Travel Mishaps | 3 Stress Relief Tips

Season of vacations is just around the corner and you’ve probably decided where to travel. While travel immediately makes you think of relaxation, breathtaking views, enjoying life to the fullest, let’s not forget it can be stressful from time to time. It is natural for travel mishaps to occur, but what matters here is how you respond to them. If you handle these situations properly, you’ll manage stress and still have a lovely time, but if you don’t deal with them properly, stress can only grow. Of course, you choose the first option. To help you out, this article brings three common travel mishaps and provides stress relief tips to tackle them.

1) Canceled or delayed flight

You’ve probably experienced this mishap on more occasions than one. We’ve all experienced this problem multiple times but it’s always equally frustrating. Delays or cancellations become even more stressful when you have to make connecting flights. As a result, this can ruin your entire day and wonder what to do next if you’re not fully prepared.

Although delayed and canceled flights are stressful for everyone, these feelings intensify in individuals who deal with anxiety, stress, helplessness, and other symptoms of depression. Finding a way to adequately manage this stressful situation gives you an opportunity to enjoy your vacation, instead of allowing stress to pile on. Here are some stress relief tips that will help you when your flight is canceled or delayed:

• Enter airline’s reservations phone number into your smartphone – when the flight is delayed or canceled, all passengers line up at the departure gate to talk to the clerk. The easier way to resolve this, and relieve stress, is to call reservations directly at their toll-free number. Some airlines also allow rebooking a flight, which is why having an internet access on your smartphone is also practical.
• Listen to stress relief songs – create a playlist that will feature songs you find relaxing and listen to them while you’re waiting for your next flight. There is no rule to what song you should include, just opt for tunes that make you feel happier.
• Arrange your travel schedule first thing in the morning – to minimize the risk of delays or cancellations altogether, you should try booking an early morning flight. The later in the day the flight is, the higher the chance of delays. Also, if delays do happen in the morning, you’ll have better chance of getting out of the airport in time and still arrive at your destination early and have some rest.

2) Lost luggage

One of the most common travel mishaps that need stress management is lost luggage. You spend days or weeks on figuring out what to pack only for your luggage to get lost. Not only you have no spare clothes, but all your plans for the vacation need to be pushed back or changed until you get your luggage. Even if you don’t reschedule plans you made, you’re stressed all the time and don’t get to enjoy your time off work. Here are some stress relief strategies for this common mishap:

• Pack your essentials in a carry-on bag including medications, basic toiletries, and a change of clothes.
• Be nice – lost luggage and stress that comes with it can make you act the way you would probably regret later. Don’t take it out on staff and clerks who work at the airport. Remember, they’re trying to help you. When you’re stressed out, staying calm can be challenging, but you should still try to do it. Keep a stress ball in your pocket for instant relief.
• It’s just a minor setback – this mishap can make you feel like everything is against you, thus increasing stress and anxiety. When this happens, remember that lost luggage is just a minor setback and it will be resolved successfully. Also, bear in mind it’s a common problem and it affects other people, so don’t take it personally. When preparing for travel, you should create your mantra that will calm you down when mishaps occur.

3) Rude people

Rude people, nobody likes them, yet they’re everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do, the chances are high you’ll come across at least one rude person. It may be someone on the plane, or even an airline representative, or guests in a hotel, and other people. One rude person can ruin your entire day in just a few seconds. So, it’s important to know how to handle these situations in order to avoid getting too stressed or even angry. Here are a few tips that will help you:

• Be pleasant and polite yourself – the last thing you should do is to act exactly the same as that person. First of all, that would make you equal and you don’t want that. Secondly, it wouldn’t be of any help for stress relief. In fact, you would feel worse.
• Their behavior speaks about them, not you – whenever someone is behaving impolitely, bear in mind that type of behavior reflects their personality, not yours. So, when someone’s rude, it has nothing to do with you. Don’t analyze your attitude, behavior, and personality or blame yourself just because someone else wasn’t polite. Instead, let it go and move on. The more you dwell, the more stressed you will be.
• Take a deep breath – someone’s rude behavior may cause tremendous stress, particularly if you’re also dealing with anxiety or depression. Take a few slow, deep breaths and you will feel better. This technique is one of the most effective ways to reduce stress, regardless of the situation.

Travel, for business or pleasure, is interesting and fun, but it can be stressful at the same time. Common stressors include lost luggage, rude people, delayed and canceled flights, just to name a few. In individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety, or some other issue the stress and frustration can intensify. To reduce stress, take a few deep breaths, listen to relaxing tunes, be organized, or you can take natural anti-depressant pills like Tranquilene that will make you feel better.