by Yazid Zul Kepli
1. HEALTH REASON
First of all, everyone is dying. It is just a matter of time.
Deal with it. However, if you are dying in one week, perhaps your decision to
spend the little time left with your family is not a bad idea. Perhaps. You
will need to put everything in order. People will understand that. It is highly
unlikely that you are dying in the near future due to terminal illness though.
Most probably, even if you are not in your optimum condition physically,
efforts can be made to travel if you wanted to. On the other hand, if your
doctor strongly advises you against travelling, your doctor’s word of caution
should not be taken lightly.
Sometimes, people are healthy physically but they are prevented
by their phobias. A simple example is claustrophobia. Claustrophobia is a
strong reason why some people avoid travelling. This is because they are afraid
of flying. I was a claustrophobic person myself. Claustrophobia is the fear of
having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms. It is typically classified
as an anxiety disorder and often results in panic attack, and can be the result
of many situations or stimuli, including elevators crowded to capacity,
windowless rooms, and even tight-necked clothing. The onset of claustrophobia
has been attributed to many factors, including a reduction in the size of the
amygdala (something the size of peanut in our brain), classical conditioning,
or a genetic predisposition to fear small spaces.
Several weeks before your flight, visit your doctor and
therapist. Even if you do not normally take medications for your phobia, your
doctor might want to prescribe a short-term anti-anxiety medication. Pay
careful attention to any instructions, which might include starting the prescription
a few days in advance or avoiding alcohol consumption.
During your flight, keep yourself distracted as much as
possible. Bring an iPod, DVD player or laptop, or purchase headphones and watch
the in-flight movie. If you are traveling with a relative or friend, engage in
conversation. Slip off your shoes and relax with a pillow and blanket.
If you have a panic attack, let your traveling partner know. He
or she may be able to help talk you down. Otherwise, focus on your coping
strategies. Get up and walk around if the seat belt light is off. Go into the
restroom and splash cold water on your face. Take anti-anxiety medication
according to your doctor’s recommendations, but avoid self-medicating with
alcohol. Drinking alcohol may actually increase your anxiety.
Another example is phobia or trauma due to sexual assault. By
the way, I personally never suffer any sexual assault whatsoever. Travelers or
passengers who are victims of sexual trauma may have concerns about the
screening process at the airport and may require additional assistance.
Generally, airport security will make every effort to accommodate a person’s
needs; however, to keep everyone safe, all travelers must undergo security
screening prior to airline travel. You may tell the Transportation Security
Officer that you would appreciate that your screening be handled as discreetly
and quietly as possible. You should neither be asked to nor agree to lift,
remove, or raise any article of clothing to reveal a sensitive area of the body
(such as the buttocks, groin, or breasts [for females]). Bare or exposed skin
should not be touched by the security officer.. If the security officer’s
gloves alarm for explosive traces after conducting your pat down, you will need
to undergo additional screening. You are free to ask the security officer about
screening and the screening equipment. If you are comfortable stating that you
are a victim of sexual trauma, please let the security officer know. You
may also use a travel communication card, which provides a mechanism to protect
your privacy and to facilitate discreet communication with security personnel.
There are many types of phobias. Even if you don’t want to travel, it is
important to take necessary steps to overcome these phobias. In almost
all cases, phobias can be removed albeit gradually.
3. LACK OF MONEY
Travelling don’t have to be expensive but traveling still costs
money, and the idea of coming up with sufficient amount can be a daunting one
for many cash-strapped would-be wanders. But even if your income is on the
lower end, you can still save enough money for a trip. With a little
creativity, determination, and yes, a bit of sacrifice, you can whittle down
your expenses and find ways to fund your travel dreams. Here are few tips to
get enough money;
§ Save money systematically. Arrange with your employer to have a
certain amount or percentage of your paycheck automatically deposited into your
savings account. You won’t have to think about it, and you won’t be tempted to
spend the money rather than save it
§ Clean out your credit. If you have significant debt, your
interest rates could account for a large portion of your monthly expenses. Work
on getting your debt paid off, starting with the cards with the highest
interest rate.
