Enjoy this post? Save and share!

The first time I couldn’t find groceries in a foreign country, I wondered whether we could handle a year of travel. Here’s what changed.

You’ve got the dream. You’ve even made your travel Bucket List. But when it comes time to actually book the trip, something quietly taps the brakes.

What if I can’t figure out where to go? What if no one speaks English? What if I make a mistake and look ridiculous?

Travel anxiety doesn’t always show up as full-blown panic. Sometimes it’s hesitation, doubt, or second-guessing every little detail. Believe me, I get it. When Bill and I first started traveling internationally, I had a meltdown in a Costa Rican Walmart because I couldn’t figure out how to buy groceries!

Since then, we’ve spent months at a time exploring different parts of the world, including Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. I’ve learned that you don’t need to know how to handle every possible situation before leaving home. I’ll share the stories, travel anxiety tips, and small steps that helped me become a much more confident traveler, so you can stop overthinking and start enjoying your Bucket List adventures.

Affiliate disclaimer telling readers that if they click on any of the red links on my website, I may receive a small bit of compensation at no additional cost to them.

Travel Anxiety Is Normal—Even for Experienced Travelers

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make you feel completely out of your element.

My friend Jenny shared a story about riding the metro in Amsterdam. When they reached their stop, they couldn’t figure out how to open the train door. A woman was yelling, “Push the button!” But Jenny couldn’t find the button, and she started to panic. They finally got the door open just in time.

The next time she wanted to get off the train? She knew what to do.

I think that’s such a perfect example of what makes traveling to unfamiliar places intimidating. At home, we know how things work without even thinking about them. In another country, something as simple as getting off a train can suddenly become very stressful.

PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH OUR
FAVORITE TOOLS

– Best Lodging site: Booking.com
– Book Day Tours here: Viator.com
– Rent Cars here: DiscoverCars.com

My Grocery Store Meltdown in Costa Rica

I’ll never forget our first grocery-shopping trip in Costa Rica.

We stopped at Walmart to stock up on groceries. It should be easy. After all, Walmart is Walmart, right?

Wrong!

The food was very different from what we buy in the U.S., and the labels were all in Spanish. I couldn’t find some of the groceries I wanted, and the employees couldn’t understand what I was asking for, even when I tried using Google Translate.

The longer I searched, the more overwhelmed and helpless I felt.

I remember seriously questioning whether Bill and I could handle an entire year of international travel if I couldn’t even manage a simple grocery-shopping trip.

A long aisle in a grocery store has shelves and shelves of food products stacked on them. It was the unfamiliar food and labels in Spanish that gave me the most travel anxiety.

And this was before we left for Ireland, which was supposed to be our easy first stop!

Sure, everyone spoke English. But they drove on the opposite side of the road, used different names for familiar foods, and had road signs we didn’t recognize.

It seemed like everything required extra thought and attention.

Looking back, I realize that a lot of my anxiety about traveling came from not knowing what to expect. I was accustomed to being capable and independent, and suddenly I couldn’t do ordinary things without struggling.

But over time, I went from feeling anxious, to becoming more relaxed, to feeling confident that we could handle unfamiliar situations. And that confidence came from experience.

Start Small: Build Your Travel Confidence One Step at a Time

One of the best ways to overcome travel anxiety is to practice doing unfamiliar things before taking a big international trip.

You don’t need to start with a month in Southeast Asia. Start with something small enough that it feels manageable, but different enough to stretch your comfort zone.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a day trip to a nearby town you’ve never visited.
Try navigating public transportation in your own town if you normally drive.
Book an overnight stay in a different kind of accommodation, such as a local Airbnb instead of a familiar hotel chain.
Visit an attraction where you have to figure out parking, directions, and the layout yourself.

The point isn’t to make things difficult. It’s to get some practice dealing with unfamiliar situations when the stakes are relatively low.

By the time we went to Africa, I wasn’t worried about much because I’d already dealt with so many unexpected situations on earlier trips. I knew we could figure things out.

If you’re nervous about airports or flying, read our First Time Flying guide.

Practicing public transport when you are more accustomed to driving took some getting used to. But practice reduced our travel anxiety a lot. — Bill on the bus in Munich, Germany

How to Overcome Travel Anxiety: My Practical Toolkit

I still do plenty of research before we travel. In fact, I probably do more research than most people!

