The Guts to Travel
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Destinations
    • Australia

      Things to do in Coffs Harbour and Coffs…

      February 28, 2018

      Australia

      How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the…

      February 10, 2018

      Australia

      How to Do Fraser Island in 1 Day

      January 14, 2018

      Australia

      Christmas on the Coast

      December 30, 2017

      Australia

      Down time & good friends

      December 22, 2017

  • Travel Tips
    • COOKING

      How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the…

      February 10, 2018

      COOKING

      6 Tips for Flying Long Haul (when you…

      December 7, 2017

      COOKING

      5 Tips for the Anxious Traveler

      March 18, 2017

      COOKING

      40,000 Feet Up

      March 16, 2017

  • Contact Me
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Destinations
    • Australia

      Things to do in Coffs Harbour and Coffs…

      February 28, 2018

      Australia

      How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the…

      February 10, 2018

      Australia

      How to Do Fraser Island in 1 Day

      January 14, 2018

      Australia

      Christmas on the Coast

      December 30, 2017

      Australia

      Down time & good friends

      December 22, 2017

  • Travel Tips
    • COOKING

      How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the…

      February 10, 2018

      COOKING

      6 Tips for Flying Long Haul (when you…

      December 7, 2017

      COOKING

      5 Tips for the Anxious Traveler

      March 18, 2017

      COOKING

      40,000 Feet Up

      March 16, 2017

  • Contact Me

The Guts to Travel

My positive experience of mental illness recovery with food and exercise. And life in between.

Featured

A Place of Arrival

written by Rachael Watson March 1, 2017
A Place of Arrival

Is the airport a place of arrival, or a place of departure?

I’m sat here in a pub called ‘Down Under’ (original, eh?) in Auckland International Airport pondering this very question. I have come to the conclusion that an airport is only a place of arrival if you are arriving ‘home’ – wherever that may be. Otherwise, it’s a place of departure. Of course this is only my opinion, but I think you might agree.

The airport is a place where every other human that surrounds you possesses one thing in common. You are all here to leave. I have sat here for the past 30 minutes and watched strangers become friends, share stories of their time in New Zealand, and have a beer together – only to stand up, say ‘safe journey’ and likely never see each other ever again. I like airports, which I guess is strange for someone with anxiety. The thought of being around lots of people that I don’t know usually fills me with a little bit of dread, but for whatever reason, I find the buzz of an airport actually injects me with energy and doesn’t drain me like a lot of other people heavy places do.

There’s a little bit of excitement in the air as we all anticipate stepping down the gangway into our big metal cylinder with wings, to take us to our destination. The people on my left are flying to Germany – almost a two day journey. The people on my right are flying to Melbourne – just a little hop over the ocean. It really is quite fascinating to innocently eavesdrop sometimes.

So how does someone with IBS and/or anxiety navigate and stay calm in an airport? Here’s my tuppence on the subject…

  • Arrive early. That way you can make sure you get an aisle seat when you check-in (if you haven’t already done so on your online check-in). Coz we all like aisle seats. Easy escape ‘n all that.
  • Locate your nearest toilets, and make sure you stay within a 30-60 walk of them. You just never know.
  • Don’t drink too much alcohol or coffee (or avoid it altogether), this is only going to make things worse for you in the long term, especially if you have a long haul flight to catch. It will only alleviate your nerves temporarily. Ain’t nobody got time for being hungover on the 2nd or 3rd leg of your trip. Nope.
  • Eat little and often – there is nothing worse than getting on a plane with a full stomach, feeling nauseated and bloated. And trust me, having the shits in an airplane toilet is not fun at all. Consider bringing your own snacks in your hand luggage – that way, you’re in full control of what you’re eating.
  • Stay well hydrated.
  • Make sure you have downloaded an app called ‘Calm’ to your iPhone – it has a brilliant breathing exercise that you can stick on if you feel a bit nervy for any reason. I tend to use this at take off and landing.
  • Do NOT be embarrassed or scared to approach somebody to ask for help if you feel unwell. Airport staff, cabin crew, the person next to you in the airport bar. I’ve had to do this a couple of times in the past. Sometimes it’s enough to calm you down just to let somebody else know that you’re not feeling 100%, especially if you’re traveling alone. You’ll be surprised how willing people are to help you. I can’t stress this enough.

I can’t believe I’m more than half way through my trip already… I’ve had a lovely time in Auckland, New Zealand, but I’m more than ready to head back to Australia now for the next two weeks. I had a lovely Uber driver today who took me from Auckland city to the airport – his name was Rick and he was actually Canadian! He arrived in Auckland 19 years ago with his Kiwi (now ex-)wife (whom he met in Vancouver, and when she got homesick, they returned to NZ together!). Despite separating from his wife after 4 years in NZ, he stayed here and has never been back to Canada! We had some great banter on the way to the airport. I was considering navigating the public buses to the airport, but it was filling me with dread because the public transport system in Auckland is probably the worst I have ever encountered in a big city! Glad I went for Uber instead, less stress and good fun along the way.

