Today I booked a business trip to another country. I arranged the flights. I arranged the hotel. Now I’m arranging to keep my stomach contents down. Is it normal to fear ‘airports’ and not ‘airplanes’? Is it normal to worry about getting lost in the myriad of gates in those labyrinths? Is it normal to fear incessantly about forgetting some critical document, resulting in a large, grumpy woman getting jaded enough with me to send me to a backroom for ‘special handling’? Someone please tell me this is a normal fear.
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Perhaps a bit of history is needed here. You see, I’m from a relatively small town (the word ‘town‘ is too big, but ‘village‘ seemed insulting) and my travel in life has, until the last ten years, been either by rail, bus, car or two feet and a heartbeat. The airplane was only introduced to me about five years ago when the company I work for sent me on business to New York- Manhattan specifically. Now, take a guy who is accustomed to life in a town of 8.4 hundred people and plunk him down in a metropolis of 8.4 million- and something has to give. The moment I stepped out of that plane into LaGuardia airport, I have no doubt I looked like Balki Bartokomous of ‘Perfect Strangers‘ when he abandoned his ox carts for shopping carts. I’m not ashamed to admit it either. It was, initially, one of the most stressful moments of my professional life. Little did I know that the terror of airports, layovers and catching flights was like a walk in Central Park once I stepped into a New York City taxi. Until that very moment- I had never seen a crack addict- and here he was driving my cab.
Nonetheless, my fear isn’t the airplanes. My fear finds root in the airports. As I manage through the halls, I constantly am double checking if I have my passport, my laptop, my jacket, my Blackberry, my books, my shoes, my sanity. I find myself worried about connection times. Will the layover be long enough for me to get my luggage? Should I run to the gate? Should I bowl through those senior citizens? Is mowing over small children acceptable if you are about to miss your connector? If you are ever in an airport and you see a man sprinting down the moving walkway, baggage in tow and laptop flailing like a cape behind him- assuming he is of modest good looks- it is likely me. The stress happens between the flights. Airplanes I love. The feeling when the jets kick in and shove you back in your seat is like sitting in a performance racecar that happens to have wings. Flights for me are generally stress free- although I have never had the experience of flying through a flock of geese which would no doubt shake me (I am certain the geese share similar sentiments about flying through a gas turbine engine). My point is that the flying is fun. It is the ‘getting‘ to the flying that is the bane of my lightly travelled experience.
Having booked the trip today accosted by this nagging sense of anxiety (which has already set in for a voyage that isn’t even for another week) I decided to equip myself with some information on how to reduce travel anxiety. Enter Google stage left. I started searching for ‘fear of airports‘ and found a few articles with similar information- but none suggesting coping mechanisms. I then tried searching ‘Why do I cry uncontrollably in airports‘. Nada. In fact, all of my searches failed to come up with one reference to map anxiety in airports (not anxiety in airplanes) with possible tips and tricks to allay fears. That being the case, here are a few I have at least extrapolated for reference here – using the cryptic acronym ‘AIRPORT‘. The upside is I will be able to put these directly into practice and report back on any findings.
A – Assured: Know you can do this. There are stupider people around you doing it- so be confident.
I – Informed: Airports almost always have online maps of their gate systems. Review these in advance to reduce the unknown.
R – Ready: Have your itinerary, passport and relevant documents in a safe, secure place.
P – Punctual: Be early for each check in, including arrivals, security and customs, and finally your gate.
O – Organized: Have your carry-on bag(s) organized so those items you are most likely to need (books, iPod, headset) are easily accessible.
R – Relaxed: Eat properly leading up to your trip, stay hydrated and avoid caffeine.
T – Tactical: Plan ahead for transportation to and from the airport. Have the address ready if you are taking a cab.
So- if any of you happen across a more complete set of coping tricks please share in the comments. I’d like to see what else is out there… before I venture into the great unknown once again. 
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Tags: Adversity, Experience, Fears, Travel
Yeah, it’s ironic how so many people having a fear of flying, by my anxiety vanishes when the plane takes off. I’ve flown enough at this point in my life that I’m more worried about other people screwing up, or random things beyond my control. My fears revolve more around:
1 Getting to the airport on time (thoughts of a freak car breakdown or overturned semi blocking the road haunt me for days before the flight).
