TAG’s tips for travel no.8: Take a Walk

Summary

Brett Jenae recommends walking as a means to alleviate travel anxiety and enhance the travel experience.

Abstract

Brett Jenae, known as The Anxious Girl, shares her personal struggle with travel anxiety and the discomfort she experiences upon arriving in new places. She advocates for the simple act of walking as a powerful antidote to these feelings. Walking, according to Jenae, not only benefits the body but also calms the mind and spirit, helping travelers to feel more grounded and present in their new surroundings. She suggests that by consciously connecting with the ground beneath their feet, travelers can counteract the disorientation and fatigue of travel. Jenae encourages readers to try grounding techniques like pressing their feet into their shoes or stomping to reconnect with the present moment, thereby transforming their travel experience into a more enjoyable and aware journey.

Opinions

Walking is presented as a remedy for travel-induced anxiety and mental fog.
The author emphasizes the importance of physical grounding to stabilize one's mental state while traveling.
Engaging in childlike behaviors such as jumping or stomping is encouraged to enhance the grounding effect and make the process enjoyable.
The act of walking is seen as a way to answer the disorienting question of "Where am I?" and to help travelers land in the place they are visiting.
Brett Jenae believes that being present and aware through walking can lead to a better travel experience and a more fulfilling life.

TAG’s tips for travel no.8: Take a Walk

For years I have struggled with being “bad” at travel: “Why am I not better at this? Why can’t I just enjoy myself? How do I keep up with other, more seasoned, ‘better’ travelers? What is it about landing in a new place that makes me lose myself, my stability, my awareness?”

The product of my anxiety is traveling in a mental fog and crippling fear and that is NOT FUN. I can’t say that I have all of the answers and I still feel mental paralysis often, but I have found a remedy to some of my anxious travel woes: my secret is to literally LAND ON MY FEET.

Getting grounded is key for me. Walking is medicine, Y’all. Not only is taking steps good for your body, mind & spirit, but fresh air and the feeling of pressure on the bottom of your feets heals a soaring mind and offsets the fatigue that comes from flying, riding and/or driving.

Feeling the ground beneath your feet helps you land in the place where you are. If you’ve ever done yoga, you’ll have probably practiced feeling into your feet and landing on your mat and into your moment. The practice of grounding in travel is similar! Feeling into your feet is a secret to the best kind of living. Do it in an airport or in a new city, and you’ve got traveling GOLD.

Try it for yourself! After arriving in an airport or at every pit stop, press your feet into your shoes and imagine yourself rooting into the ground. Feeling a little less aware? Add a childlike flair to it to make it fun. Jump up and down or stomp your feet in place so you connect loudly with your feet, the ground beneath your feet, the current time and your sense of self.

I cannot recommend stomping, rooting and walking enough. When every part of your being is racing and cries: “Where am I?” Answer with your feet. Take steps — city or trail — and breathe, one step at a time, until you land. Knowing where you are is the secret to a great time and the key to unlocking greater freedom to experience the best life, and travel, has to offer.

In short, footfalls soothe my anxious girl so I can proceed with awareness and wonder at my surroundings. I hope that for you, in travel and in life, today.

Big Love & Happy Travels,

Brett Jenae, The Anxious Girl