One day, you are sitting in the bookstore or the library and you pick up a book about Brazil, and you read it cover to cover because you are so engrossed into what the country is and what it has to offer. Then, when you go home, you have this sudden burst of energy. You start looking up deals on tickets, attractions and other things you want to do in Brazil.

The energy goes on, but then as you keep on making these preliminary plans, sometimes these particularly nasty feelings creep in and slowly drain this newfound energy, called fear. To be honest, this is completely normal whenever you plan a trip anywhere and it’s nothing to ever feel bad about. Even the most seasoned travelers experience it, but that doesn’t stop them from seeing the world. The real challenge is conquering that fear, and once you do that, trust me you will want to travel all the time. This blog will hopefully help you conquer common fears you may have about traveling.  I’ve found 5 common reasons that people fear traveling, and here’s how to conquer those fears.

Getting out of your comfort zone

After you read about Brazil, you know you really, really, want to go. Then you are probably thinking: “What will happen with my job?”, “Will they give me time off?”, “What about my kids?”, “Who will water my plants?” “Who will watch over my business?”. Basically, you feel that everything will go to pieces if you decide to take a trip somewhere

How can you conquer this fear?

If you know you are going to go somewhere, plan as far ahead as you can. Commonly, most people plan their vacations at least 5-8 months in advance and no, I am not exaggerating. The farther in advance you plan, the more time you have to plan out your obligations at home and for your trip. Believe me, this will bring your anxiety down significantly. Also, by doing this, everything will work out in the end.

The very fact of traveling to a foreign land just scares the heck out of you

Again, you really, really, really, and really want to go to Brazil, but then this type of fear also creeps into your mind. Thoughts like “I don’t know where to go”, “I wouldn’t know how to navigate”, “I don’t know the language”. Basically, you feel that you yourself will fall to pieces if you travel to a foreign country.

How can you conquer this fear?

Remember that if you go anywhere, no matter how much you plan and prepare for any scenario, you will always have a few unexpected scenarios. You just have to handle those scenarios as they come. Things you can do to ease these situations are doing a lot of research on sites, public transportations, taxi and Uber etc, and asking lots of questions to anyone you know that may have been there. Also, creating a loose itinerary will help structure your trip a lot. What I mean by loose is just having a general idea of what you will do on each day. Events can be swapped and/or eliminated as the trip goes on. For the language barrier, you could try learning basic phrases to get you by, but by no means you need to be fluent in the language. If everyone had the attitude that you have to know the language to travel somewhere, either no one would travel or it would take years for people to even leave the country.

Traveling alone in a strange place

So, you are so pumped to visit Brazil after reading all about it, but you couldn’t convince your friends or family to go with you because they can’t get time off of work, or have no interest in visiting particular countries. That leaves you to travel all by your lonesome and it starts to really freak you out!

How can you conquer this fear?

Luckily for us, technology is so advanced that you can practically search for help from your smartphone. Also, if you simply ask, there will definitely be someone out there that will help get you on your way. Lastly, if you ever feel lonely, you can always take a short break from sightseeing and call/text your friends and family through Skype or Whatsapp.

“I can’t afford it!”

You are so eager about traveling to Brazil, but then another fear pops in, “Can I afford it, traveling is so expensive!” Then you decide to abandon this trip altogether.

How can you conquer this fear?

In this day and age, there have been efforts to make traveling a million times more affordable. You really only have to do two things and you have do it very diligently. One thing is doing lots and lots of research and another is planning. Research to find the best deals and plan to save as much money as possible so that you can afford that trip. Even just putting a few dollars a day for 5-8 months can definitely add up!

“Plane rides, especially long ones freak me out!”

That Brazil trip is really itching on you, but then that one last fear pops in, “A long plane ride like that really freaks me out”. You decide not to book anything, and just stay grounded.

How can you conquer this fear?

There are actually quite a few ways to conquer this fear. You can distract yourself with the entertainment that the airline offers, or bring your own entertainment. You can also read a book, play games on your laptop or tablet. If any of those things don’t work, then you can always take something to help you relax or have your doctor prescribe something to help you relax.

Now that you have read the common fears that we all have when traveling, now you can do something about conquering those fears. Life is way too short to let fear prevent you from doing what you want to do. If you want to go out there and travel, don’t let fear and anxiety control you. With the proper planning and researching, you will be able to go out there and see the world, I guarantee you!

I went to Machu Picchu in January 2020 and I went on my first mountain hike up Huayna Picchu. After about 3 hours, I was finally able to make it to the top. It was tough, and had a lot of fear, but I was able to conquer my fear and reach the top by sheer willpower! Don’t let anything stop you from doing what you want to do!