Overcoming Travel Anxiety | The Linguistic Traveler

As I’m starting this post, I’m working to pack for my flight to Romania tomorrow. (Today is June 18th.)

And in the last few days, I find myself overcome with anxiety and fear about the trip. I’m plunging into the unknown, to a country I’ve never visited before, surrounded by strangers who might not speak English.

As I’ve said in another post, I’m headed there for a job, so many of the logistics like room and board are handled for me. But booking a bus from the airport to the town, and stressing about making sure I know where I’m being picked up, make this a lot harder.

What if it takes me too long to reach the gate for one of my flights? What if I can’t find the bus? What if some other emergency happens along the way?

These are all questions constantly floating around in my head.

But I’ve been excited about this trip for months for these exact same reasons: exploring a new land and culture, hearing a new language, and meeting new people.

This fear is frustrating. It’s making me question whether I even want to go to Romania at all.

These ‘what ifs’ just hold you back. Here are some positive ones to counter them: What if things go right? What if everything works out? You might have an amazing time with little to no hiccups.

Why dwell on the possible negatives?

I faced a similar feeling last year before I went to Belize. After some terrible flight delays and having to drive several hours to a different airport, I told my parents (who drove me there) that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go anymore.

What to Do About the Anxiety

My parents didn’t let me give up on going to Belize. I went, and had to stay overnight in Dallas, thus arriving a whole day later than planned. The next day, I caught a flight to Belize, found the taxi taking me to San Ignacio, and had an amazing 3 weeks there!

I know the same thing will happen on the way to Romania. Not only this anxiety and fear making me question my willingness to go, but something going wrong. It could be really minor or it could be something big.

But it’s not the bad memories that stick with me. It’s the good ones. I don’t remember my 7-hour flight to Ireland. Our near-missed flight in Belfast from going to the wrong airport isn’t at the forefront of my mind when I think of my trip to Ireland, either.

I want to travel. I want to see the world. So why am I now letting fear and anxiety overtake me?

I think that fully rejecting this fear isn’t smart, either. But it should be used as a tool rather than an obstacle: Do I have everything I need? Do I know where I need to be for my bus? What else should I know for my trip?

This anxiety will keep you thinking about small details you might need. It will go over every last detail again and again.

Use it to help you plan, not to stop you from going. No good adventure ever begins without overcoming fear and plunging into the unknown!

I wrote this first section while packing. The next part will come after my arrival in Romania, where I can talk about whether my fears were justified.

The Final Outcome

So, having been in Romania for about a day, I can say that the fears making me question my willingness to go were not justified. However, the expectation of something going wrong absolutely was.

Everything with the flights went well. No significant delays and no issues getting to the gates. After 17 hours in airplanes and airports, I arrived in Romania, ready to take the train to Predeal. I thought I would make it all the way there without any issue.

Then I discovered some issues with my train ticket.

For one, I scheduled it way later than necessary, expecting to be delayed by customs in Romania. What I didn’t realize is that the EU handles all of its customs at once. When I arrived in Munich, I went through customs and didn’t have to do it again.

So I would now have to wait 2 hours, and there was no earlier train that I could book.

It was only an hour later that I realized I misunderstood which train the ticket went to.

The train I booked a ticket for went from Bucuresti Nord to Predeal, but I wasn’t at Bucuresti Nord and needed to get another train there first.

Now, this was all a big hassle, and the lady handling the tickets didn’t seem too happy about my difficulty in understanding her broken English. I don’t blame her— I was frustrated, too.

Eventually, though, I booked a ticket to the right station, but would be delayed by about 30 minutes in my (already late) arrival.

Another obstacle, albeit not a difficult one to get around, was that the train doesn’t announce their stops.

When Bad Experiences Turn Good

I did not anticipate the endless kindness of Romanians. Immediately after boarding the train, I asked the nearest person if I had boarded the right spot.

Luckily, he spoke English, as many Romanians do now.

He helped me and spoke with me the whole ride, just making idle conversation about anything and everything. He was immensely kind, getting my Instagram from me and even showing me how to get to my next train once we arrived in Bucuresti Nord.

The 2nd Train

Upon boarding this next, significantly larger train, another passenger asked where I would disembark. I mentioned that I would need help knowing when I reached Predeal. She was getting off at the next stop, so she couldn’t help me, but did ask another passenger to help.

This passenger was even kinder than the last two (not to discredit them in any way; I simply had more time to talk to her and needed more help). She spoke English, and was more than willing to help me find my way.

Not only that, but when I told her I would need to call someone for pickup and had a low battery with no phone signal, she let me use her own charger and turned on a mobile hotspot for me to use to make the call. She offered me some water as well. We talked for the whole 2 hours of my train ride, and added each other on Instagram in case I needed to contact her for help.

If you’re reading this, Fabian and Raluca, I am so thankful for your help and company! It really gave me such a great first impression of your beautiful country!

After finally departing the train and getting to the camp, I was greeted by other English trainers from all over the world excited to meet me! It’s only been a day and I already feel like I’ve known them for years.