I am a sissy when it comes to travel. I spend the day before a trip wringing my hands and looking for the nearest hole to crawl into. When I was eighteen my parents shipped me to Nice for a summer to learn French (rough life, I know) and for the first 24 hours I was a blubbering ball of homesickness. But once I got into the swing of things (ie. found the beach) I never wanted to leave!
Given that I have this pattern, I now remind myself that the build-up is always worse than the reality, and moreover, I always have a great time when I arrive. That said, anything I can do to ease anticipation is just dandy–and that includes simplifying the packing process. For each trip I pick a palette, I ensure I can wear each item with everything else, and I never check my luggage.
Case in point: I'm headed to Portland this morning! I've never been and I'm downright petrified. To make matters worse, I'm the opening speaker at the What If Conference, and my talk is only kinda sorta prepared. So I'm bringing my safest, comfiest clothes: denim and leather, stripes and basics in red, white, and blue. 'Cause the last thing I want to worry about is my outfit…
Tell me: Does travel get your knickers in a knot? What tips and tricks do you have to keep yourself calm? Shopping Guide: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Portland is on top of my travel wish list along with SF, Seattle and Vancouver. Hope to do that tour next year!
You’re coming to my hometown! Comfy, funky & cute (emphasis on comfy) is definitely the way to go here — your PDX inspiration boards are great. I am the opposite when it comes to travel though: I think I would be happiest packing up my family and flying somewhere new every month 🙂 Enjoy your time here, and calm your anxiety by knowing that Portlanders are super welcoming & you can talk to strangers everywhere you go–we love random chatter 🙂 The weather should be lovely for your trip!
I always experience travel anxiety no matter where I’m going – and the prep always seems like such a pain!
It hadn’t occurred to me to try to make myself relax, I usually just remind myself over and over that it will be amazing.
I like your color palette idea. For my last few trips I did create little outfit piles before I left – it did keep me from overpacking and was nice once I arrived to have everything already decided.
Portland is amazing, have fun!
portland is amazing!
it’s like sf in a lot of ways….lots of fun different neighborhoods, delicious food, great music, neat people (that in my experiences, have been very friendly!)…you’ll have a blast!
and good luck on your speech! i love traveling/visiting new places…but speeches…no thanks, yikes! i’m sure you’ll do great though!!
I’ve longed to go out West! Your sense of travel style is so smart– I love the backback/shirt dress combination!
I know you will rock the speech girl! And I agree, I never-ever-ever check my luggage (ie. I went on a 2 week work trip to europe and only had a carry-on). I swear that just knowing my luggage is safely tucked above my head completely eases any travel anxiety.
Picking a palette sounds like a great idea. I also suffer from travel anxiety and have to pack 2 days beforehand so that I can have a sound sleep. And whenever I can I choose train/coach instead of plane to avoid the airport hassle that makes me even more anxious. Best of luck with your speech!
cute post! love that first photo set…makes me want fall to come around so I can wear forest green and sweaters!
I feel ya, Anne. So hard to find a sense of balance- I feel like I’m always trying to catch up! Lately I’ve been trying to be more present wherever I’m at, to give myself more breaks (from the day & by not being so hard on myself) and let myself feel like a pile of lazy poop somedays, if that’s how I really feel. We all have those days and it’s funny we do talk in person about it, but not as much in blogworld about it. Thanks for opening up! Happy weekend!
I’m they same way, never want to go away, never want to come back.
Enjoy reading this great article!
I don’t think of myself as a complainer, except when it comes to travel. Getting to and from a destination fills me a tremendous amount of anxiety. I put on a brave face for my kids – or at least I think i do – but inside, I’m a whining, complaining, big baby.
Hi Stephanie,
I hope you will be offering this again next year. I just saw what Diane Cook did,and I love it! Thank-you for your creative inspiration.
Love,
Hope
How are you feeling today?