For many people, the word “travel” tends to be associated with pleasing images of white sand beaches, epic mountaintops, and invigorating reunions with friends from around the globe. But, as fun as it is to escape everyday life and jet off to an exotic locale, the actual act of traveling can be anxiety-inducing. For some, travel can generate feelings of discomfort, unease, and worry—a sensation psychologists often refer to as “travel anxiety.” While the term is not officially recognized as a medical condition, feeling anxious about travel both before and during a trip is incredibly common. From bustling airports and cramped airplane seats to overloaded itineraries and foreign destinations, there are several elements that can easily throw you into a mental tailspin.

There are, however, a few items you can add to your arsenal to help combat stress on your next trip (like kava!). If traveling makes you uneasy, read on to learn more about travel anxiety, how kava can be a great option to help soothe your travel anxiety, and what Kalm with Kava’s top tips are to help keep you grounded and at peace on your journeys.

What is Travel Anxiety?

Travel anxiety is precisely what it sounds like: a fear of visiting new and unfamiliar places. It can also involve the stress that comes with planning your travels and the mode of transportation you use—i.e. airplane, bus, car, boat, etc. When a person feels anxious when they travel, they may avoid traveling altogether due to their fear surrounding it.

What Are the Symptoms of Travel Anxiety?

Travel anxiety affects everyone differently. From the symptoms you exhibit to how severe they may be there is no one presentation. But here are some of the more common things people tend to experience:

• Increased blood pressure
• Rapid heart rate
• Difficulty breathing
• Trouble focusing
• Nausea and diarrhea
• Restlessness and agitation
• Difficulty sleeping
• Panic attacks
• Sweating

How Can Kava Help with Travel Anxiety?

Nature has done an excellent job of creating the right mix of active ingredients to make kava the perfect drink for those wanting a natural way to relax and de-stress while traveling. To better understand how kava can help with travel anxiety, let’s first discuss how kava works and how it affects the mind and body.

When the root and stump of the kava plant are ground down and consumed, consumers usually experience a sensation of physiological and psychological relaxation. This calming effect is thanks to the active ingredients in kava known as kavalactones. The kavalactones interact with the limbic system of the brain, notably the amygdala, which is responsible for regulating feelings of fear and anxiety. The kavalactones in kava have been shown to bind to the receptors in the amygdala and this is thought to be the reason why kava calms the mind and generates feelings of an improved sense of wellbeing—perfect for easing yourself through a busy trip.

When your travel anxiety has you reaching for a cocktail, consider kava instead as a safe, all-natural replacement for your usual way to calm your nerves.

When trying to pin down what type of kava would be most effective in easing your travel stressors, consider factors like the time of day you’ll be drinking kava and your personal preferences. Kava varieties are usually classified as heady, heavy, or balanced. Heady kavas impart relaxation while not making you too sleepy. Heavy Kavas are known for their relaxation with the added benefit of muscle relaxation and sleepiness. Balanced kavas are a good mix of both and can usually be used during daytime or nighttime.

For nervous travelers, we recommend a balanced kava variety like Vanuatu Borogu that will put you in a mellow mood and physically relax you. Bonus, balanced kavas are great for drinking anytime, day or night. For more upbeat relaxation, we recommend a heady variety like our House Blend kava, which can help you feel more calm and more sociable. For deep relaxation, heavy kavas like Vanuatu Borongoru and Melomelo can help with sleep and evening restlessness.

6 Tips On How to Deal with Travel Anxiety

Living with travel anxiety isn’t always easy, but there are ways to manage, minimize, and sometimes prevent your symptoms from occurring. Here are our top five tips on how to deal with travel anxiety.

1. Avoid Drinking Alcohol

It may be tempting to hit up the stewardess for a Bloody Mary before the cabin door of the plane has even been closed. Some feel having an alcoholic beverage on the plane helps you relax, take the edge off, celebrate a vacation or even to fall asleep on a long flight. But you might end up regretting it.

Flying itself causes dehydration. Airplane cabin humidity is much lower than in a typical home and travelers tend to drink less water when flying to avoid the dreaded tiny airplane bathroom break. This quickly leads to dehydration, which can worsen the effects of jet lag. Add on dehydration caused by alcohol’s diuretic qualities, and you’re guaranteed to have some unpleasant side effects when you disembark and start your trip. Research has also shown that while drinking can temporarily take the edge off your nerves, it can also increase anxiety in the hours after drinking alcohol.

2. Sip on Kava During Your Travels

Instead of purchasing an alcoholic cocktail or a latte at the airport, consider drinking kava as a natural alternative for travel stress relief. At Kalm with Kava, we’ve got you covered with all-natural kava products that taste good, help ease stress, and help you feel in control of your traveling experience.

So you can take some #kalm with you wherever you go, we sell 2-ounce bottles of kava concentrate, which are travel-size and TSA-approved. Our kava concentrates are available in Guava, Kavarita, and Iced Tea flavors—relaxation never tasted better! Simply dilute one ounce of kava concentrate with five ounces of water and you have an instant kava relaxation drink.

Another option for on-the-go relaxation is our micronized kava powders. All you need to do is mix a serving size of kava into a nonalcoholic beverage of your choice, like flavored water or a smoothie, and sip it for instant kava stress relief.

