first time I'd really felt anxious about a trip. We have two children, boys and at the time, our youngest was still under 18. I'd never left my kids for 2 weeks before. A week, sure, but 2? Um... I was a little unsure about it.

I had the dreams about someone breaking into the house and hurting them, the dreams of them burning the house down, etc. But, we had a wonderful time. Tim had to work most of the time, and I did sight-seeing on my own, but the days he didn't work, we filled them to the brim with as much as we possibly could and it was lovely.

This upcoming trip, our eldest will still be at home, taking care of the house and the dog. Our youngest is away at university. Even so, I am starting to get that little nagging feeling about being away so long. It won't stop me going, but until we're actually there, I'll be wondering if I should be going.

If you know me, it probably won't surprise you to learn, that even when I am anxious or afraid, I will still go ahead with what is planned or what needs to be done. I don't like flying, but I'll get on the plane, takes lots of deep breaths and busy myself for take-off. Once in a while, I can even get myself to look out the window! I don't like bridges, but I don't let them keep me from going places. If there's a bridge, you just speed up a little and get across it quickly (if possible). If not, and if I'm not driving, I just close my eyes and tell myself we're on solid ground. Though, once in a while (not often), I can even look out across the water, but it's best if I do this while not on a bridge. 

All that leads me to this: it doesn't matter if I'm anxious. I'll go. My husband and I will see many wonderful things, taste new foods and meet new people. We'll drive (both of us this time) on the left side of the road and laugh with one another at the silly things we do. We'll have a wonderful time. And upon returning home, I'll likely be ready to go again and the worry of being gone for 4 weeks will be gone.

Now, how does a person pack for 4 weeks?!