Travel Fearlessly – Don’t Be Afraid to Live Your Life

It’s Time to Overcome Your Fears

Growing up I was afraid of everything.

Literally everything. 

I spent most of my childhood fearing:

• grown-ups
• strangers
• most of my family members
• teachers
• animals (pets or stray)
• riding in the car
• people who scream
• kidnappers
• money
• debt
• uncontrolled anger
• darkness
• alcohol
• doctors
• police officers
• the vacuum cleaner
• water
• walking alone during the day or at night 

Oddly enough I wasn’t afraid of church.

My family wasn’t religious so I’d often go to church with a kind neighbor, or sometimes by myself. I loved going to church, and religious doctrine flushed a whole new host of fears into my subconscious.

One specific commandment, Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy, was especially troubling to my innocent soul. My parents never remembered, honored or even seemed to care about the Sabbath Day. As a God-fearing child, their sin was concerning.

After all, Sunday was the Lord’s Day, and He was vengeful. I’d heard lots of church stories to prove it.

I came to sincerely believe that my non-church-attending, Sabbath-scoffing, coffee-drinking parents were bringing destruction to our family. 

Obey . . . or a Car Accident Will Follow

As my sinner-parents continued to ignore the Lord’s Special Day, I became convinced that a very big and very expensive car accident was imminent. 

After all, church doctrine pounded into my psyche that if you went against God’s laws a severe punishment would follow.

For whatever reason, I believed God’s punishment would be a car accident, probably followed by a grisly death. 

I’m not joking.

From this completely irrational belief, my fears further exploded and I became afraid of car travel in general.

God’s Creative Punishments

Here’s how I imagined it going down:

• Suicidal wildlife would fling themselves in front of our car on a dark and snowy night
• A speeding train would appear from nowhere and smash into our car
• A drunk driver on the freeway would plow into us
• An airplane would descend from the sky and squash on our car
• While driving somewhere, we’d beforced to stay in a motel on a Sunday (the Lord’s Day),and a serial killer would break into our room and cut off our heads

To make matters worse, according to the Church rules, my dad was quite wicked. (He drank beer, used very colorful language and chewed tobacco.) When my dad died at age 36 of a brain tumor it further cemented in my brain that both the Lord and the Church were to be feared.

I’d witnessed it myself . . . if you didn’t do exactly as the Lord and Church demanded, a painful cancer and death would follow.  

Is there anything more fearsome than a car accident?

As it turns out, yes. Incurable brain cancer is definitely worse than a car accident. 

Watching your “wicked” dad die of cancer when you’re fifteen is, I think, one of the most fearful, scariest things a kid can go through.

I’m Sorry, I Thought This Was a Travel Blog . . .

I very much understand fear. Of course, I don’t understand YOUR specific fears, but I do understand what it’s like to live your entire life being afraid.

For most of my life, I’ve made all of my decisions based on irrational and completely made-up fears. After a lifetime of living in constant fear, I decided I was tired of it and needed to make a change. In 2015 I made the best decision of my life . . . I started investing time into personal development. Since then I’ve learned life-changing tools that have helped me learn how to push the dark, scary fears aside. I now live in the world of bright sunlight.

The sunshine feels very nice. Especially on my face.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that until quite recently I’ve suffered from severe anxiety and PTSD. I believed the terrible clenching feeling in my stomach was normal. I thought the never-ending mean chatter in my brain was real.

Isn’t everyone afraid of everything? 

No. Living in Fear Isn’t “Normal”

As it turns out, having anxiety, PTSD and living in fear definitely isn’t normal.

If you’re anxious and/or afraid I recommend you start reprogramming your brain. It’s senseless to feel crappy all the time. I used The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron to fix my brain. Do a little research and find the program that works best for you.

Mental health resources are abundant and getting help is now considered both socially respectable and responsible. Honestly, it’s a little silly at this point NOT to get help, especially if you’re suffering.

Side Note: Thankfully our brain is plastic-y and can be reprogrammed. It will take effort on your part, but I strongly suggest you take the time and do the work to heal yourself.

No one else can do it for you.

Help is out there, do what it takes to be healthy and happy, and start today.

Okay Fine, I’m Afraid. Now What?

I know there are people out there who want to travel, (hey, I’m talking to you!) but they let the fear of the unknown or anxiety of what “might happen” stop them from chasing their dreams. 

I can vividly see these wanna-be travelers scrolling through their social media feeds, wishing they dared visit the exotic locations they see on their screens.

But then fear steps in and says, “Ha! Not on my watch.”

As someone who grew up *literally* afraid of everything and everyone I’m telling you, it’s time to let go of your fears and chase after your dreams, regardless of what those dreams are.

I’ve traveled all around the world without airplane tickets.  

Can you imagine what you can do with a ticket? 

