My Stupid Travel Tips - Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Travel

by Yazid Zul Kepli

1. HEALTH REASON

First of all, everyone is dying. It is just a matter of time. Deal with it. However, if you are dying in one week, perhaps your decision to spend the little time left with your family is not a bad idea. Perhaps. You will need to put everything in order. People will understand that. It is highly unlikely that you are dying in the near future due to terminal illness though. Most probably, even if you are not in your optimum condition physically, efforts can be made to travel if you wanted to. On the other hand, if your doctor strongly advises you against travelling, your doctor’s word of caution should not be taken lightly.


2. PHOBIA REASON

Sometimes, people are healthy physically but they are prevented by their phobias. A simple example is claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is a strong reason why some people avoid travelling. This is because they are afraid of flying. I was a claustrophobic person myself. Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms. It is typically classified as an anxiety disorder and often results in panic attack, and can be the result of many situations or stimuli, including elevators crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and even tight-necked clothing. The onset of claustrophobia has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction in the size of the amygdala (something the size of peanut in our brain), classical conditioning, or a genetic predisposition to fear small spaces.


In a way, claustrophobia is also a fear of suffocation. Mine started after I drowned during one of my scuba diving trips in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. This eventually led to a series of panic attack as well. It take some time for me to heal myself, although I am never truly healed. One study indicates that anywhere from 5–7% of the world population is affected by severe claustrophobia, but only a small percentage of these people receive some kind of treatment for the disorder. There are ways to overcome it. If it is severe, get professional help.

Several weeks before your flight, visit your doctor and therapist. Even if you do not normally take medications for your phobia, your doctor might want to prescribe a short-term anti-anxiety medication. Pay careful attention to any instructions, which might include starting the prescription a few days in advance or avoiding alcohol consumption.

During your flight, keep yourself distracted as much as possible. Bring an iPod, DVD player or laptop, or purchase headphones and watch the in-flight movie. If you are traveling with a relative or friend, engage in conversation. Slip off your shoes and relax with a pillow and blanket.

If you have a panic attack, let your traveling partner know. He or she may be able to help talk you down. Otherwise, focus on your coping strategies. Get up and walk around if the seat belt light is off. Go into the restroom and splash cold water on your face. Take anti-anxiety medication according to your doctor’s recommendations, but avoid self-medicating with alcohol. Drinking alcohol may actually increase your anxiety.

Another example is phobia or trauma due to sexual assault. By the way, I personally never suffer any sexual assault whatsoever. Travelers or passengers who are victims of sexual trauma may have concerns about the screening process at the airport and may require additional assistance.  Generally, airport security will make every effort to accommodate a person’s needs; however, to keep everyone safe, all travelers must undergo security screening prior to airline travel. You may tell the Transportation Security Officer that you would appreciate that your screening be handled as discreetly and quietly as possible. You should neither be asked to nor agree to lift, remove, or raise any article of clothing to reveal a sensitive area of the body (such as the buttocks, groin, or breasts [for females]). Bare or exposed skin should not be touched by the security officer.. If the security officer’s gloves alarm for explosive traces after conducting your pat down, you will need to undergo additional screening. You are free to ask the security officer about screening and the screening equipment. If you are comfortable stating that you are a victim of sexual trauma, please let the security officer know.  You may also use a travel communication card, which provides a mechanism to protect your privacy and to facilitate discreet communication with security personnel. There are many types of phobias.  Even if you don’t want to travel, it is important to take necessary steps to overcome these phobias.  In almost all cases, phobias can be removed albeit gradually.

3. LACK OF MONEY

Travelling don’t have to be expensive but traveling still costs money, and the idea of coming up with sufficient amount can be a daunting one for many cash-strapped would-be wanders. But even if your income is on the lower end, you can still save enough money for a trip. With a little creativity, determination, and yes, a bit of sacrifice, you can whittle down your expenses and find ways to fund your travel dreams. Here are few tips to get enough money;

§  Save money systematically. Arrange with your employer to have a certain amount or percentage of your paycheck automatically deposited into your savings account. You won’t have to think about it, and you won’t be tempted to spend the money rather than save it

§  Clean out your credit. If you have significant debt, your interest rates could account for a large portion of your monthly expenses. Work on getting your debt paid off, starting with the cards with the highest interest rate.

