Less anxiety, more travelling: A trip planning guide
Posted by: Liz, 1 March 2026
If you’ve read Josh’s post about his experience of travelling with anxiety, you might have picked up one or two ideas about managing anxieties while travelling.
While there’s no one size fits all approach to planning a trip, I wanted to share a few of the things I think about during the planning process, and some of the questions that might help you decide what’s right for you too. This guide will aim to help you be as prepared as possible for your trip so you don’t have to deal with any avoidable extra stress and can focus on enjoying yourself.
I’ve also set out a few of the essential items and apps that we use on every trip to help make our holiday a bit more stress-free, and created a free downloadable checklist for you to follow while planning your trip.
Contents
Planning where to go
If you’ve not done much travelling before, picking where to go is one of the hardest parts of the experience. It can, sometimes, feel much easier to just not book. Here are the things we consider when booking where to go.
It sounds obvious, but is there somewhere you really want to visit? If you do, try to make it work for you – you’ll be less anxious on your trip if you’re in a good mental place, and being in your dream location is a good way to get to that state of mind.
If there are aspects to visiting that place that cause you specific anxieties, think about whether you can go to that place in a way that mitigates them. Worried about big crowds? Think about visiting outside of peak season and avoiding known tourist hot spots at peak times. Are you like Josh and prone to fixating on mosquitoes and health-related anxieties? Check TravelHealthPro to see which areas are higher risk than others, travel outside of peak mosquito season, and pack long, loose clothes and bug spray to mitigate the risks.
We all have different anxieties, but in most cases there are things you can do to reassure yourself – and make that dream trip a reality.
If you can’t reassure yourself enough, that’s okay! If you’re a first-timer or still getting used to travelling, starting with trips to places you perceive as less risky is a good approach as you build your confidence up and start to internalise the thoughts that settle your travel anxieties.
Cost matters. Spending more than you can afford might make you start feeling anxious about your money, while budgeting too strictly might stop you enjoying the holiday enough. We try to budget a bit tighter than necessary when picking destinations and hotels, to allow ourselves to occasionally splash out on a nice meal or a higher-end hotel for one or two nights when we’re taking a rest day. Things like cost, arrival times and return flight times are also great tiebreakers if you're really struggling to choose between two or three different places - pick which is most important to you, and go with it.
If you find planning the holiday stressful, you could consider booking with a provider that offers pre-planned trips, such as Intrepid or G Adventures. Or, if you can afford it, you could perhaps consider a cruise as an alternative. While that wouldn’t be me and Josh’s preferred approach, we know someone (who’d rather not be named) who recently took their first solo trip abroad as an adult by taking a two-week cruise. For them, the cruise took all the stress out of planning the holiday since it meant that everything was arranged for them, including activities and meals, so they didn’t have to worry about a thing.
Whichever place you decide to book, the chances are you're going to have a great time.
Planning how to travel and where to stay
We love being on holiday. But travelling - the act of getting from point A to point B - can be a tiring experience. Here's a few things to think about to help avoid any extra stress.
Pick the right flight for you. The date and price are important, but also try to consider how you’re going to feel during the journey you choose. As an example, Josh sometimes finds himself worrying more than he needs to about missing connecting flights. We try our hardest to fly through places that have a good reputation for easy transfers and with airlines which offer good customer service, because we know there’s more of a chance he’ll feel anxious if we don't.
You might have a totally different concern – maybe you’ve read something about a nightmare journey someone had with a particular airline, you’re worried about short transfer times, or you just find it hard to be on a plane for a long time. Whatever it is, take the time to plan a journey that will feel as stress-free as possible to you.
If you'd find it hard to rearrange a flight, should the worst happen and your original flight be cancelled, it's a good idea to check what will happen in the event of a cancellation. We live in the UK, where airlines are required to rearrange travel for you in most (but not all!) circumstances. Make sure you know what your rights are before setting off, just in case.
Think about your arrival time as well as your departure time – you don’t want to be arriving to a new place late at night when trains may not be running and you’re out of your element and feeling vulnerable.
If you're going somewhere a long distance away, you could also consider whether getting a direct flight would be significantly better for your mental health than a journey that involves a connecting flight in terms of being tired and the jetlag you feel on arrival.
