- I used to get anxious and worry about what would happen if I lost my phone while abroad.
- After traveling solo for two years, my biggest tip is to keep a physical record of your itinerary.
I've had some amazing experiences traveling around Europe over the past two years, but my anxiety can sometimes flare up during travel — especially when I'm going somewhere on my own.
When I'm alone, I spend more time inside my own head, and my brain manages to come up with all the worst-case scenarios possible. What if the plane crashes? What if there's a bomb threat? Of course, I know that flying is incredibly safe — the International Air Transport Association's 2022 airline safety report found there were five fatal accidents out of 32.2 million flights last year — but I still get nervous.
However, one way I've found I can take back some control while traveling — even when flying can feel like a nightmare — is to be as organized as possible.
For me, that includes having a physical record of all my plans. Yes, on actual paper.
Back in March, I was on a flight from Edinburgh to London when I overheard another passenger say she had lost her phone and may have left it in the airport.
The woman was visibly panic-stricken as she searched the seats and aisle around her. I could hear her telling a flight attendant that she had a connection later, and that all of her travel details, tickets, and itinerary were on her phone.
After a couple minutes of searching, the passenger finally found her phone at the bottom of her bag.
A sense of relief washed over the plane. But the situation only heightened my anxiety. I, too, was about to board a connecting flight. And I also had all of my travel details solely on my phone.
Now I keep a physical record of all my travel plans
By the time I was ready for a solo trip to Sicily in April, I couldn't stop thinking about how reliant I am on my phone.
Like many people, I'm so dependent on my smartphone, especially when it comes to traveling and navigating when I'm abroad. I'm accustomed to using Google Maps and Citymapper to get around, and I store tickets and timetables in digital folders on my phone. But I wondered, what would happen if I got mugged, lost my phone, or it suddenly breaks?
Looking back, I recognize that I was once again searching for the worst-case scenario. But nonetheless, I'm grateful that line of thinking led me to make physical copies of my travel plans — something I frankly should have been doing all along.
Before my trip to Sicily, I turned to my spiral notebook and wrote down my travel itinerary, including the flights I was taking and the names of the hotels where I'd be staying. I scribbled down flight numbers, booking references, and even emergency contact numbers so that I would be able to contact my family using another phone if required.
It may seem old-fashioned, but I'd recommend having everything written down if you find yourself relying too much on your phone like I did. And if you aren't a fan of physically writing out your plans in a notebook, you can print out important documents like your boarding pass and put them in a folder.
I've found keeping a physical record of my travel plans to be more convenient than using my phone all the time. Turning a physical page can be less time consuming than searching or scrolling through hundreds of emails, online documents, and screengrabs to find the information I'm looking for.
Turning to paper has also become incredibly useful during times when my phone is low battery and I don't have a charger or portable charger at hand.
Ultimately, I've found that when it comes to travel, preparation is key. And while I don't advocate for worrying about hypotheticals, in this case, being prepared gave me confidence to face my fears head on — and with my notebook in hand.