But I’ve learned that preparation is about making things easier, not guaranteeing that everything will go exactly as planned.

These are the things that help me most.

Ad for Facebook Group Achieve Your Bucket List. Community of travelers helping each other achieve travel dreams. Click to join our Facebook Group!

Research Before You Go, but Expect Some Surprises

Some people love watching YouTube videos before visiting a new destination. It’s helpful to see what an airport looks like, how public transportation works, or what to expect at a particular attraction.

Travel blogs can be even more helpful for those little practical details that aren’t always obvious in a video. For example:

Which neighborhoods are safe to stay in?
What attractions are worth visiting and which can be skipped?
Are there unexpected fees or procedures to enter the country?
Where are the hidden gems that no one knows about?
What should I know before visiting a particular beach, trail, or attraction?

I especially appreciate advice from travel bloggers who’ve actually been there and can tell me what caught them off guard.

I’ve also created first-time visitor travel guides for most of the countries we’ve explored. They cover the practical things I want to know before arriving somewhere new: money, language, safety, transportation, local customs, electrical outlets, whether the tap water is safe to drink, and other details that can be confusing on a first visit.

You can find these guides throughout my destination articles, including Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, Galapagos Islands, Tanzania, Greece, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.

I’ve done the research and learned a few things the hard way, so you don’t have to figure everything out from scratch.

If figuring out all the details of a trip makes you anxious, my How to Plan a Trip: 7 Simple Steps for Busy People guide breaks the process into manageable decisions, so you can get organized without getting overwhelmed.

Use Google Translate, but Learn a Few Helpful Phrases

Google Translate has been a wonderful tool for us, especially when reading menus, understanding signs, or looking at unfamiliar products in grocery stores.

But sometimes the translation isn’t quite right. Or sometimes the other person doesn’t understand what you’re trying to ask.

And sometimes you’re standing in a grocery store feeling completely overwhelmed despite having the technology right there in your hand!

Now I try to learn a few basic phrases before visiting a country where English isn’t widely spoken.

At a minimum, I want to know how to:

Say hello, please, and thank you.
Order food or ask a simple question.
Ask for directions.
Communicate an emergency.
Politely explain that I don’t speak the language well.

You don’t need to become fluent before your trip. Knowing a few phrases can make everyday interactions easier, especially when your translation app isn’t helping.

Screen shot of the Google Translate app showing an example translating "Where is the sliced bread for sandwiches?" from English to Spanish.

Save Your Essential Travel Details Offline

This is one of my most practical travel anxiety tips, and it’s something I do for every trip.

Before we leave for a new destination, I take screenshots of the important information we’ll need when we arrive and save them as photos on my phone. That way, I can pull up the details even when I don’t have Wi-Fi or cellular service.

Here’s what I save:

The name and address of our accommodation.
Directions from the airport or train station, including which train or bus to take.
Check-in instructions and any door or apartment access codes.
The Wi-Fi network name and password.
The host’s name, phone number, and instructions for contacting them if we have trouble.
Booking confirmations or other arrival instructions.

A phone screenshot shows a message from an accommodation host with building entry instructions, apartment access information, Wi-Fi details, and contact numbers. Kari saves these instructions in her phone's photo library so she can find them without an internet connection.

We’ve stayed in plenty of apartments where there isn’t a front desk or anyone waiting to hand us a key. Sometimes you need a code to enter the building, another code for the apartment, and a special instruction just to get the hot water working!

The last thing I want after a long travel day is to stand outside an unfamiliar building trying to find an email I can’t access.

A few screenshots can prevent a surprising amount of frustration.

I’ve also put together Our Top Travel Planning Tools & Resources, featuring the websites and apps Bill and I rely on for transportation, accommodations, navigation, communication, and more.

Don’t Let Fear of Choosing Wrong Stop You

My friend Debbie shared another kind of travel hesitation: worrying about choosing the right destination, tour, or accommodation. I understand that, too.

When you’re spending your hard-earned money and limited vacation time, you want to make good decisions. And with so many choices, it’s easy to keep researching instead of booking anything.

But here’s something I’ve learned from years of travel: not every place will be perfect, and that’s okay.

You learn what you like by trying different things.

My advice is to identify what’s most important to you, narrow your choices, and make a decision once you’ve found something that meets your needs.

You don’t need to compare every hotel or read every review on the internet.

What if You Get Overwhelmed While Traveling?

