Five Ways I Deal With Flying Anxiety

I used to love to fly. I loved seeing the world from 32,000 feet in the air and the fun anticipation of heading on a new adventure. On a trip to Alaska several years ago, I was looking out the window when I saw a large piece of metal come loose and fall from our plane. Thankfully, we landed safely, but the turbulence that followed planted the seed for my anxiety.

I have had some more unfortunate circumstances since that incident, which has turned my initial fears into full-blown anxiety. The minute I book a trip, I start worrying about the plane ride. There have been times where I have sat in the airport, not sure if I would be able to force myself to get on the plane. While I’m not sure I will ever completely get over my fear, I wanted to share the five ways I try to manage my anxiety.

Get a good night’s sleep. 
This doesn’t always happen since I often stay awake worrying about the flight, but the more sleep I get, the calmer I am the morning of the flight. We usually book our flights at the crack of dawn, so getting a good night’s sleep is really important to me.

Avoid caffeine. 
I love coffee, but when I am anxious, caffeine makes me feel so much worse. I have forced myself to avoid it before getting on a plane.

Do research. 
Even though I know many of the stats by heart, it still helps me to look up information about planes and flying before I leave for a trip. It’s a great way to remind myself that flying is safe.

Start reading a good book before boarding. 
I fly better when I am distracted, so it is best for me to have a book I am already into before I board. That way I am so eager to keep reading and focus less on my fear.

Watch the flight tracker. 
I love watching the flight tracker to see where we are and how much longer we have until we land. It doesn’t work well for me if we are over water, but otherwise it can keep me distracted for hours.

Do you have flying anxiety? How do you deal with it?

Facing My Fears: Landing on Pika Glacier in Talkeetna, Alaska

To me, travel is all about experiencing moments I will remember for the rest of my life. Sometimes, that means taking risks and doing things completely out of my comfort zone.

During our last trip to Alaska, my in-laws suggested we do a glacier landing in Talkeetna, Alaska. My nerves kicked in immediately. As much as I love traveling, I hate flying. I start worrying about it months in advance, and getting on the plane always feels like a huge accomplishment. I especially hate take off and landing, so the idea of landing on a glacier in a small plane was as comforting as jumping into a tank full of hungry sharks.

On the day of our glacier landing, I still didn’t know if I was going to do it. I was so nervous that I couldn’t concentrate on the gorgeous scenery on the way from Anchorage to Talkeetna (thankfully, I got to see it on the way back). As we went through the safety briefing with Talkeetna Air Taxi, I started to feel a little better. Our pilot had flown with the company for over 30 years, and the company knows the weather in the area and doesn’t hesitate to cancel flights if it is too dangerous to fly.

At first, flying so close to mountains and glaciers was intimidating. I tried so hard not to close my eyes. As soon as I mustered up the courage to look outside, I couldn’t look away. The scenery was absolutely majestic.

Landing on Pika Glacier was an incredible experience. Getting off the plane in our sunglasses and snowshoes to see beautiful untouched powdery snow for miles was breathtaking. We had so much fun waddling around with our snowshoes in the deep snow, throwing massive snowballs at each other, and feeling tiny surrounded by such a huge landscape.

On the flight back, I absolutely loved taking in the beauty of the area. At that point, I was no longer scared and actually wished the flight would last longer. I never thought I would say this, but if I had the chance I would do it all over again.

Has travel ever made you face your fears?