Key points

As much as people crave adventure, they often feel the anxiety of travel in equal measure.

Leaving one's home, in itself, can be unsettling enough to produce travel anxiety.

Difficulty with transitions can give rise to travel anxiety.

Not everyone has it. One of my friends can sleep peacefully in the middle seat of economy class from JFK to Singapore, or happily read their Kindle across multiple time zones. Having travelled with him, I can assure you he’s not remotely disoriented in a city where he’s never been. Getting lost happens, yes, as does finding out he’s booked himself in a hotel next to an industrial park an hour from downtown. But he just charms people into helping him find what he needs. Zero anxiety .

Not me. I fastidiously checklist my ID and credit/cash car

See Full Page