Travel doesn’t have to look like this:
If you are fretting about getting ready for your summertime travel, take heart. The packing process can be easy and even fun when you do it the right way. More than that, when you follow the steps I’m about to show you, your entire travel experience will be better, easier, and much more fun…
Let me show you what I did to make packing, traveling, and unpacking easy.
I’m a travel ninja! I have traveled 54 days in the 67 days between May 1, 2015 and July 5, 2015 (7 different trips). I had a marvelous time, saw so many good friends, and even checked a few things off of my bucket list…
…singing along with Elton John to “B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets”
…and dancing down Bourbon St. in a jazz second line
My travels unfolded exceptionally well because I planned for it to be that way.
Here are three things that you can do to make your packing and travel easier and more fun:
Plan your packing while you are in a relaxed state.
Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed (a coffee shop, a comfy chair, the tub…). Grab a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, put on some calming music, and make a packing list in your favorite little notebook – preferably one that fits in your pocket or purse. You can begin this process at any time – hours, days, weeks, and even months ahead of time.
First, write down your worries about the trip. This will give you a clear look at what is causing you stress. Identifying your stressors will make it much easier to dispel that stress so that you can have a good time.
Next, start your packing list. You can loosely categorize by “do” (like “buy a money belt”) and “pack” (like “navy blue linen shirt”). Put it ALL down. Later you can sub-categorize them – clothes, toiletries, electronics and chargers, and other things.
Imagine each day of your trip from start to finish – your best-case scenario. Do a mental dry run of your trip as you would like for it to happen.
What are you doing, wearing, and using in your mental dry run of your travels? Imagine coming home after your fabulous trip. What are you glad you brought with you? Let your imagination guide you in fine-tuning your packing list.
Keep your notebook handy at all times! That way you can check things off of the list and modify it as needed.
Breathe!
One of the hallmarks of stress is holding your breath. I do it and you probably do, too. When you start to feel overly worried or anxious, stop and count how many seconds it takes you to breathe in and out.
If you discover that your breathing is shallow or fast (normal is 12-20 breaths per minute), take 5-10 minutes and add a second on to each inhale and each exhale every time you breathe. Let your breaths become long and easy. Breathe from your belly and try to even out your breath so that inhale and exhale are about equal.
When you have finished deepening your breath, you will feel noticeably calmer. Go get a glass of water and a healthy snack and return to your packing.
Use EFT or Tapping to clear your travel worry and stress
This is another way that your pre-travel notebook comes in handy. You can use the fears and stressors you wrote down as a guide for your tapping. This will help you to clear out the nerves that can pop up before travel.
After you have tapped through some of your fear and worry, tap the good stuff IN. Refer to your best-case scenario from your mental dry run.
This is just a simple example of simple pre-travel tapping. Tap along with me and then craft your own tapping dialog.
Here is a link to the companion video for this post. You can tap along with me!
Here is a tapping round to help you release worry and stress about packing
On your karate chop (KC) point:
Even though I’m worried about this trip, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
Even though I dread packing, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.
Even though I’m overwhelmed because I have too much to do, I deeply and completely
love and accept myself.
Now tap through the points:
Top of your head (TH): I’m so worried about this trip!
Eyebrow (EB): What if I forget something?
Outside of Eye (OE): What if I can’t get it all done?
Under Eye (UE): I’m worried about forgetting something.
Under Nose (UN): I’m worried about something going wrong…
Chin (CH): I’m worried about the travel part and getting there.
Collarbone (CB): I’m just totally overwhelmed. How can I do all of this?
KC: I used to be spontaneous! What happened?
TH: I wish I could just relax and pack…
EB: There are so many different things to think about!
OE: And I don’t have time to do anything!
UE: How am I supposed to get this all done?
UN: But the truth is, I’ve done it before (and done it well!).
CH: I have had great trips in the past that turned out perfectly.
CB: I’ve gone and come back safely and had a good time.
KC: Travelling is fun and I’ve enjoyed it so many times before.
TH: I want to have a good time this time.
EB: I choose to make the time to focus on having fun.
OE: I know where I’m going.
UE: I know what the weather will likely be like.
UN: I know what I’ll be doing.
CH: I know how long I’m staying.
CB: I know who I will see while I’m there.
KC: I know how I’m getting there. So I can calm down now.
TH: I have all of the information that I need to prepare.
EB: I choose to relax and imagine what my trip will be like.
OE: I choose to imagine my journey and the things I’ll see.
UE: I choose to imagine the conversations and interactions.
UN: What will it be like if everything goes smoothly?
CH: What if I relax and pack just the right things for this trip?
CB: I wonder what it will be like to fully enjoy myself…
KC: What if I turned packing into a game and had fun doing it?
TH: I choose to relax and breathe and know that I’m in control.
EB: If I make a checklist, packing will be easy.
OE: What if I really plan to have fun?
UE: I choose to start focusing on what a great time I’ll have.
UN: I release this stress from my mind and body.
CH: I release this worry from my mind and body.
CB: I choose to align with my best-case scenario.
CK: I choose to align with a wonderful vacation. It’s going to be a fabulous trip!
…but what about deeper concerns – like fear of flying or crowd anxiety?
This tapping routine is simple and is meant to relieve packing anxiety. You may have more involved anxiety around travelling. Everyone is different and your anxiety will be unique to you.
If you have deeper travel concerns like a fear of flying, dealing with difficult people, or other anxiety, I can help.
Contact me and we can get together one-on-one to resolve it before you go on your vacation.
I hope that you have wonderful, rejuvenating summertime travel! I look forward to hearing all about it!
Happy Trails!
Nancy
