Travelling with anxiety
The pictures on this page are some of my favourites from past trips, most of which we took months or years before starting this site. Comment or email us if you have any questions about any of the locations below.
Posted by: Josh, 16 January 2026
I’ve said in a number of our posts that I’m sometimes affected by anxiety while travelling. While I’m not currently receiving any medical treatment or therapy, I consider myself to have an anxiety disorder and expect it to be something I will be managing for the rest of my life.
I wanted to write down some of my experiences, in case anyone with similar challenges finds something in here that may help. It took a very long time for me to start travelling and there are parts of going abroad that can exacerbate my issues.
Hokkaido, Japan. One of our favourite places.
But generally, I’ve found travelling extremely rewarding. There have been occasions where it has given me a much greater and lasting feeling of appreciation for my life than just about anything else I’ve done. On other times, just a brief escape from my immediate environment has helped halt negative thought cycles.
So I wanted to share a little about my experiences with mental health, some thoughts that have helped me when experiencing anxiety abroad, and some not-by-a-medical-professional-so-take-it-with-a -pinch-of-salt advice that might help you and any travel companions to manage your levels of stress.
I want to keep this short, but if it’d be helpful to know more about my history with mental health, to see how closely my history relates to you or someone you know, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about it.
Image credit: Liz. And the tiny Thai crab that made this beautiful home.
Contents
A short(ish) story about my anxiety when travelling
Which you can skip, if you like. Just click here to go to the advice sections.
For me, a general feeling of anxiety often leads to fixating on a specific thing: most recently, in Taiwan, I was stuck on the idea of catching Dengue Fever for a second time. That’s despite the fact that the virus is generally very well controlled there (just 270 cases in 2025 as of 10 December, in a population of 23.4m people).
By the end of my first week, I considered flying home. I’d convinced myself that doing so would settle my anxiety and that that was worth abandoning all the weeks that lay ahead. Lizzie was supportive, if I was sure that would really help, but said how she’d be nervous about me being in London by myself for several weeks feeling just as anxious.
We took a train from Stavanger, Norway, to the next town and walked most of the way back. Not all the best walks are on All Trails.
I’d been going through a period of high stress even before travelling, but it hadn't begun to dawn on me until that point that that was the real issue. If I weren’t on holiday worrying, I’d have been at home fixating on some other worry instead. Once I’d realised that, it meant that I could better counter my obsessive thinking about Dengue, or any other specific worry, which slowly helped reduce the amount of general anxiety I was feeling – in part because I could sleep easier at night, with no one thought to ruminate on in bed.
If there’s one point I’m looking to make here, it’s that it’s been helpful to me to work out whether the anxiety I’m feeling on my holiday really is specific to something about my travelling, or whether it’s a general anxiety that I’m then relating to something around me. Knowing which of the two it is helps me to process my thoughts more effectively.
General travel advice for the anxious
I've broken this advice up into three bullet-pointed sections. The first is on general anxieties about travel, but you can click this link to read some bullets about health anxiety, and on this link for bullets on anxiety about getting around.
It's all written from the perspective of what I do, since I don't know you well enough to know if this is what you should do. If you're looking for advice though, I hope there's one or two things that are helpful for you.
It's not the most famous view at Sete Cidades, in the Azores islands. But the scenes to our right as we hiked, looking out to the Atlantic, were almost as spectacular as the views to our left looking into the caldera.
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I try not to give myself a hard time for being more anxious than usual.
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Planning a holiday is a lot to handle when you’re already on edge or prone to anxiety. If you’re worried when planning a holiday, getting ready to set off, or making travel plans when you arrive in a new country... that actually does makes sense!
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So even though it feels routine to, I try not to worry about feeling anxious. There's enough other thoughts to be working through without beating myself up for having anxieties in the first place.
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I ask myself what risks I’m comfortable with, and pick my destination accordingly.
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Several years ago, at the peak of my obsessive anxious thinking, I wouldn’t have gone to some of the places I’ve been to recently and am now considering going to.
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I don’t think it's a great idea to force yourself to go somewhere or take part in an activity if you know you aren’t able to handle the risk – or rationalise your thoughts about perception of risks – before you go.