2 The airline screwing up my reservation, or cancelling the flight.
3 Either inadvertently violating some security procedure, or the terminal being evacuated because of somebody doing something genuinely stupid.
4 Weather delays
5 Getting trapped on the tarmac for multiple hours like those horror stories you hear on the news.
One thing I’ve found helpful is to focus on the next 3 or 4 facets of the trip, break them down into very short phrases, and repeat these phrases like a manta. It’s calming and keeps me focused. Overhead compartment, find bathroom, baggage claim, taxi stand…
Travelling early in the day helps, since that’s less time to sit around thinking about things. Whenever possible, I take very early flights. That way I pretty much roll out of bed and into the airport.
Also, if you’re confused and don’t see an airport employee, just ask a fellow passenger who looks bored. Odds are, they’re bored because they travel often & have been in that airport a bazillion times. I think I could give guided tours of BWI.
I hear you Beverly! Timely arrival at the airport is another part of the overall affliction. I’ve since had another business trip with a trip that had a connection through an airport I’ve already been through- and interestingly enough I was much calmer. So apparently, all I need to do is travel through every airport terminal in the continent and the stress will go away! Case solved!
Hi Reilly,
I have exactly the same problem, I’m from the UK but have travelled to quite a few places in Europe, also to JFK in NY for a trip to Manhattan. I also come from a remote place, even remoter than yours!, a small Scottish island about 1000 population, I do think coming from a small lesser populated places can give us all sorts of anxiety issues when it comes to going into high populated areas. I have a light touch of social phobia anyway which also adds fuel to the fire.
I have always travelled with friends, so this has always eased my anxiety, because we all had a hand in figuring it out.
But now in a weeks time, i’m supposed to be flying to London to see a friend, Even before I have booked the tickets, my anxiety level has gone through the roof to the point where i’m considering cancelling it, I have no fear of flying, when i’m on the plane I love it, planes always amaze me, so the flying part is easy. What gets me is the fear of getting lost, going to the wrong gate, what happens if I miss my connecting flight, what happens if I dont see my flight number on the screen, what if I cant find the place to pick up my baggage, what if I loose my passport, have the wrong flight information printed out, what if my bags dont arrive, what if thers no taxis outside the terminal, what if, what if, what if…
I know the anxiety is irrational, my work I decipher complex plans and layouts every day and should easy handle navigating through an airport, but still, none the less i’m filled with gut wrenching anxiety, it is so frustrating. The worst part is, there seems to be little we can do about it, the problem seems routed deep in the non-rational subconscious part of the mind, the only thing I think might help apart from a GP to prescribe a load of nasty pills is hypnotherapy, I think its worth a shot.
Stewart- Sounds like you have the same afflication as me! But don’t worry.. I don’t think meds is the answer!
In my recent business travel I was able to experiment with the ‘AIRPORT’ acronym from my article- and the only weakness I found was avoiding caffeine. 
Know you can do it – get the airport maps (that was critical for me) and keep those important documents close to your person (security blanket really). Trust yourself- and in the worst case- ask anyone around you. People are generally willing to help if they can! 
Best of luck and let us know how your trip goes! 
My dear friend….Riley.
In your blog entry: “Fear of Airports – The Traveler’s Lesser Known Phobia”. You have exposed the inner demons & fears I faced almost on a weekly basis for + 35 years in flying/traveling on the road across Canada & the USA on average 40 to 42 weeks per year. My fear now is what toll if any has this taken on my mental & more importantly physical health.? Thank you dear friend for helping expose this demon fear felt by many yet buried by most all.
John- turns out the trip to SF went exceedingly well! The connections were a bit tight once or twice, but I was prepared and did fine. The irony for me was that the more connections I had, the quicker I got over the anxiety! LOL
Thanks for sharing your fear with us Reilly (it’s normally not an easy thing to do). I have a few, as we all do and I like the idea of breaking the word into positive steps to help you deal with it and feel more comfortable. Cheers
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Wow, taking the plane will never feel the same after reading your article! Love the way you breakdown the A.I.R.P.L.A.N.E! Genius I tell you.
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