Facing Your Fears
16. Jan, 2009 
14 Comments
Today’s guest post is from Erica Johansson of TravelBlissful.com.
Spiders, heights, flying, roller coasters, making a fool of yourself, getting lost… Fears. We all have them…to some extent. A friend once told me: “If you say you are completely fearless, you’re either lying or insane.”
Confront what scares you the most
Afraid of anything in particular? Chances are that you’re not alone. What’s most important, both for the sake of your self-confidence and overall happiness, is to confront what scares you the most. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not talking about doing something where the outcome is a question of life and death. You wouldn’t walk alone through a dodgy part of town at night if you fear getting attacked, step dangerously close to the edge of Grand Canyon when you can’t stand heights, or swim in a crocodile-infested river in Australia if you’re afraid of crocodiles. I’m sure you know the difference between courage and stupidity.
Facing your fears in a good way means you will step out of your comfort zone, grow as a person, and strengthen your weaknesses at the same time.
Travel is the first step
How does this apply to traveling? First of all, book that next trip – wherever you want to go. I know people who haven’t even traveled outside their own birth country because they worry about dealing with the unfamiliar, and picture everything that could possible go wrong if they did. Others travel, but stay careful by avoiding certain destinations they’ve heard poor things about. Better safe than sorry. No doubt. But as long as you act sensible, don’t let an increased rate of robberies against tourists in Rio or São Paulo, and a fear of what might happen, cause you to give up your travel dreams. Bad things can happen everywhere, and the world is here to explore.
Experiment
When you’ve finally arrived at a new destination, do at least one thing every day that puts you out of your usual element. Eat at restaurant you don’t normally go to, taste a different food dish, visit a place you’ve never heard about, hang out with people you wouldn’t spend time with at home, or try a new activity that intimidates you at first glance. Perhaps waterskiing, scuba diving, trekking in the jungle, rock climbing, African dance, or a less physical pursuit such as an advanced cooking class or a game of chess with a local. The point is; test something you’re not 100% comfortable with.
Do speak the local language
No one expects you to talk fluently in the native language as a foreign visitor. However, study some basic phrases before your departure and make an effort to practice them on location. Don’t bail out – regardless of whether you fear you will pronounce the words wrong, happen to say something not even remotely close to what you intended, or insult someone unintentionally. Say it anyway. Worst case scenario? You’ll offend the person you talked to, or he or she will laugh at your terrible pronunciation. But the likelihood is you’ll do all right and feel more confident for the next time.
You don’t always need a map
I once saw a tourist in London who held on to his map as if it was a wallet. Not wanting to get lost is understandable, but now and again it doesn’t hurt to leave the map in the ho(s)tel room, or the backpack. Follow your impulses and inspiration, and see where the road leads rather than trying to figure out the quickest direction from A to B on the map. You will probably discover places or meet people you wouldn’t otherwise. If you at some point would get lost, trust there is a friendly soul or some sign that will help you find the right way back.
Whatever your fears are, make a habit of facing them – one step at a time. If you feel hesitant about doing something because you might not succeed, remember this quote by Victoria Holt: “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” Rather than keep living your life as usual, on routine, be almost fearless and face your fears anyway.
Erica Johansson is a freelance writer and photographer from Sweden. For up-to-date travel thoughts, tips and information, visit her travel blog at Travel Blissful
Photo by Click Flash Photos
Here from your twit. Excellent article, I am going to re-tweet
Thanks!
A Maui Blog´s last blog post..Aloha Friday: Stormy Weather
Good advice. I have a fear of flying…and yet I plan to do an around the world trip this year. I have an appointment to see a hypnotist before I leave…I’ll let you know!
Gillian´s last blog post..Germany Itinerary
LOVVVE this. Like I’m teaching my kiddies: there is nothing wrong with fear, as long as you are working on it. Fear can very quietly and very easily become a bad habit.
C.
Great points to remember. I force myself out of my comfort zone on most of my travels and it makes me briefly impressed with myself. Discomfort isn’t fun but facing your fears helps you realize that it is manageable.
Fly Girl´s last blog post..A Rosy Outlook
Fear, definately, influences our daily life along with our travel. A lot of people won’t go to certain countries or approach individuals in the countries they visit primarily from this emotion. I’ll go with FDR: you have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Gennaro´s last blog post..Washington DC Events Set For Obama Inauguration
Sometimes you have to be pushed into things you fear, which is one of the strengths of the oft maligned “group travel” experience.
Most of the things I’ve done while traveling that involved facing my fears – eating food I had never tried before in France, climbing waterfalls in the Dominican Republic, cliff jumping into the Mediterranean – I did because there was a group leader telling us what we were all going to do and I had no choice in the matter. Not wanting to be the only one who chickens out, you do it! Those are some of my best traveling memories.
Tanya´s last blog post..Swedish Invasion
Solid advice Erica! I’m scared senseless of deep water but that never stopped me from trying out whitewater & blackwater rafting.
I remember whale watching once from a tiny raft with two other people out in the Pacific, and wondered what would have happened had the whale breached close to us.
Had I let my fear of deep water take over, I would have missed out on a totally amazing experience.
Lola´s last blog post..V is for Vogue
@Tanya, Good point about being pushed into things you fear. If you’re on your own, there might be a risk you’ll bail out since ‘no one is watching’. But when you’re in a group, you automatically become even more motivated to meet the challenge.
Thanks for the feedback and I’m glad to hear you all agree that facing your fears is the only way to go!
Erica´s last blog post..Facing Your Fears
Thanks for sharing these tips. I think traveling solo is certainly one of the best ways to overcome our fears.
Its real truth ! there’s always a small fear in human mind !!
Abhishek´s last blog post..SEO Training in Nagpur
I love the idea of leaving the map behind. Some of my best travel experiences happened by accident (and without a map or with horrible map-reading skills:).
Its real and agreeable truth that every person has some small fear in his mind and they can’t hide it