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You’ll have many more opportunities to see that place or do that thing in future, so why miss out on doing something that you’ll enjoy right now?
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I know that this piece of advice works for me, but I also know some of you will be different. If you feel better in yourself for confronting worries head on, do what works for you.
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I’d check the Foreign Office website for guidance on travel.
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This helps with working out what the actual risks are in a particular place.
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But just to an anxiety-prone mind, the language might be a bit worry-inducing. The teams that write these pages have to set out all the facts and all the risks associated with travel to different countries, and their advice should be followed – particularly when they tell you not to travel to a certain area, because risks are too severe for tourists.
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I'll keep coming back to this point: knowing what the risks are is a good thing, but don't convince yourself that all the things you read will happen to you.
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Two of my favourite pictures. Goose Barnacles on a beach near Phuket airport, Thailand and a long-distance shot of Sika deer stags in Noboribetsu, Japan. We found these handsome fellas by walking a short distance down the road away from the crowds
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I try to work out whether I'm anxious in general or if I'm anxious about a travel-related thing.
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Your health anxiety, your fear of being out of place, your worry about missing a travel connection... whatever it is, it might not be what you’re really anxious about.
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When Liz reminded me on a recent trip that I’d be anxious back home too, it reminded me that my ‘health anxiety’ was just my brain doing something it often does, turning a general sense of worry into a specific and obsessive thought which quickly worsens my overall mood and sense of calm.
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If I'm dealing with general anxiety, I focus on things that improve my overall wellbeing.
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That might be sleeping and eating better, or playing word games to keep my mind fixed on something else.
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And sometimes, it's seeking out the things that help me with my bigger existential worries. Going out into nature and enjoying the diversity of life, or seeking out temples and museums to learn more about how other people have rationalised those worries. It helps me a bit, but do whatever works for you.
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I pack a wider range of clothing than I might need to.
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Not, say, my finest evening wear.
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But if I’m not sure if I’ll need a thing, I’ll tend to just bring it to save me the slight worry of being unprepared for a particular activity while I’m on holiday.
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Then I’ll forget to pack my raincoat anyway, and Liz will have to make her sympathetic face at me again.
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I pack in advance.
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This is what most people would call"a lie". More often than not I lose track of time or put off packing for reasons I’m not sure of.
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But it is true that remembering to pack early gives me more chance to remember an essential item a day or two later, takes one little weight off my mind, and cheers Liz up by briefly reducing the size of the clothes mountain hidden (ish) at my side of the bed.
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I don’t force myself to deal with jet lag straight away.
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At least, not to the point that I’m feeling completely exhausted. The more tired I am, the more I tend to worry. So staying up late to try to reset my circadian rhythm makes me feel worse...
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...and, as I've just this second learned, trying to reset your circadian rhythm won't even work. Go to bed!
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Health anxiety when travelling
First, the elderly dog who followed us all the way up a mountain in Chefchaouen, Morocco, before a well-earned nap at a coffee stop at a farmhouse. Second, the younger dog who left us halfway through the journey to follow a local gentleman who was offering him lunch and a bath. Generally, you should avoid interacting with stray animals on holiday: these two insisted otherwise.
Health anxiety is a big one for me. Though as you can see from the photos above, I should maybe be a touch more sensible about interacting with animals on my travels. Damn those irresistibly fuzzy faces.
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Doctor Google is not my friend, nor my physician.
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Before travelling to Thailand, I heard about schistosomiasis, a freshwater-borne parasitic infection which is easily treated once found, and extremely unlikely to infect humans in the country. But I googled it enough that I tricked myself into doubting that's the case.
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The gnarly little rash I developed after a boat trip down a river – likely caused by a similar parasite that can’t live in humans (the bumps are just a mild reaction as they die off in your skin) didn’t help. Doctor Google didn't help with this, either.
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The doctor at my local GP is not my friend either, but they are my physician
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Book an appointment well before you travel to get advice and to get any vaccines that you might need for your trip.