Josh has also taken to paying for extra legroom on long-haul flights. While it costs a bit more money, it helps him get some sleep and feel a bit more comfortable. And because he’s a bit better rested and more relaxed, he’s usually less anxious when we arrive too.
Now you've decided where to go, it's time to choose a good place to stay. It’s so important to always read the reviews! You do not want to be discovering that the place looks sketchy or isn’t clean when you’re turning up tired, jetlagged and out of your comfort zone. If a hotel or hostel has been open a long time, it's handy to check the recent reviews are still good; a high average score can sometimes reflect old reviews, while more recent guests may have had a different experience.
You also need to decide what type of accommodation you want. If you’re travelling solo, it's even more important to give some thought about what type of property will suit your needs best. If you’re concerned about being alone and want to meet other travellers, you might want to book a dorm at a hostel to make starting conversations easier. On the other hand, if you’re nervous about having to socialise with others or are concerned about privacy or not being able to sleep, a hotel would probably suit you better.
For the best of both worlds, you could book a private room at a hostel – you’ll still get access to a social environment, with the option to retreat to your own space when you need to. Don’t write hostels off straight away if you’re solo travelling. Some of them are nicer than hotels, they often enforce quiet hours overnight, and they usually come with friendly people and helpful recommendations. If you think you’d be interested in meeting new people while you travel, they’re worth looking into.
Accommodation sorted? Plan in advance exactly how you’re going to get from the airport to your accommodation when you land. This is something that helps me feel less nervous before travelling, especially on solo trips and when I’m going somewhere I’ve never been before and I don’t speak the language. It makes the journey feel a little bit less daunting if I know exactly what’s going to happen on arrival.
Depending on where you’re going, you may be able to book an affordable hotel transfer via booking.com or through the hotel itself. Uber may also be an option, but make sure you look up ahead of time whether Uber operates in your destination. If you decide to take public transport, look up details like train times and exact routes before you travel so you know exactly what to expect. Many places offer airport shuttle bus services to locations close to hotels too, which typically offer a good balance between cost and convenience. When getting out of my comfort zone, I find it helpful to get rid of as many unknowns as I can to make it feel a little less scary.
Planning what to do
Maybe you want a detailed itinerary for your holiday. Or maybe you want a bit of flexibility to decide what to do when you get to your destination. Whichever way you prefer, a little bit of forward planning can help you feel less overwhelmed when you arrive.
Plan what you’ll do when you’re on holiday. I love to read loads of travel blogs and look at social media posts about a place before going to find out what’s there that I might be interested in seeing. This has multiple benefits – it helps you to feel a little bit familiar with the place before going so you’re not totally going into the unknown, it helps you have some ideas on how to fill your days if you’re feeling a little bit lost, and it helps you to get excited about your trip.
Reading or watching videos about others' experiences can help you get a real, detailed perspective on what the experience of the place is like. Try to find some content that's honest about the pros and cons of where you're going, so that you won’t be as shocked if you get there and find it’s much more crowded than it looked in short clips on TikTok, or there’s people trying to sell you stuff everywhere, or it’s raining and it’s not as spectacular as you thought. It’s ok to have high expectations but try to make sure they’re realistic so you’re not setting yourself up for disappointment.
If you know there’s something there that you really want to see or do, you can focus on that whenever you’re feeling nervous or anxious and remind yourself that you are going to enjoy yourself once you get there.
On the other hand, you shouldn't overdo the planning. Leave yourself some breathing room in your itinerary so you’re able to go with the flow a bit, especially if you’re taking a longer trip.
It may be that the weather is bad on the day you’re expecting to do that hike you were interested in, so it would be more enjoyable to go to a museum that day instead. It may be that you’re much more tired than you thought and just want to wander around the streets and sit in a café or bar for a bit and read a book instead of putting pressure on yourself to get up at 8am and go on a big, intense day trip.
It might be that you’re feeling really anxious and need some time to hide in your hotel room and be alone / watch a comfort TV show / facetime your mum / check in with the sitter to see if your pet is okay / not become overstimulated. If that’s the case, don’t worry about it and let yourself enjoy your day off. Josh has told me about a great rest day on his holiday in Korea just before we met, letting himself rest his sore feet while enjoying a mix of Korean baseball, variety shows, and 7/11 food. Personally, I have very fond memories of watching the whole TV series Our Flag Means Death in my hostel room while extremely sunburnt in Sri Lanka.