3. Arm Yourself with Distractions

When you are traveling and feeling anxious, it’s hard not to be consumed by how you are feeling and focus only on your anxiety. One way to manage your travel anxiety symptoms is to put your focus elsewhere. Instead of concentrating on the nerve-wracking sensations in your body, try to bring your attention to other activities. Does a silly game or fantasy novel make the time fly by? Bring them along with you in the car, train, plane, or bus. Distractions can help you focus on something enjoyable rather than stewing in your anxiety. Here are some ideas:

• Read a book – Mix a tablespoon of micronized kava with your favorite beverage, dive into that new book everyone’s been raving about, and get ready for your stress to slip away.
• Watch a movie or TV show – Before leaving on your trip, download your favorite movie or the new show you’ve been binging onto your phone or tablet.
• Listen to music – Whether it’s your favorite artist’s new album or classical piano music, listening to music can help calm your nervous system and lower cortisol levels, both of which can help reduce stress.
• Work on a crossword puzzle – Keep anxiety at bay by hitting the squares of a crossword. Let yourself be drawn in by the single-mindedness of concentrating on a single clue, and soon your intrusive thoughts will melt away.
• Color – It’s not just for kids! Test your coloring-inside-the-lines techniques with an adult coloring book. Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala. It induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.
• Try meditating – Download an app like Calm and let it walk you through guided meditations. Try sipping some Guava Kava concentrate as you meditate to help ground you in the moment and bring all your senses to the forefront.

4. Practice Self-Care at your Destination

Travel is often a go, go, go experience. However, it’s important to pause and give yourself some care and attention as well. Self-care can be an important part of dealing with stress in everyday life, but it’s crucial to give yourself downtime if travel triggers anxiety for you. Here are a few self-care ideas to get you started:

• Get enough sleep – Inadequate sleep can increase stress and irritability. Plan an early bedtime for one of your travel nights night and try sipping your favorite heavy kava variety, like our Borongoru or Melomelo. Heavy kavas can help relax you physically and mentally, making it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Schedule soothing activities – Incorporating relaxing time for yourself helps to combine vacation indulgence with anxiety-reducing self-care. Try scheduling a massage, spa trip, yoga session, or nature walk while on your trip (and sip on kava during that time!).
• Practice journaling – Journaling gives anxious minds a focal point and can act as a release for negative thoughts and emotions.
• Learn to say no – Getting out in the world brings so many opportunities: New destinations to explore, new friends to encounter, and new activities to try. Saying “yes” to every new experience might leave you more exhausted and anxious. Being more selective about what you say “yes” to will help you have the travel experience you need.

5. Get Your Body Moving

It has been scientifically proven that regular exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects. Exercising can counter the chemical imbalance by producing endorphins, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Endorphins interact with receptors in the brain and create a euphoric high providing temporary relief from mental struggles–much like kava effects on the mind and body.

To get the most out of your travel workouts, try incorporating kava into your post-workout routine to help you relax and recover. The kavalactones in kava can help improve your focus, serve as a natural muscle relaxer, reduce muscle soreness, and help you sleep better.

After you’ve finished exercising, take a few minutes to complete some stretching, let your heart rate decrease, and rehydrate with water. Then, based on which kava product you choose, mix, brew, or blend up your favorite kava variety (learn an easy kava preparation method here). At Kalm with Kava, we offer a variety of medium grind kava root powers, micronized kava root powders, kava extract concentrates, and kava mints to fit every relaxation need.

Here are a few ideas for incorporating physical activity while traveling, be it a business trip or a well-deserved vacation:

• Walk Walk Walk – Whether it’s taking a few laps down the airport terminal, taking the stairs versus the elevator, or walking to a nearby lunch spot, getting your daily steps in is easier than you think.
• Exercise in your hotel room – No hotel gym? No problem! Most hotel rooms are pretty spacious, so find a bodyweight-only workout online and start moving.
• Explore a park – Most places have a local park, botanical garden, or other green space that you can walk, jog, or bike through to restore your mental calm. Just five minutes of walking in nature can help improve your mood, self-esteem, and relaxation.
• Bring a jump rope everywhere you go – Small enough to fit in a purse or carry-on suitcase, a jump rope is like toting a portable gym with you. Jumping rope burns a similar number of calories to running while delivering a full-body workout in just a few minutes and with minimal space required.

6. Travel with a Buddy

If you have anxiety about traveling alone, consider asking a friend or loved one to join you. This not only offers you companionship in a new location, but having someone you trust around can also help encourage new adventures and experiences.

Make sure that your companion is aware of your fears and anxiety. Your loved one may be able to assist you in coping with your symptoms and boost your sense of security while traveling. You could even debrief with your friend at the end of each day over shared cups of kava. For some, just having that person there is all that is needed to have a much more relaxing trip.

Drink Kava To Stay Calm and Travel On

Travel is a gift. It transports us out of our comfort zones, enables us to share new and meaningful experiences with friends and loved ones, and inspires us to see, taste, and try new things. It can also, however, leave us rather frazzled with anxiety.

At Kalm with Kava, we are devoted to restoring the #kalm in your life–whether you are at home, in the air, on the road, or anywhere in between. Don’t let your travel anxiety keep you from exploring all that this beautiful world has to offer. Shop our selection of premium kava products today and ease your way back into being the adventurous globetrotter you’ve always known you can be. Buy kava online today.

Important Note:
The information above has not been evaluated by the Federal Drug Administration agency. The information on this page and our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Before starting a dietary supplement, it’s always wise to check with a medical doctor. It is especially important for people who are: pregnant or breastfeeding, chronically ill, elderly, under 18, taking prescription or over-the-counter medicines. None of the information is intended to be an enticement to purchase and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Herbal products contain phytochemicals that are not ordinarily found in typical food sources and may produce physiologic effects. Indiscriminate use of any herbal product is not recommended except under the direction of trained health care professionals. In addition, there may be drug interactions that may produce reactions or interfere with the efficacy of prescription medication.