What scares you about travel?

[latawiec]

I worry about health issues being so far from home and usual medical people. And falls. Falls can cause so much damage. And so easy to happen. Much easier than car accidents.

Don't worry but be careful particularly on your Rhine river cruise in December. Icing in Europe has already started with temperature falling to about zero °C.
tyres are being replaced with suitable for winter icy conditions.
So prevent potential fall you need consider adequate non-slippery shoes.

I have been cruising the Rhine twice but in summer, and never in winter.
Enjoy German Christmas Market, the Glühwein, the tripple Bock beer, the warmed beer with a cherry syrup and good traditional food like 🪿.

 

[mireille]

Thank you for your kindness latawiec.
I have a small group of friends but everyone is still very busy with their family and have no interest in travelling.
I am trying to make new friends to start a new stage of my life but it's hard as we age.

 

[luxury-lizard]

As a very frequent traveller I always get what I call "airport anxiety" which for me means in the weeks/days leading up to a trip I have nightmares ( about getting lost, missing fights, forgetting essential items etc etc) and on the day of / day before travel starts I worry about missing the flight or connection and/or forgetting essential items (passport, travel docs, money, cards etc etc) - BUT once I get to the lounge I'm totally fine and very adept at handling travel mishaps,

For those who are concerned about health related issues while overseas - one thing I've come to realise: if you are injured or ill - get to a large city large medical facility preferably in a western country. (This was after Mr LL had a broken shoulder mis-diagnosed at a clinic in Zermatt, and I had a broken pelvis under-disposed in a Whistler clinic, plus a couple of other incidents). And a friend almost had his leg amputated in a hospital in Tanzania when a spider bite became infected - ended up spending 6 weeks in a Jo'Berg hospital but they saved his leg. If you are in a developing country or small town - get out.

In reply to @mireille - perhaps AFF should start a thread on solo travel for those who are not comfortable travelling on their own. e.g. there are travel groups who specialise in tours for solo travellers and/or women only or .....

 

[zig]

When travelling in the US images of mass shootings are never far from my mind. I fear getting caught up in a situation like that.

 

[Flyfrequently]

QF Dom J F&B W-E coast or vv...

Especially on 737 @JohnM

 

[Stealthflyer]

As a very frequent traveller I always get what I call "airport anxiety" which for me means in the weeks/days leading up to a trip I have nightmares ( about getting lost, missing fights, forgetting essential items etc etc) and on the day of / day before travel starts I worry about missing the flight or connection and/or forgetting essential items (passport, travel docs, money, cards etc etc) - BUT once I get to the lounge I'm totally fine and very adept at handling travel mishaps,

I also get this airport anxiety. I have a nightmare about missing a flight or leaving my passport at home or forgetting to set my alarm at least once before every trip, even though I fly regularly and have never done any of those things. I don’t understand how something that gives me pleasure can also give me so much anxiety!

 

[Pushka]

The week before an international flight I have a dream of being on a plane and it can't find the airport and we end up 'driving' down roads. I don't remember how it always ends.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Travel by myself or having to share trips with people I can't tolerate, on top of the all the issues mentioned above.
When my husband was alive, we used to travel extensively with no real worry whatsover, even when we had a few mishaps. Being together, we got the feeling of being secure, subconciously we morally supported each other and didn't have that feeling of anxiety which comes along with age; we just made sure taking turn to keep an eye on potential danger.
But after his death 5 years ago, my confidence vanished completely; being alone, I couldn't find the courage to travel by myself, besides the fact that there's no joy in solo travelling.
I'm actually trying to get to know this group with the same interest of travel, and with some luck, will find friends willing to share my future trips, as my SIN miles are about to expire.

Thank you for sharing @mireille and welcome to AFF.
You will enjoy reading the wisdom and informative tips of many folk here and hopefully you can embrace travel again.
Many AFF's share their trip reports often solo for various reasons.
I admire their adventurous spirit.

