Travel Anxiety Is Real: Expert Tips To Help Stay Calm During Holiday Travel 

The day before Thanksgiving marks the busiest travel day of the year. TSA stated that it expects to see 2.7 million passengers and crew through security lines today alone. And according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in the last year, a little more than 20% of flights were delayed. Read: one in five flights.

"When we talk about travel, we need to acknowledge that travel anxiety is a real entity, and some people really do suffer from acute travel anxiety. And we do know a percentage of the population does suffer from an anxiety disorder, so those people especially can anticipate that when they travel, they might suffer from anxiety or even a panic attack," says board-certified psychiatrist Indra Cidambi, M.D.

Time away should give you a break from everyday stressors and offer you a chance to recharge, recoup, and enjoy much-needed time with family over the holiday season. The travel to get you there? Clearly less so. Maybe it's TSA lines that wind and weave, flight delays with little information about takeoff and no end in sight, or missed layovers that leave you stranded in a random city, carving into your precious days off or family time. Do you feel an uptick in your heartbeat just reading that? I certainly do.

"The most important thing you can do is to come up with a coping mechanism before you leave," says Cidambi. "Have a plan in place before your trip, so if you feel anxiety coming on, you already know what you are going to do."

What we put into our bodies affects how we feel. And on the flip side, when we're not eating enough, it may trigger anxiety too.

"Two things tend to happen: One, you get through TSA, rush to your flight, and then you're on the plane and don't have anything nutritious to eat. So you're on the plane with an empty stomach, and your anxiety can increase. Then when you land, you might be tired because you didn't have a snack or meal," says Cidambi.

"The second is that the person will check in and immediately go to the restaurant and start eating and drinking," she says. "And alcohol can end up increasing anxiety. Especially avoid red wine; the sulfites in that can cause headaches and nausea."

"Come back the day before the vacation ends," says Cidambi. "People pack their travel itinerary so tightly, meaning they leave the first day they have off work, and they come back the night before. That's a big no because they don't have room for things to go wrong, like delays."