Being a nervous flyer or completely afraid of flying can be a nightmare, and if that’s you then you may find yourself putting off going away, or not going away at all. However, there are ways to make your journey more comfortable, allowing you to relax and travel more often. Here are tips to help nervous flyers.
Listen to relaxing music
A great way to calm your nerves when flying is to put on some relaxing music. A great series is Ambient Heaven
which is extremely peaceful and when closing your eyes you can just let your mind drift to a calmer and more comfortable place.
Check out FlightRadar24
To start with one of the best ways to calm those nerves is to understand just how many flights are in the air and then compare this to how many incidents there are. A great site to use is FlightRadar24 and when accessing this site you’ll see there are thousands and thousands of flights constantly in the air. How many of these do you think have a serious problem? Very very few if any. As well as this it can help if you understand a bit about the mechanics and how much engineering goes into an aircraft. In fact, airlines have plenty of redundancies and can even fly with only one engine.
Chat to flight attendants
Watch movies or shows
Try watching movies or shows, in particular, those that are funny or happy. These should help you switch off and relax while you fly. You could also consider downloading shows using the Netflix app, including travel shows such as Planet Earth which can be very relaxing. There are also other streaming services available now such as Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer and many others.
Concentrate on your breathing
Another great technique when you’re worried about flying is to concentrate on your breathing. Such as breathing in and out slowly. This will help take your mind off the flight. Read the NHS advice for a basic breathing exercise. You could also consider combining this with listening to relaxing music or using an app such as Headspace or Calm.
Travel with close friends or family
Having your close friends or family around will certainly help. You can hold their hands, chat, relax and they can help keep you calm. When nervous there will be no one better to have around. Just remember to pre-book your seats so you’re sitting next to each other.
Think about how it’ll be worth it
Finally, think about how it’ll be totally worth it once you arrive at your destination. All the fun and fantastic experiences you’ll hopefully have, and the wonderful memories that may last a lifetime. This can often be the main reason why someone gets on a plane to travel, so if you are a nervous flyer then it’s definitely worth remembering that.
Summary
We hope these tips help you on your next flight if you’re a nervous flyer. If anything just try and think about how good it’s going to be once the flight is over and you’re at your destination and then can relax and enjoy yourself. If flying really isn’t an option for you then have a look at the train and bus options. You’ll find lots of great ways to travel around Europe this way without the need to fly if you don’t want to.