I always recommend adding at least one day for “free time” in your schedule so that if something goes differently that you expected on one day, you can try again another day and it doesn’t matter so much. This also makes it easier to handle when things go wrong, because there’s not as much pressure as there would be with a stricter itinerary.
Solo travelling v Travelling in a group
You know where you're going, where you're staying, and what you're going to do. But you're also going to have to decide who to go with - or whether solo travelling is the better choice for you. Here are some things to think about, whatever way you travel.
If you decide to travel in a group or as a pair, think about who you’re going to travel with. Making plans with a travel companion can be a big source of stress while travelling, especially if you’re with someone who might have different ideas about what they want the trip to look like. You could be travelling with your best friend in the world, but if one of you wants to lie by the pool all day and then hit the club at night while the other one wants to get up at 7AM every day to fit in loads of activities, you’re bound to clash. On the other hand, having a trusted friend, partner or family member with you can be a source of reassurance that stops anxiety setting in or a source of support if you have a bad day or two while on holiday.
Check that you’re on the same page about what you want from the trip and the kind of things you’d like to do, and if possible agree rules in advance about whether you’d be okay doing separate things at some point if you have different interests or if you’re getting on each other’s nerves.
It’s also worth having a conversation about budget and deciding whether you see this as a no expense spared, 5-star hotels and the finest restaurants kind of trip, or whether it’s more of a sensible, reasonably priced hotel and street food type of trip. Setting expectations before booking anything helps to make sure that no one is surprised or disappointed when the time comes.
Alternatively, travel solo so you never have to worry about pleasing anyone except yourself. It might sound scary at first, but travelling solo guarantees you can take everything at your own pace. It also means you won't feel guilty if you need to take a bit of time to decompress (you shouldn't feel this way if you're travelling with someone either, but it can be hard not to), and it’s a great way to prove to yourself that you’re stronger and more capable than you think.
Before you travel: What to pack and what to know
By now, you're almost all set to go. Here's a checklist of the last few things to do and to know before you travel
Buy travel insurance. This is really important! In case something does go wrong on your trip, it will be much less stressful if you know you have some kind of coverage in place to help you out. Read the reviews before you buy and if you have an anxiety disorder diagnosis, make sure you add it as a pre-existing condition (even if it makes the price a little higher) because your policy might be invalid if you don’t.
When reading the reviews, look for people who have said they have actually made a claim and that it went smoothly. It’s all well and good having 1000 5-star reviews from travellers who never had to use the insurance or speak to the company, but you want to make sure that your insurer will actually come through for you if you need them, too.
Way before you travel – at least a couple of months – check that you have any visa requirements arranged and any necessary vaccines booked in. Make sure you know the rules for entering the country you're visiting final, including any items or medication you're not permitted to bring with you, and for anywhere you’re travelling or transferring through.
Some vaccines require multiple doses a few weeks apart, and more time after the final dose to be fully effective. Check vaccine requirements and timings before you book to ensure you’re leaving yourself enough time to get it sorted. If you’re in the UK and planning to use NHS services, you’ll need to factor in a bit of time waiting for an appointment too.
Make sure your passport is up to date and will be accepted on arrival. Most countries require you to have a certain number of months’ validity on your passport remaining or a certain number of blank pages, otherwise they might deny you entry.
A couple of weeks before you travel, check again for any visa and entry requirements. Requirements may change between when you booked your holiday and when you travel, so it’s always best to check at a point when you still have time to fix anything if needed. It may also be somewhat reassuring to know that you’ve checked and double checked everything, you know what you need to do and you know that you’re able to do it.
Make sure you pack everything you need to look after your health after arrival. Remember to pack everyday items such as insect repellent, sunscreen, and Imodium which you may need when you’re there. If you take any prescription medication, double check if there are any requirements for bringing that medication into whatever country you’re going to. It will probably need to be in the original packaging showing your name, and you may need to bring a letter from your GP confirming they prescribed it to you. If you can, bring a bit of extra medicine with you in your hand luggage just in case something goes wrong (like if you accidentally lose, drop or damage a pack, or your flight gets postponed and you stay longer than you’re expecting, or your baggage gets lost on the way).
