"Did I forget something? Should I put this in my handbag or my suitcase? What if I get stuck in traffic? Did I bring my tickets?"
I've spent the best part of the last two hours pacing back and forth between my bedroom and my living room. A long awaited departure is just around the corner, as my flight leaves in mere 14 hours, and the pre-travel nerves kick in. A more buffoonish mess than usual (and that's saying something), I pack and unpack, check and double check as I mutter to myself about everything travelling related I can get a grasp on.
More than just the endless questions of "Did I remember", the worst part of the day before departure for me is that feeling. You know, that general restlessness or nervousness, making your heart go just a tiny bit faster and making it just a little bit harder to focus on anything. It's sort of like being nervous for an exam, only more illogical. There's nothing important weighing on a task you must complete, with cautionary tales of impending doom, and potential disappointed parents, if you fail. There's nothing to fail. No test.
Luckily, I'm "blessed" with what I call an overactive imagination. I sit there, fingers tapping, staring at nothing, and a question pops up. A little something called a "what-if". Now, I know I'm not alone when it comes to "what-if's", and that they by no means only relate to travel. But. I keep thinking of this trip I'm going to, so the same thing occupies my mind for a larger part of the day than usual. This, combined with general nervousness, leads to a long line of what-if's. So I sit there and imagine in vividly realistic detail; "What if someone at the airport slips something illegal into my bag and the airport security thinks it's mine?", or any other unlikely scenario.
Now I know I have everything under control, rationally. I know I have packed everything but the things I'm using tomorrow morning before I leave. Telling myself this doesn't exactly help, but it makes me relax, and I let myself embrace it in the comfort that everything is under control and I can bumble about as much as I want without it wasting important time I should use to prepare properly.
I feel quite sorry for the friend of mine I'm going on the trip with, for enduring many a question today, and hope he doesn't regret his decision of going with me. Also, find that sitting down and writing about it helps quite a bit, apparently.
Do you get pre-travel nerves? And if you do, how do you deal with it?
Nemo
I've spent the best part of the last two hours pacing back and forth between my bedroom and my living room. A long awaited departure is just around the corner, as my flight leaves in mere 14 hours, and the pre-travel nerves kick in. A more buffoonish mess than usual (and that's saying something), I pack and unpack, check and double check as I mutter to myself about everything travelling related I can get a grasp on.
More than just the endless questions of "Did I remember", the worst part of the day before departure for me is that feeling. You know, that general restlessness or nervousness, making your heart go just a tiny bit faster and making it just a little bit harder to focus on anything. It's sort of like being nervous for an exam, only more illogical. There's nothing important weighing on a task you must complete, with cautionary tales of impending doom, and potential disappointed parents, if you fail. There's nothing to fail. No test.
Luckily, I'm "blessed" with what I call an overactive imagination. I sit there, fingers tapping, staring at nothing, and a question pops up. A little something called a "what-if". Now, I know I'm not alone when it comes to "what-if's", and that they by no means only relate to travel. But. I keep thinking of this trip I'm going to, so the same thing occupies my mind for a larger part of the day than usual. This, combined with general nervousness, leads to a long line of what-if's. So I sit there and imagine in vividly realistic detail; "What if someone at the airport slips something illegal into my bag and the airport security thinks it's mine?", or any other unlikely scenario.
Now I know I have everything under control, rationally. I know I have packed everything but the things I'm using tomorrow morning before I leave. Telling myself this doesn't exactly help, but it makes me relax, and I let myself embrace it in the comfort that everything is under control and I can bumble about as much as I want without it wasting important time I should use to prepare properly.
I feel quite sorry for the friend of mine I'm going on the trip with, for enduring many a question today, and hope he doesn't regret his decision of going with me. Also, find that sitting down and writing about it helps quite a bit, apparently.
Do you get pre-travel nerves? And if you do, how do you deal with it?
Nemo