 

[Pushka]

Travel by myself or having to share trips with people I can't tolerate, on top of the all the issues mentioned above.
When my husband was alive, we used to travel extensively with no real worry whatsover, even when we had a few mishaps. Being together, we got the feeling of being secure, subconciously we morally supported each other and didn't have that feeling of anxiety which comes along with age; we just made sure taking turn to keep an eye on potential danger.
But after his death 5 years ago, my confidence vanished completely; being alone, I couldn't find the courage to travel by myself, besides the fact that there's no joy in solo travelling.
I'm actually trying to get to know this group with the same interest of travel, and with some luck, will find friends willing to share my future trips, as my SIN miles are about to expire.

I don't know which state you are in but maybe that doesn't matter. There's a Travel Agent in SA who runs guided tours and cruises where many are single travellers. Website is PHT.com.au.

 

[tgh]

A close widowed friend has found a new life on the road.
The key for her was palling up with another adventurous widow ; they are both financially independent and this helps...
The two merry widows have spent most of this year in an aeroplane or a hotel and have seen a lot of the world.
We have met many single ladies on cruise ships where the security and the organised companionship is attractive.

 

[exceladdict]

I also get this airport anxiety. I have a nightmare about missing a flight or leaving my passport at home or forgetting to set my alarm at least once before every trip, even though I fly regularly and have never done any of those things. I don’t understand how something that gives me pleasure can also give me so much anxiety!

For me, it's the fear of flight change notifications, though in my experience they are rare in the week prior to travel - generally either being on the day or well in advance.

 

[yachty]

For me, it's the fear of flight change notifications, though in my experience they are rare in the week prior to travel - generally either being on the day or well in advance.

I was going to say I never have this fear, but on reflection I think I've internalised it to the point where it feels normal If I need to be somewhere by a certain time I always have a backup flight planned (not booked, but written down so I can easily purchase it should the original rebooking be unsatisfactory).

 

[Lynda2475]

Given GPS getting lost shouldn't be an issue. Download the offline map of where you will be and GPS allows you to navigate even without data. Take a paper map if you are worried about losing your device and in a country where English is not widely spoken and you don't speak the local language always take a business card from your hotel/airbnb (in the local lingo) so you can show a cabbie, police officet or concierge where you need to get back to.

In cities where certain areas are considered no go for solo traveller, only visit if you are being escorted by a local friend or reputable local guide and always let another loved one / friend know your plans so they can raise the alarm if you dont check back in as expected.

I dont think Ive ever been genuinely scared whilst travelling, but I do get anxious waiting for QF awards to ticket, or if there is traffic/delays making connections tighter than they need to be.

I avoid war zones for obvious reasons and also countries in the ME where women arent afforded the same rights as men. There is no joy in being disrespected or limited because you aren't a man or accompanied by a man; or taking risk of being imprisoned for being victim of a crime or assaulted at airport by staff purely based on your gender and age.

besides the fact that there's no joy in solo travelling.

Couldn't disagree more. Solo travel is complete joy, no one to compromise with. IME when you travel solo you also interact far more with locals rather than talking with your travel companion. You should try it, crazy to miss out on seeing the world because you are single or can't convince a friend to come with.

For every trip I've done with a partner, family member or friend I've probably done another 6 solo, the best trips have been the solo ones. Those trips are the ones where I made new life long friends, didn't miss any experiences and didn't have to waste time visiting/doing things of no interest because of someone I was with.

 

[p--and--t]

1. Severely delayed or potentially cancelled flights causing a missed connection when i have nonrefundable prepayment for tours and /or cruise that will go without me.

2. My phone wont roam at the various destinations or I haven’t adequately prepared with an eSim.

3. Losing my passport

I love travel and all the new experiences and can’t wait for the next two sojourns in 2024 to 8 countries. There are things fate will bring or not bring and I cannot waste my energy or joy of travel by worrying about all that “might” happen.