Sometimes, despite your best preparation, you’ll find yourself in a situation that feels overwhelming. Like the crazy Walmart in Costa Rica did for me.

If that happens, give yourself permission to stop for a few minutes.

Find somewhere safe to sit or step away from the crowd if you can. Give yourself time to settle before trying to solve the problem.

If you’re confused or lost, ask for help. Hotel staff, transportation employees, or someone working at a nearby business may be able to point you in the right direction.

Kari stands beside her luggage in the shorter Galapagos TCT line at the Quito airport. People who working tourism (like at airports) are usually willing to answer your questions and help out.

Leave Room for Things to Go Wrong

Our trip to the Galápagos Islands is a perfect example of why I recommend building flexibility into your travel plans.

By this point, Bill and I had traveled extensively. I’d researched the Galápagos entry requirements and completed the required Transit Control Cards ahead of time. We were all set.

Then we arrived at Quito Airport and discovered another mandatory declaration form I hadn’t even known about. There was a QR code on the wall, but my eSIM wasn’t cooperating, and I was having trouble connecting to the airport Wi-Fi. When I finally opened the form, it was entirely in Spanish.

I was frustrated. I pride myself on being prepared, and here I was trying to figure out another form while standing in an airport.

Then came the flight. As we approached the airport in the Galápagos, the pilot began landing, then suddenly pulled up.

Too windy to land safely.

He circled around and tried again.

Nope. Another aborted landing.

So we flew all the way back to the mainland to refuel, with no clear information about whether we’d try again or have to stay overnight.

Other passengers were getting understandably stressed. Some had activities scheduled for the next morning and were worried about losing a precious day of their Galápagos vacation.

We had deliberately left the following day open, so we weren’t worried about missing anything.

Eventually, we took off again and successfully landed in the Galápagos, about eight hours later than expected.

By the time we finished the airport procedures, took the bus and ferry, and rode a taxi to our accommodation, it was around 8 PM. Fourteen hours after we’d left for the Quito Airport that morning.

We were exhausted. But we’d made it, and we were ready to begin our 30-day Galápagos adventure.

I share the whole story in Getting to the Galápagos Islands: What No One Tells You.

Kari’s Travel Tip: Don’t schedule something important immediately after a complicated travel day if you can avoid it. Leave extra time for connections, transportation, and unexpected delays. You can’t control everything that happens, but you can avoid putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

A couple sits smiling inside a heart-shaped wooden photo frame on the beach with a glowing sunset behind them. This highlights a popular sunset photo spot, one of the fun and free things to do on Isabela Island, Galapagos.

What Happens When You Push Through Travel Anxiety?

When I think back to that Walmart in Costa Rica, I almost have to laugh. There I was, questioning whether we could manage a year of travel because I couldn’t find the ground beef I wanted.

Now we’ve explored Europe, South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. And we’ve encountered plenty of situations that were far more complicated than grocery shopping!

The difference is how I react.

When we first started traveling, an unfamiliar problem could make me question whether we were capable of doing this at all.

Now, I generally assume we’ll find a way to deal with whatever comes up. I’ve gone from anxious to comfortable to confident.

That doesn’t mean I never get frustrated or that everything goes smoothly. It means I’ve learned from experience that we can usually figure things out.

And that’s a pretty awesome feeling.

Kari smiles at a viewing platform with the enormous Iguazú Falls stretching across the landscape behind her in Argentina. Exploring South America is one of the experiences that reflects how far she's come since her early travel anxiety. — Iguazu Falls, Argentina/Brazil

Final Thoughts: You Can Travel Even When You’re Anxious

If travel anxiety is keeping you from achieving your Bucket List dreams, I hope you’ll try one of these tips on your next trip. You don’t have to eliminate every worry before you go, and you certainly don’t have to plan for every possible problem.

Your Bucket List is worth making time for, even if you have to stretch your comfort zone a little along the way.

If travel anxiety is only one of the things holding you back, my 9 Bucket List Barriers & How to Overcome Them guide covers eight other common obstacles and ways to work through them.

More Bucket List Resources

Here are some more posts to help you create your Bucket List, overcome the barriers holding you back, and finally start achieving your dreams!

If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Ad for Facebook Group Achieve Your Bucket List. Community of travelers helping each other achieve Bucket List travel dreams. Click to join our Facebook Group!