Well hello to you my reader chums! Travelling is my biggest passion and as many of you know, I love nothing more than planning my next trip away and visiting new destinations. Travel is a big part of my life and I adore researching new countries and ticking them off my must-see list. However, travelling and exploring the world isn't something that came naturally to me. I used to have the biggest fear of flying and was too anxious to leave my house, let alone jet off to new lands.

If you're anxious about travelling or new to flying, here is how overcoming travel anxiety changed my life.

I've visited nearly 30 countries

I'm incredibly grateful and privileged to have spent the majority of my twenties so far jetting off to new countries, seeing some of the world's best sights, making remarkable memories and feeling free in the travel life. Overcoming my travel anxiety by pushing myself to keep going on trips meant I caught the travel bug and fell in love with exploring and wanting to see more and more places. 

I still can't believe all the destinations I've had the pleasure of seeing, from backing Asia twice, revisiting Italy over and over again, ticking off European countries to living it up in the Big Apple. I am blessed that because I made the choice to overcome my fears, my twenties have been full of memories, stories, lessons and appreciation for the world around me. I'm excited to get to number 30 (currently on number 28)!

I feel confident in new cultures and places

The best thing about travelling is experiencing new cultures, learning the history of renowned sights and meeting locals in new countries. It has opened up my mind to new and fresh perspectives, giving me a bigger understanding of how other cultures live and their way of life. As I've been able to immerse myself in countries across Europe, Asia and beyond, I've witnessed rituals and traditions which are new to me - and with that, I'm left with a confident feeling when visiting a country with a different culture for the first time. I don't feel anxious landing in the new destinations, I feel excited and confident to see what they're all about, building on my knowledge. 

Flying doesn't scare me anymore

I used to have the BIGGEST fear of flying. The thought of going to an airport and being in the air at 30,000+ feet terrified me. However, the immersive therapy really worked for me here as the more I pushed myself to get on that plane and book that trip, seeing the outcome it gave me, the easier it was to shake off that fear. It wasn't easy in any way as I would suffer from panic attacks and fear the experience, yet time is a powerful thing. After a while, the fear went away and I realised how safe aeroplanes are and that being in the air is one of my favourite places to be.

I'm more care-free in new environments

As someone with anxiety, I don't think I'll ever be completely carefree, constantly planning things, writing itineraries and wanting control. However, my travel anxiety isn't the same as my normal anxiety. When I'm jetting off to a new destination, there's a certain ease that follows me and no matter what, it's all part of the adventure. I feel calm that I've had a lot of experience travelling to new destinations, and I can figure out any issue that occurs. Plus, the anxious person in me has done plenty of research and planning beforehand so that I'm clued up (as much as I can be) in a new place and it allows for that care-free attitude.

I'm intrigued about going to places that are new and different 

A decade ago, I never thought travel was going to be a part of my life, especially such a significant part of it. Now, going to new places intrigues me and fills my mind with wonder, rather than fear and anxiety and the constant thought of all the bad things that'll go wrong.

I've overcome other fears such as heights and waters

I was always a fearful child, scared of pretty much anything in my path; social situations, outdoor activities, heights, water and many more things. Though, travelling so often has pushed me to overcome certain fears to experience places in the full, such as heights and the water. I've climbed some incredible hikes, I've gone up some of the tallest buildings in the world and admired the views. I've snorkelled, swam in open water and kayaked on deep water - all things the younger me never thought were possible.

I've tried new experiences I never thought I would

This leads on to all the experiences I've tried, from hiking, snorkelling, trying new cuisines across the world, staying in hostels, temple hopping, visiting historical sites, riding in a tuk-tuk, seeing an elephant safari to cooking classes, these experiences are memories I'll remember forever.

I've learned many life lessons

Life is full of lessons and travelling often has shaped my perspective, teaching me more about gratitude, the kindness of humans, having an open mind and being brave.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Where's next on your travel must-see list?

Thank you for reading <3