I could and have got sick at home (and had less than great medical care), I can and have been ripped off at home. I could get knocked over and injured or killed crossing the road outside my place. There are good people and not so good everywhere, I could get mugged or knifed for no reason in any Australian city, no need to travel to be at risk of that.

 

[dairyfloss]

"We were unable to confirm your Upgrade Reward request for QFXX, as there are no more Upgrade seats available..."
Although, I have pretty successfully resolved that risk by just booking J in the first place, since travel has recommenced!

I'm also like a few others in that I have the most vivid 'freak-out' scenarios in my dreams, in the day or two before most travels, with situations ranging from leaving a passport at home, to forgetting to pack luggage or bring it to the airport, to having a taxi breakdown in the center of the Sydney harbour tunnel, whilst already running late to get to SYD

As long as all that shizit stays in my dreams, I'm good.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Pushka]

I must admit I do enjoy the odd solo trip but then again it’s my choice and not something I have to do if I want to travel.

 

[Mattg]

1. Severely delayed or potentially cancelled flights causing a missed connection when i have nonrefundable prepayment for tours and /or cruise that will go without me.

Oh, yes, I do often worry about delayed flights causing me to miss onward connections/commitments. When booking flights, I now assume there will be a delay and don't book the shortest connection - because even if I make it, my luggage may not. I probably end up spending more time than needed in airports as a result, but I consider it a worthwhile "insurance" policy.

I also often plan connections on separate tickets (e.g. Australia to Asia on one ticket, and Asia to Europe on another). For these connections, I now try to allow at least 24 hours between flights. Yes, the travel time is longer but I've got to spend time in some interesting places as a result.

There are so many things that can happen when you travel that are not your fault, but that you ultimately become responsible for fixing. So I try to avoid getting into those situations in the first place.

3. Losing my passport

Oh my goodness, yes. This is probably among the worst things that could happen when you're abroad (apart from dying or getting seriously ill, of course). It happened to me once and I still have nightmares about it. However, I did learn from that experience and am now more careful with my passport.

 

[Tiki]

1. Cancelled or delayed flights that cause missed connections down the line. I do book very generous connections but have had scares where the airline does a schedule change making it a tight connection.

2. Not waking up in time for an early flight (which I try to avoid but sometimes I can't). I set 3 alarms about 10 minutes apart with the loudest police siren ringtone I have.

3. I go to very remote places to see birds so I worry about natural disasters blocking my way out leaving me trapped someplace. I was on top of a mountain outside of Quito when that big earthquake hit in 2016. Killed the power so no internet, I couldn't find out what was happening. The lodge manager phoned his friend and we knew it was an earthquake but no details. I was relieved the bus was still running the next morning and we got safely back to Quito and the airport where I finally got online to see what had happened.

4. Losing my passport, I check up on it several times before leaving home and while I am travelling. Similarly getting pickpocketed or robbed so I hide my documents very carefully if I am in a dodgy place and get my husband to walk behind me a bit so no one can sneak up behind and rob me. I carry both of our documents and all the credit cards and most of the cash, he is the security guard!

 

[dylarr]

I'm not a morning person at all... so early morning flights scare me. I have a fear of sleeping through my alarm and missing the flight. This gets compounded by not being able to get to sleep the night before due to being worried about sleeping in. When I do wake up on schedule in the morning it's always a huge relief!

I've slept in once before when due to catch the 6am QF401 SYD-MEL (then onwards to SIN, thankfully on a seperate ticket) where I was woken by a call from the gate asking me if I was flying today. Had to just rock up at the airport and buy a ticket onto the next available... the extra hour and a half or so of sleep ended up costing $550. Haven't done it again since then.

 

[Mattg]

3. I go to very remote places to see birds so I worry about natural disasters blocking my way out leaving me trapped someplace.

I was in Europe a few weeks ago when news of a potential new volcanic eruption in Iceland emerged, and immediately thought of this:

Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org