One last tip for anyone who feels nervous about check in at a hotel or hostel: it may be helpful for you to also reach out to your accommodation either directly or wherever you made the booking a few days before you leave to make sure that they have your reservation confirmed and don’t need any further info from you. This will help fully avert any unlikely issues like turning up only to find they double booked the room or lost your reservation. It also opens up a line of communication with them so that you know you’ll be able to reach them if anything happens, for example if your flight is delayed and you’re running late, or you can’t find the property on arrival.
Our travel essentials
Bring some cash and a bank card that works on holiday. Most places you’ll travel to will accept both, but occasionally you’ll find you need more cash than you expected before travelling – Taiwan was a recent example for us. Bringing a second bank card that you keep in a separate place is also a good idea, in case you misplace your first one.
Make sure you have a Sim card that will allow you to use mobile data on your holiday, whether that’s a physical sim card or an E-sim. We both use AirAlo for our e-sims, though other providers will offer the same sort of service. If you prefer a physical sim card, you can usually buy local physical sim cards for your destination at the airport on arrival.
Consider downloading an offline map of wherever you’re going so you can still find your way around if you don’t have any phone signal. This was invaluable to us in Marrakech, where the streets are dense and maze-like and online maps don’t really work. The Google maps app will let you download an offline version of their map for most places. If you don’t have Google maps or don’t want to use it, try downloading the maps.me app which has the same functionality.
Bring a portable phone charger and cable with you. Make sure it’s fully charged the day before you travel and put it in your hand luggage so you know you won’t be stuck with no phone battery. Keep in mind that some airlines have restrictions on the size of battery you can bring with you, and it’s not allowed to put power banks in your checked luggage.
A good bug spray and high-SPF suncream will make your trip more comfortable. A bad sunburn or a load of itchy bites aren’t going to help you enjoy your holiday. Blister plasters are also a must, particularly if you’re breaking in a new pair of shoes for your trip.
If you’re travelling anywhere where it might rain a lot, pack a second pair of trainers. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to improvise ways to dry out our shoes after a downpour. This was an especially big problem on our recent trip to Taiwan, where tropical storms meant it took us a whole week to get our shoes fully dry.
I bought Josh a Snoozeband at Christmas (an eye mask with built in headphones), as he sometimes struggles with his sleep – which leads to more anxious thinking. He finds it helps having something playing gently in his ear to block out intrusive thoughts before going to bed, and the mask helps him doze off a bit easier even on flights and long car journeys.
To go along with your favourite noise-cancelling headphones or Snoozeband, download a few podcasts, TV shows or a good playlist before getting to the airport. A good book isn't a bad idea for a long trip either. If you’re relaxed on your journey, you’ll probably be more relaxed on the first few days of your trip too.
A good bug spray and high-SPF suncream will make your trip more comfortable. A bad sunburn or a load of itchy bites aren’t going to help you enjoy your holiday. Blister plasters are also a must, particularly if you’re breaking in a new pair of shoes for your trip.
If you’re travelling anywhere where it might rain a lot, pack a second pair of trainers. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve had to improvise ways to dry out our shoes after a downpour. This was an especially big problem on our recent trip to Taiwan, where tropical storms meant it took us a whole week to get our shoes fully dry.
Final thoughts
While trip planning can sometimes feel overwhelming, it’s also a great way to help minimize stress and reassure yourself that you’re prepared for any eventuality. I hope this guide helped get you started on your journey. Take one step at a time and before you know it you’ll be ready to go.
Do you have any specific worries about trip planning, or maybe you have a great planning tip you’d like to share? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
And don't forget to download our travel planning checklist for an easy way to remember our travel planning advice.
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Thanks for sharing your tips, I'm trying to get back into travelling after being diagnosed with anxiety, so this is really helpful in the planning stages and once you are there, which makes the whole experience less stressful, and bring back my confidence :)
This is an excellent article with so many great tips! I especially love the tip from your travel planning checklist that suggests to treat the night before the trip already as part of the holiday. Even as a frequent traveler, I struggle with leaving things for last-minute and get anxious, but next time, I'll intentionally set this time apart for some relaxing activities:)
Excellent tips to help travelers have less anxiety!