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If you’re wanting to use NHS services in the UK, try to arrange an appointment a couple of months before you depart.
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Private centres are available but remember some vaccines need two doses several weeks apart to work, so you’ll still need to book your first appointment for a date well in advance of your departure.
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I use TravelHealthPro for advice
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If you're in the UK, check TravelHealthPro for advice before travel. This is the site the NHS recommends you use to find advice on health risks and vaccination requirements for travel to any country. If TravelHealthPro recommends a vaccine, trust the advice and book an appointment with your GP.
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Being able to do something about whatever is causing anxiety helps me set my mind a bit more at ease. If I read that I'm about to become a mosquito's evening meal, I 'll feel better by packing long sleeved and loose clothing and knowing I'm reducing my chances of being bitten.
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When I'm on holiday, I try to remember that health anxieties are often irrational
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The downside of knowing the risks is being prone to then fixating on them. So my next step, which will carry on throughout my holiday, is repeating the thought that my health anxieties probably aren't proportionate to the risk.
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On that topic, I remind myself that not every mosquito bite will make me ill.
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Most won’t, in fact. The mosquito has to bite an infected person to pick up an infection to be able to transfer it on to someone else.
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In places with low rates of mosquito-borne disease, odds are that mosquito that just bit you hasn't ever acquired anything that it can transfer to you.
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Cheonggyecheong in Seoul. A godsend when visiting in the height of summer
Anxiety about getting around
Congratulations to you for living in the 1st Google Maps dynasty.
Here are some things that I’ve found make getting from location A to location B a bit easier.
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I check if I’ll need a physical sim card before travelling.
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I use AirAlo for e-sims (and I don’t get paid for telling you so) if I might be facing extra roaming charges. It saves me the hassle of having to find a new sim at the airport after a long journey.
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But e-sims won’t come with a local phone number – which you might need to sign up for taxi apps in certain places.
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Downloadable maps can also be helpful in a place with less internet connection.
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Liz uses an app called Maps.Me, which came in extremely handy in the narrow streets of Fes in Morocco – where you’d find it very tricky to drive a Google car.
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I loved this farmhouse, spotted on a hike in the Basque Country, around an hour from Bilbao.
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Bringing a big portable charger is a must when travelling. Particularly if you use an iPhone from the 18th century, like I do.
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I double check what my airline’s limits on chargers are before travelling, as they’re not the same for every country or carriers.
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If you don’t, you could find yourself being the next angry chap standing in front of me at Beijing airport, wondering why his charger is being taken by security.
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I check in advance what taxi services operate in the country I'm visiting.
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While taking cabs is worse for the planet and worse for your wallet than public transport, they are a reliable way to get from one spot to another.
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I also never take taxis one way, without knowing for sure that I can book one on the way back.
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People seem to do this surprisingly frequently, from the Canadian lady who’d taken a Bolt to Sete Cidades in the Azores without checking she could get one home, to the couple we met outside Hualien in Taiwan whose hotel had booked them a cab to a hiking area but hadn't arranged for one to pick them up on the way back.
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I avoid taking the last train or bus back and think about a backup plan, if public transport fails.
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If your backup plan fails too, make sure you're able to call your hotel to arrange a taxi back.
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So far, my plan A or plan B have always worked. But if they don't, I'll try to stay calm if my travel plans have to change.
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There’s almost always an alternate option for getting back, even if it takes you a while longer or costs you a fair bit more.
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Last year, flying home from a wedding in Tokyo, my flight was delayed by a typhoon in Shanghai. I booked the earliest affordable flight back via Qatar for the next after, sorted accommodation, and I managed to sneak in an extra lunch at CoCo ICHIBANYA before leaving. In crisis, there's deliciously spicy opportunity.
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If there isn’t an immediate alternative way to get home – and, believe me, that’s very unlikely – there will be a place you can find a room for a night near where you are. A fully charged phone and an app for a hotel booking platform will help in an emergency.
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Lastly, if I ever travel somewhere by myself, I let people know where I'm travelling.
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If I've somehow made the billion-to-one shot of missing every public transport connection, losing my phone, failing to find a cab, and striking out on finding a different place to stay... well, at least now someone's going to know about it and send for help.
