One of the things that can stress me out is traveling. It’s something that’s always been there, but I’ve only recently understood how it affects me. I enjoy traveling — seeing new places, being with family and friends is exhilarating for me. It’s just the “getting there” part that I struggle with.

I recently went on a trip to Seattle with my wife and a few friends. We’d never been there and were excited to see what it was all about. The week leading up to it, though, was stressful. I didn’t know where we were staying (it was arranged by the others), I didn’t know what we did with our baggage as we were flying in early in the morning and couldn’t check in until after four, and there was no general plan. I don’t need a minute-by-minute agenda, just a general idea of what we would be doing.

Before I understood what was going on inside, I’d just get more and more stressed out, not really knowing what was going on. This time, I recognized what was happening and talked about it with my wife. She got me the address of the AirBnB, told me we could store our baggage at our friend’s hotel for the day, and gave me a general plan for the weekend. Tension eased, and I felt a lot better.

Then came travel day. Packing goes quickly — well, sort of. I pack everything I think I’ll need, which is the quick part. Then there’s the second guessing — do I really have everything? The “second packing” then ensues. I then stress on whether or not I’ve forgotten something important. We then head for the airport. I then stress about whether we’ve allowed enough time (though we’re usually through TSA and at the gate at least an hour before boarding). Once we’re at the gate, I worry about the onboarding process, is there going to be enough room for our carryons? Is there going to be a shortage of room due to an equally large guy sitting next to me (the answer is usually, yes). As well as any other number of worries.

Once I’m on the plane, I’m fine. It’s just the unknown that I stress about. Coming home is the same thing, only in reverse. Even when we’re traveling by car I stress, though it’s usually a lot less of a burden, I have control over a lot more of the process.

So how is it for you? Do you have any stress while traveling?