Why do women suffer from insomnia before a trip? Even experienced travelers have trouble sleeping the night before departure.
Some women experience travel anxiety because of bad experiences. A cancelled flight, going to the flight with an expired passport (full disclosure it was me in August 2024). Experts say most worry is not connected to specific experiences; worry rests somewhere in our grey matter.
The Sleep Foundation lists reasons for sleeplessness: fear of flying, anxiety about problems during the trip, packing, arrival time worries, motion sickness, long flights, chance of delays or interruptions, inability to sleep sitting up, dryness and germs on planes. new food and increased alcohol consumption.
Fear of missing the flight. Leave curtains open; another wake up call is daylight. Set 3 alarms. If you are a heavy sleeper, try an alarm clock for the hearing disabled. Some alarm clocks will shake your bed while they wake up the neighborhood.
Print out documents for each step of the trip. Do not depend on only reading a phone screen. You will miss attachments. Arrange papers in order of when you need them, your reserved cab first, then flight with terminal, your entry into an airline lounge, followed by arrival meet and greet personnel. (I keep the seating chart showing my seat). Walk through your trip to make sure you have every detail printed and arranged in advance.
Put all your documents into a light weight folder. School supply areas of Target or Walmart have cheap folders. The page protectors above are 5 for $12.99; you’ll find them handy for other important documents.
Motion sickness and long flights. Divide the flight into movies, books, sleep time, and meal time. A friend who worked for Malaysian Airlines used to say the 12 hour flight was 4 movies and 4 meals. It is important to close your eyes for a rest even if the other bits of your body do not sleep. Everyone in your tour will be exhausted, not just you.
Motion sickness: speak to a doctor. If you take relaxants, be aware you will not be on your best game. Alcohol also will definitely blur your attention to details and dehydrate you.
Delays and flight interruptions are high on worry lists. You should have your 24/7 transfer and tour operator phone number in your phone contacts. No fumbling for information when you are nervous. (Many international flights offer email so you can contact them while flying or on the runway). For an advance look at delays, put yur flight number into google, like ‘Delta625’. You will see its schedule before the captain announces it. The information comes from the OAG, real time flights. Having real information helps.
Regarding food angst. Bring a few snacks: granola bars? These snacks are also found in school supply areas. Note: airplane meals are salty. Some airlines allow you to choose a low sodium meal. Probably tasteless but still better for cramping and dehydration.
Germs on planes? Get over it. These little guys live everywhere. Do as your mother said; wash your hands frequently and don’t bite your nails. Travel tips for women from award winning tour operator for women: The Women’s Travel Group. Contact us here.