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My wonderful brain
If I were looking for travel advice when I first started having panic attacks and day-to-day anxiety, I'd have probably wanted to know who was writing it. So, unfortunately, here's a bit about me.
Giant taro plants were a common sight on our walks in Taiwan. This picture from a hike in Sun Link Sea shows the patterns underneath the leaves when they're bathed in sunlight. Valencia is one of my favourite cities for a long weekend away.
I am an anxious person. I’ve had on and off problems with depression since my early teenage years. And while editing this, I’ve decided it’s probably only right to disclose that I also had one shitty relationship with one very shitty person (maybe they were just passing on some trauma of their own or maybe they were just one of life’s crappy people – I try my best not to dwell on it too often) towards the end of my time at university, that did even more damage than I realised at the time.
But I didn’t really know what anxiety was until a spell of severe panic attacks in 2016, or thereabouts.
A short spell on a high dose of benzodiazepines got me through the initial struggles, but in no real way were my issues fixed. I didn’t engage with the therapy sessions I was offered and quickly stopped attending, since I wasn’t really well enough to be able to cope with the sessions – after my initial appointment, I was circling round another panic attack.
Younger, and not at all aware of what it felt like to be truly managing an anxiety disorder, I kept going on as normal with some day-to-day anti-anxiety medication that wasn’t really making any impact – I think Sertraline, but my memory’s not perfect – and just about got by. Until a few years later, when I went through another months-long period of near-constant anxiety and panic attacks.
I decided to put photos of old trips on this page so that I'd have something nice to do while writing. I'll happily talk to anyone about mental health generally, and my own history, but writing it down is, if you'll excuse the language, fucking hard work.
Rome was lovely, thank you so much for asking.
Repeat the cycle once more, culminating in a many months-long period of time off work, and I finally started to get to grips with the problems.
My instinct is to rationalise away anxious and obsessive thoughts. This is challenging, when one of my most consistent obsessions is a fear of death and a bigger existential fear about a lack of meaning in life. It’s an ongoing challenge, and if our best and brightest philosophers and scientists over the millennia haven’t come up with an answer we can all agree on, then Average Josh from Up North probably isn’t going to get there any time soon.
But travel has helped with existential worries, to an extent. It's exposed me to more sights, beliefs and ways of living, and that's reminded me how there’s a near-endless number of ways I could still be wrong about my darker thoughts.
None of my issues are 'fixed'. I am certain, based on family history and based on the number of times I’ve cycled through lower and better periods of mental health, that they never will be. I will be worrying about my health, life's big questions and, increasingly, the effects of ongoing assaults on human rights, the climate, and democracy for the rest of my life.
We called this hornbill 'Captain Bill'. I called the lizard "Lizzie", but a co-writer here objected.
But accepting this has led to the longest period of sustained, if not good, manageable health since my teenage years. Knowing that I will cycle into a lower period sucks, but knowing now that I’ll cycle out of it – most likely with more techniques to think my way out of bad thoughts – is pretty great.
I’m guessing you’ve had similarly rough patches before if you’ve read this far, or that you know someone who has. If you’re at one of those lower ebbs, I hope you know that there are countless different ways to do life and that there’s a really good chance you’re one day going to find one that works for you. To hell with whatever your wonderful brain is telling you right now.
Other than that one time I snapped a toe bone clean through, which is a short story for another day, the most helpful health professional I ever spoke to was a trainee psychologist. We mainly focused on how to rationalise worries about work-related issues, but in the end her advice on how to objectively consider the chances of good, bad, and middling outcomes helped me realise how frequently I was overly expecting the worst in other aspects of my life.
That has also helped while travelling. It doesn’t stop the rush of anxiety when I first start fixating on something, but most times it lets me work through the issue eventually. It’s something I lean on for an instant reminder that there’s a chance I’m wrong about an anxiety, before I’ve fully started to understand why I really am wrong about it. It helps me stay in a mindset where I can tackle intrusive and obsessive thoughts, and get on with applying the advice above.
Josh