§  Quit smoking. Do this for your health as well as your budget. Cut down, or quit entirely and you’ll find yourself with a lot of spare cash.

§  Reduce or eliminate your caffeine addiction. Starbucks may do its best to make us all think we need a daily dose of caffeine in the form of fancy lattes and mocha-whippa-cinos, but the $3-$5 you’re spending each day on coffee could be put to much better use.

Sometimes, you simply have a more urgent need for the money. If your stepbrother is in need for a surgery, helping him is the more sensible thing to do than to waste the money in a trip to Vegas.

4. ‘THE WORLD IS SO DANGEROUS’ myth

Contrary to other good reasons, the one is actually a myth. Millions of people are cheated into believing that foreigners are worse than your neighbors. In most cases, you are overestimating the goodness of your neighbors. Most people and fellow travelers with a decent common sense will not face any serious difficulty during their travel. For some unknown reason, people tend to treat travelers better, as long as they behave. There will be people trying to cheat you here and there but most of the time; you are safe if you use your common sense.

By the way, what is the point of being so afraid? We will all die anyway. At least we have some great memories in this short life of ours if we travel.

5. ‘I HAVE NO TIME’ myth

That is usually a blatant lie. Everyone is given 24 hours daily, unless you are an astronaut orbiting some other planet in space far away. Most of the time, people think that their company needs them and everything will fall apart the exact moment they get away. The cruel truth is we always overestimated our self. Everything will usually be just fine. The company you work for will be more than capable of replacing you should you leave. Take some risk.

I was a full time doctorate student when I do most of my travelling. My dissertation was fine. Some of my friends who spend all of their time in the law library eventually fail their studies and have to quit. Time is precious. We have to make time for ourselves. Unless you are dying real soon and really don’t have much time left, you should remove this mentality.

6. ‘MY FAMILY NEED ME’ reason

That’s good. It is great to have someone who want and need you around. If that is the case, maybe you should consider bringing some of your family members for your journey. If you cannot afford to bring your family with you, you can consider traveling alone for a short while. It is highly unlikely that your family cannot be separated even for a short moment with you. Some time away from each other can actually strengthen the family bonds. By the way, if your husband or wife is going to cheat on you, he or she will most probably cheat on you anyway, regardless of whether you are overseas or not.

7. ‘I AM TOO OLD’ excuse

Life starts at 40. If you were born 80 years ago, you are actually only 40 years old this year. No one is too old to travel, or do anything for that matter. Take Hugh Hefner for example. Okay, maybe that is not the best of examples.

Jokes aside, travelling is not necessarily difficult and harsh. It can be fun. You can tailor it to suit your conditions. By the way, it is not the years in your life that matter, but it is the life in your years that count.

8. ‘NO ONE WANT TO COME’ excuse

It is actually a blessing in disguise. Traveling in a group is not always the best of idea. Head to any backpacker hub and you'll quickly meet up with half a dozen people to spend your time with, and those inevitable lonely moments will make you stronger. Best of all, you'll have the freedom to do exactly what you want to at any time.

9. ‘I AM NOT READY’ reason

Maybe you are not meant to be ready. Maybe you should just go. On the other hand, preparation is rarely a waste of time. You should decide yourself whether you are actually preparing or simply delaying. Ask yourself: ‘If I don’t do it now, will I ever?”

10. ‘I HATE TRAVELLING’ conclusion

If you've tried it repeatedly, and hated it, fair enough, though you might be missing out on more than you can possibly imagine. If you have travelled to various corners of the world, and you now decide to spend the rest of your life watching movies and playing bowling, I guess I shouldn’t judge you. 

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