§ Quit smoking. Do this for your health as well as your budget.
Cut down, or quit entirely and you’ll find yourself with a lot of spare cash.
§ Reduce or eliminate your caffeine addiction. Starbucks may do
its best to make us all think we need a daily dose of caffeine in the form of
fancy lattes and mocha-whippa-cinos, but the $3-$5 you’re spending each day on
coffee could be put to much better use.
Sometimes, you simply have a more urgent need for the money. If
your stepbrother is in need for a surgery, helping him is the more sensible
thing to do than to waste the money in a trip to Vegas.
4. ‘THE WORLD IS SO DANGEROUS’ myth
Contrary to other good reasons, the one is actually a myth.
Millions of people are cheated into believing that foreigners are worse than
your neighbors. In most cases, you are overestimating the goodness of your
neighbors. Most people and fellow travelers with a decent common sense will not
face any serious difficulty during their travel. For some unknown reason,
people tend to treat travelers better, as long as they behave. There will be
people trying to cheat you here and there but most of the time; you are safe if
you use your common sense.
By the way, what is the point of being so afraid? We will all
die anyway. At least we have some great memories in this short life of ours if
we travel.
5. ‘I HAVE NO TIME’ myth
That is usually a blatant lie. Everyone is given 24 hours daily,
unless you are an astronaut orbiting some other planet in space far away. Most
of the time, people think that their company needs them and everything will
fall apart the exact moment they get away. The cruel truth is we always
overestimated our self. Everything will usually be just fine. The company you
work for will be more than capable of replacing you should you leave. Take some
risk.
I was a full time doctorate student when I do most of my
travelling. My dissertation was fine. Some of my friends who spend all of their
time in the law library eventually fail their studies and have to quit. Time is
precious. We have to make time for ourselves. Unless you are dying real soon
and really don’t have much time left, you should remove this mentality.
6. ‘MY FAMILY NEED ME’ reason
That’s good. It is great to have someone who want and need you
around. If that is the case, maybe you should consider bringing some of your
family members for your journey. If you cannot afford to bring your family with
you, you can consider traveling alone for a short while. It is highly unlikely
that your family cannot be separated even for a short moment with you. Some
time away from each other can actually strengthen the family bonds. By the way,
if your husband or wife is going to cheat on you, he or she will most probably
cheat on you anyway, regardless of whether you are overseas or not.
7. ‘I AM TOO OLD’ excuse
Life starts at 40. If you were born 80 years ago, you are
actually only 40 years old this year. No one is too old to travel, or do
anything for that matter. Take Hugh Hefner for example. Okay, maybe that is not
the best of examples.
Jokes aside, travelling is not necessarily difficult and harsh.
It can be fun. You can tailor it to suit your conditions. By the way, it is not
the years in your life that matter, but it is the life in your years that
count.
8. ‘NO ONE WANT TO COME’ excuse
It is actually a blessing in disguise. Traveling in a group is
not always the best of idea. Head to any backpacker hub and you'll quickly meet
up with half a dozen people to spend your time with, and those inevitable
lonely moments will make you stronger. Best of all, you'll have the freedom to
do exactly what you want to at any time.
9. ‘I AM NOT READY’ reason
Maybe you are not meant to be ready. Maybe you should just go.
On the other hand, preparation is rarely a waste of time. You should decide
yourself whether you are actually preparing or simply delaying. Ask yourself:
‘If I don’t do it now, will I ever?”
10. ‘I HATE TRAVELLING’ conclusion
If you've tried it repeatedly, and hated it, fair enough, though
you might be missing out on more than you can possibly imagine. If you have
travelled to various corners of the world, and you now decide to spend the rest
of your life watching movies and playing bowling, I guess I shouldn’t judge
you.
this is cool..thanks for the info
ReplyDelete