Summary

Brett Jenae Tomlin, a special education para-instructor and writer known as The Anxious Enthusiast, shares her personal journey with travel anxiety, her love for travel as a form of self-healing and discovery, and offers tips for fellow anxious travelers.

Abstract

Brett Jenae Tomlin, featured in the Globetrotters Writer Spotlight, opens up about her experiences as an anxious traveler who finds solace and personal growth through exploration. She emphasizes the importance of self-kindness and vulnerability when facing travel-related fears and highlights her favorite travel activities, which include walking, eating local cuisine, and engaging with the local culture. Tomlin, who hails from a small township in Michigan and currently resides in Texas, considers Napa, California, as one of her favorite destinations. Her writing, which often touches on themes of self-care and the joy of travel, encourages readers to embrace their anxieties and learn from their travel experiences. She also shares personal lessons learned from her travels, such as the realization that anxiety is a part of her no matter where she goes, and that travel has helped her connect with her desires and her identity as a writer.

Opinions

Travel is a healing process for Tomlin, allowing her to meet her true self and develop new coping skills.
She values the act of arriving at a destination and feeling present, safe, and connected to the place.
Tomlin enjoys a variety of travel activities, but prioritizes the emotional process of arriving and being present.
She has a deep connection to nature and places of natural beauty, stemming from her rural upbringing on a farm in Michigan.
Napa, California, holds a special place in her heart due to its ability to evoke happiness and the memorable experience of dining at French Laundry.
Self-care and coziness are important to Tomlin during her spare time, alongside writing and culinary activities.
Her top travel tip is to be kind to oneself, acknowledging that travel is challenging and requires personal space to learn and grow.
Tomlin is open to living in the UK, drawn by her ancestral roots and the opportunity for discovery and weekend trips to other countries.
She prefers traveling with her partner, who

Pro Tips For Anxious Travelers

Globetrotters Writer Spotlight — Brett Jenae Tomlin

Not the original anxious traveler

Grand Canyon sunshine (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

Hi Globetrotters. My name is… Brett Jenae Tomlin.

I write as The Anxious Enthusiast.

I love to travel because… I have found healing in travel. Not because I am visiting new places, which is finally beginning to spark more excitement than fear, but because when I travel I am meeting myself in my truest form. I have found healing in the practice of responding to my travel anxieties with kindness and acceptance.

Traveling is perhaps the first activity during which I have allowed myself the vulnerability to be scared and uncomfortable. I have faced demons, critical voices, and dark memories and come through each time with new coping skills and pride in my bravery.

My number one travel activity is… arriving. Helping myself feel present, safe and a part of the place where I have landed means I walk as much as I can. I am also eating, drinking wine or cocktails, indulging in luxuriously long coffee mornings, taking cooking classes, finding views, learning the local history, and talking to people I meet along the way. All of these things are my favorite things, but I cannot do them unless I first arrive and that is one reason I write. It is a lesson in progress.

A tale of two trees (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

I come from… just outside of a tiny township in Michigan. I grew up on a farm where I lived outside as much as possible. Whether it was the chaos on the inside of our house or the call of the wild, I grew up closer to the dirt than to a hearth. I suppose that is why the concept of home means so much to me, as well as why I get emotional and feel pangs of nostalgia when I’m hiking or immersing myself in places of natural beauty. I currently am living my seventh year along a burb of Dallas, Texas.

I work as a… special education para-instructor in an elementary school.

The best place I’ve been is… Napa, California.

Usually, my adoration is not driven by a particular place. I love the combination of time and people and the way the light spreads across the sky at a single moment. I love full days and lazy days as long as I’ve treated myself well along the way.

Still, Napa is one of my favorite places, one that I love to return to again and again. We were able to arrange French Laundry reservations with some friends this past spring. I thought I would burst with happiness.

A night to remember (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

In my spare time, I like to… be cozy. I like to be warm, curled, and wrapped in a blanket. I like to write. I like to spend time in the kitchen. I like to take walks, drink wine, have fabulous conversations, and exist alongside my lover and our dogs.

My top travel tip is… be kind to yourself. Travel isn’t easy. It’s not taught. We’re lucky if we grow up learning the ins and outs of travel, but most of us aren’t. We must give ourselves space to begin, space to grow. We may never be travel ninjas, but our compassion for our journey, especially when it is hard, marks us as a force to be reckoned with in travel and in life.

If I could live somewhere else, I’d live in… the UK, probably. I’m not dismissing other places, but my ancestry mostly hails from that area and I’d like to do some discovering as well as enjoy weekend trips to other countries.

My travel buddy and I doing a bit of the Tiki (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

My favorite way to travel is… with my partner. He is my travel buddy. He’s not only fun, he reminds me to be kind to myself when I am feeling low or if it is taking me longer than usual to land on my feet in a place.

Three lessons I’ve learned from traveling are…

My anxiety follows me when I travel. So too do my emotions. I cannot run from my anxious truth; a new city or country does not mean a “new me”.
The lessons I’ve learned in travel have impacted my life for the better. Those new coping skills I mentioned earlier? They translate.
Travel has helped me connect to my desire. It has also connected me to myself as a writer. I will be forever grateful.
I look most like me when I’m being silly.

Me and dis here sheep, cheesin’ (Image Credit: Author’s Own)

Big Love & Happy Travels,

Brett Jenae Tomlin, TAG

Please feel free to check out my profile: Brett Jenae Tomlin. Comment below if we have something in common, if you have anxiety or if you like what you’ve read. Do you have any questions for me?

If you love, love, love my writing and want to shout out, “You get it, anxious girl!” You can buy me a coffee or a glass of red wine here.

A Few More Articles for the Anxious Reader

On Planning Your Next Getaway: 9 Anxiety-Friendly Amenities of All-Inclusive Travel

On Surprising Yourself (in a good way): Surprise Yourself in NOLA

On Learning to Let Go: Six Mental Health Benefits of Learning to Play

On Body Image: Summer Body, Part 1

On Coming Out: My Bi Life, Part 1

Thank you, Globetrotters for providing this prompt. It was a lot of fun. It’s a pleasure to write for your publication!