So, the rest of my schedule looks like this:

Today until Sunday I’ll be in Mooloolah Valley with my friends Carmen & Jeff Gadenne. They have their own travel blog actually, I’ll need to get the link to their blog and put it in here. They’ve recently completed a trip to Europe. Whilst in Mooloolah Valley, I’ll be meeting up with Kate from Pinkfitz LGBT Fitness (www.pinkfitz.com). We’ve been friends for many years, worked online together but have never met in person… so I’m fucking EXCITED about this! Apparently she has lesbian flu though, so if I catch it – I will cry. I’ll also be doing this week’s Crossfit Open workout 17.2 at Crossfit Mooloolaba on Saturday late afternoon. I’ll hopefully get a hike in there somewhere too.

Sunday through Wednesday I’ll be going to a lovely little town called Maleny, which is in the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. I booked this place because it’s in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by mountains and countryside, cafes, galleries, wineries and food markets. Apparently there is a lovely hike across the mountains that you can do too….although I’m unsure about doing this alone. I’ll need to check it out first.

From Maleny I will be travelling south to another little town on the Gold Coast called Tugun. Again, I booked this because of it’s laid back, relaxed appeal. It’s getting to that point in my travels now where I really want to wind down, sit back and take some time to appreciate going ‘off the beaten track’ to places that aren’t really well worn by tourists. The airb&b that I booked seems lovely, and the host has asked if I’d like to go and watch a surf boat rowing race with them at the beach, so that sounds exciting! Again, the appeal of the bush walks in this area drew me in, and with it only being around 45 minutes from Byron Bay I’ll likely take a trip down there while I’m here. I also want to spend half a day checking out the hustle of Surfer’s Paradise as I’ve never been there.

The last two days before I head to Brisbane airport I will be spending in a suburb called Forest Lake with a Crossfit friend who has promised that we’ll do some training together and it’ll give me some time to get my head together for the journey back to Manchester.

I have a LOT to look forward to over the next few weeks… I am so grateful. So, so grateful. This really is turning into the trip of a lifetime.

0 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Rachael Watson

Hi, I'm Rachael! I'm writing this blog as one of my self-help tools and if it helps others too, then that's an added bonus. Using food and fitness, I hope to overcome anxiety and depression and live an outstanding ordinary life. Oh, and I love to travel.

previous post
On My Own
next post
Exploring

You may also like

Byron Bay

March 12, 2017

40,000 Feet Up

March 16, 2017

On My Own

February 27, 2017

That View…

February 18, 2017

How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the...

February 10, 2018

Waterfalls

March 13, 2017

The story so far…

December 17, 2017

Dear Maleny…

March 8, 2017

Clarity

February 20, 2017

Solivagant

March 6, 2017

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Recent Posts

  • Happy and sad at the same time?
  • My first week at University
  • Things to do in Coffs Harbour and Coffs Coast
  • How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the road
  • How to Do Fraser Island in 1 Day

Archives

  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017

Categories

  • Australia
  • COOKING
  • Featured
  • Mental Health
  • New Zealand
  • TRAVEL
  • Uncategorized
  • University Life

About Me

About Me

Rachael Watson

Hi, I'm Rachael! I'm writing this blog as one of my self-help tools and if it helps others too, then that's an added bonus. Using food and fitness, I hope to overcome anxiety and depression and live an outstanding ordinary life. Oh, and I love to travel.

Keep in touch

Facebook Instagram Email

On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

Follow Me

Penci Design

Recent Posts

  • Happy and sad at the same time?

    October 31, 2018
  • My first week at University

    September 20, 2018
  • Things to do in Coffs Harbour and Coffs Coast

    February 28, 2018
  • How to Stay Fit and Healthy on the road

    February 10, 2018
  • How to Do Fraser Island in 1 Day

    January 14, 2018

Categories

  • COOKING (4)
  • Featured (12)
  • Mental Health (1)
  • TRAVEL (19)
    • Australia (18)
    • New Zealand (1)
  • Uncategorized (1)
  • University Life (1)

About Me

About Me

Hi there, I'm Rachael. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had itchy feet. At the age of 33 now, I have decided that I can’t let me health issues continue to suppress my lust for travel, so I decided to start this blog as a means of writing about travel through the eyes of someone with mental and physical health conditions that can sometimes hold me back.

Popular Posts

  • 1

    6 Tips for Flying Long Haul (when you have anxiety)

    December 7, 2017
  • 2

    5 Tips for the Anxious Traveler

    March 18, 2017
  • 3

    40,000 Feet Up

    March 16, 2017
Promotion Image

DESTINATIONS

Promotion Image

TRAVEL TIPS

follow me on instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

LATEST TRAVEL TIPS

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Email

@2017 - The Guts to Travel. All Right Reserved.


Back To Top