My List of Bad Things that Have Happened While Traveling

I’d like to instill a little confidence by sharing a list of all the bad things that have happened to me on my travels. I apologize if you find my “bad things” list a little anticlimactic: 

• In Puerto Vallarta I left a fake leather jacket on a chair and someone stole it

• Lufthansa went on strike and we got stuck in Rome for two extra days

• My mom, my sister and I were once accidentally kidnapped by a self-proclaimed “Best Tour Guide in All of Guatemala”. We hopped out of his van and hailed a taxi.

• My BFF had salt thrown on her at a hammam in Turkey

• A gang of obsessed tour guides chased us through Morocco. They even tried to force us get in their van to go on a tour.

• We got a ticket for going 1 km over the speed limit in the Netherlands

• When I was severely jetlagged I almost got stuck at JFK as stormageddon blew through

• I watched some pickpockets working the Las Ramblas in Barcelona

• A gang of tour guides aggressively chased us down the street in Alexandria, Egypt

• I grossly overpaid for some really cute homemade rooster suckers in Budapest

• I was almost late getting back to my cruise ship because I chose to negotiate the return of my stolen camera

• I often ride the subway one or two stops too far because I get caught up in staring out the window

• I once saw some rats running around the stairs deep in the subway in Paris

• I had a massage in a Turkish kitchen during family lunchtime (Awkward!)

• I saw someone get a fishhook in the face in Istanbul

• The cops once asked me not to visit a cemetery in New Orleans. They said it wasn’t safe for me to be wandering around alone.

• Once we weren’t allowed to bring our bottled soda on a cruise ship

• I’ve had to sit next to several smelly people on public transportation.

• It’s very difficult to find ice outside the United States. I wrote a whole article about this injustice.

I’ve racked my brain and in the hundreds of days I spent traveling around the world this is the exhaustive list of bad things I can come up with. 

To be honest, the vast majority of your trip troubles will either be self-caused or from issues with your travel companions.

So What Exactly Are You Afraid Of?

I believe that most travel fears can be mitigated by good planning. 90% of your travel concerns will resolve themselves if you do your research before you leave. Here’s how to mitigate some common concerns:

Are you worried about communicating in a foreign language?

Make sure your phone works wherever you go, even if it costs a little extra. Download Google Translate. Screenshot pictures of special things you think you might need.

A Good Example: I can’t use chopsticks so I keep a picture of a fork on my phone whenever I travel to an Asian country. I also keep a fork in my day bag.

Are you gluten-free or have some other food allergy? Need the bathroom a lot? Have an affinity for ice? Screenshot the local language translation of your special issue and have it ready.

Only you know what special-to-you issue you’re going to regularly ask for, have a picture or a translation of it ready.

Are you worried about getting lost?

If you have a working phone most of your getting-around problems are solved. Google Maps works everywhere. If you’re worried, preload your route in case your internet is slow. I can’t remember the last time I was truly lost.

Late? Yes. Lost. No.

Are you worried about public transportation?

Before you leave for your trip read everything you can about public transportation for the place you’re visiting. Would it be cheaper to buy a week pass, a multi-day pass, a day pass or individual tickets? Is there a site-seeing and public transportation combo pass available? How long are individual tickets good for? Do tickets need to be validated?

If you have a working phone, getting around on public transportation is a breeze in most places. Type in the address of where you’re going, click on the bus/trolly option and your phone will take you step-by-step through your trip.  

Are you worried about flying?

If it’s the mechanical aspect of flying that worries you, research how airplanes work. Knowledge is power, educate yourself.

If it’s the journey itself you dislike, figure out how to make it enjoyable. Bring your favorite non-smelly food and snacks (read up on the TSA 3-1-1 rule so no special treats are thrown out). Download some great movies, books or podcasts on your phone or tablet. Noise-canceling headphones make a huge difference. Bring a travel pillow and wear your most favorite comfortable outfit.

Only you know what would make an airplane trip tolerable for you. See if you can step it up a notch and do what it takes to make your flight delightful.

Are you worried about being robbed?

Leave your expensive jewelry at home and keep your cash tucked under your clothes. Blend in with the locals and don’t give the pickpockets a good reason to target you. If you’re traveling alone, be in your hotel room by dark.

Don’t go stupid places at stupid times.

Travel Fearlessly

Travel itself isn’t to be feared. Our illogical thoughts about travel are what make it seem scary. Please don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you from exploring the world. 

In fact, if we’ve learned anything it’s this . . . the education I received at my well-meaning childhood church is way scarier than anything I’ve encountered in real life. 

Take the time to fully research your trip, make a solid plan and then execute it to the best of your ability. Stay flexible and I bet your trip will be successful and fun. 

Step out of your comfort zone and learn to live and travel fearlessly.

Thanks So Much for Stopping By!

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If you’re wondering what prompted me to share my travel knowledge, check out the About Me section.

I’d love to hear about your travel experiences, good and bad. We’ll all be better travelers if we learn from one another. 

The Art of Travel (TAOT) ~ Written by Kylie. Photos for this article were from Unsplash.