Relax and enjoy the trip

Recently, a friend heading out of town called us from the airport. He wanted us to check his house to make sure he'd remembered to close his garage door. But just before I could kid him about being a worrywart, I remembered I'd done exactly the same thing myself when departing on a family vacation last January.

Driving on the parkway to the airport to catch a Saturday midmorning flight to Cancun, I suddenly found myself wondering whether I had poked the electronic closer on the car's sun visor when I had backed out of the garage. Neither my wife nor son could remember. So I tried to convince myself that I wouldn't, couldn't have done something as stupid as leaving the garage door open.

By the time we got to the airport, however, I was more than half convinced we might be going out of the country for a week leaving the house wide open. Who wants that thought hanging over their vacation?

So we called my brother-in-law, and he ran over to our house to check on the door. Fortunately, he soon reported back that it was closed, providing me with a bit of peace of mind.

After that, the trip went very well. Thank goodness for cell phones.

Rather than characterizing these two incidents as "senior moments," I believe they're manifestations of departure anxiety, an ailment from which I suspect many travelers also suffer.

It's no secret that travel, or even the prospect of travel, can be a psychologically unsettling experience. By definition, every time we go somewhere, we're leaving familiar places and routines, and to a degree, submitting ourselves to unknown situations and circumstances often beyond our control. That can lead to anxiety.

This has always been true about travel, of course, but it became even more pronounced in the age of air travel, especially for people prone to fear of flying. Even frequent travelers may make lists both to get organized and to ease their minds. They develop packing routines, take lucky talismans or follow simple rituals, in short doing what they can to comfort themselves that they're taking positive steps to help ensure everything goes as planned.

Since 9/11 and particularly in the past six months, however, there have been significant travel changes: do-it-yourself reservations that put more responsibility for details on the individual travelers, different document requirements and shifting security regulations.

These days, we find ourselves leaving for the airport earlier than ever, and perhaps also more aware of potential problems that might arise.

Will there be traffic on the way to the airport? Will the parking lots be packed? How long will the lines be at ticket counters or security checkpoints? Will the plane depart as scheduled? Will luggage arrive at the other end?

A steady diet of news stories about travel glitches here and elsewhere, especially during peak periods and bad weather, has made us more aware of what might go wrong.

I also suspect the erosion of in-flight amenities for passengers in recent years has taken a toll on their peace of mind. Where air travel was once regarded as a pleasurable experience, the perception these days -- justified or not -- is too often that flights are packed tight with edgy travelers and staffed by disgruntled crew members.

All these factors can contribute to increased levels of departure anxiety.

The antidotes, however, remain the same.

Awareness: Keep current about changes in travel procedures and requirements to help avoid surprises.

Preparation: Do what you can to arrive at the airport on time and ready to depart.

Relax: Recognize, at least statistically, that most problems are both relatively rare and minor. Surprisingly often, you'll arrive where you're headed and get safely home more or less as planned. Being relaxed also will help you deal effectively with difficulties that may crop up.

Of course, it also helps to have a cell phone and someone to call should you get too antsy.