The Impact of Travel on Mental Health

As an erstwhile agoraphobe who has always strongly felt the urge to travel, I have panicked all over the world. There was the time in Marrakech that I found myself in the middle of the Medina in dire need of refuge from the busy, dusty market, palms sweating, vision blurring. There was the mountain I climbed in Austria that I suddenly desperately, desperately wanted to be off, descending with shaky legs that felt unequipped to get me to a place of safety. And then there was a big fat panic attack mid-air while returning from Egypt, nausea spreading its icy film across my body as I tried unsuccessfully to remain calm.

Travel is of course by and large a good thing for mental health, with the words widening and horizons frequently coupled for good reason. But if, like me, you’ve got a propensity to panic, you may find that the desire to see through world is somewhat dampened by fear taking hold. I found it helpful to break it into two parts. The first: the travelling to the destination itself. En route, you’re beholden to the schedule of whatever your mode of transport is, be it train, plane, or ship. In a car, you may have more autonomy, but either letting someone else drive or sticking to timings may impact anxiety. Here, I find props helpful, and suggest employing binaural beats, breathing exercises, aromatherapy, or vagal nerve exercises to soothe.

Once at your destination, the mind can find free time or the removal of routine an issue. All the above crutches may help, but additionally adding some structure is usually helpful (I always stretch in the morning and read before bed, as a rule), while exercise is hugely helpful to shake off stress that accumulates when in a different set up from the norm.

Of the upmost importance: advocate for your own mental health irrespective of where you are or who you’re with, and do your best to implement whatever it is you need to feel balanced when travelling.