Travel angst, anyone?

 Hallie Ephron: At this time of year, many of us are looking forward to traveling. Somewhere warmer? More festive? With family or friends or solo?

Whether it’s by car or bus or train or plane, the anticipation sometimes lasts longer than the trip itself. For days before, I’m making lists of what to take with me. What to do before I leave. What to arrange for happening while I’m gone. Who to send my itinerary. What to check before I leave the house.

Not to mention printing out maps and time schedules for the places I’ll be going.

And the night before I leave, I sleep awake. Editing my lists. Fretting over whether I’ve set my clock early enough. Double- and triple- checking whether I’ve set it at all.

Do you have an anxious cycle before a trip, too? And do you have any pre-trip routine that calms you down and makes sure that you don’t arrive at your destination (as I have) without a change of underpants and your cell phone charging cord?

LUCY BURDETTE: Always anxious before a trip! I think of things I need to remember weeks and days before I leave–I know I should get better at writing them down instantly.

We are just back from visiting the kids in DC and CA, and I’m glad to have the traveling part over with. Not the visits, just the travel! This trip we had suitcases stuffed with Christmas presents too, and we were in two different climates. This did not do a lot for my wardrobe:).

If it’s a big trip, say Europe or further, I have lots of fun planning where to go and what to eat, but the packing and worrying part is magnified…

RHYS BOWEN: We always do everything we can to prevent anxiety, Hallie. Never cut it too fine with flights. If I’m going on a cruise we fly in the day before. No more tight connections.

I’m a great list maker. When I’m going on a big trip to Europe , or going to a convention or book tour, I plan out all the clothes in advance, hang them in the wardrobe in order and stare at them, worrying whether they will be right.

Whatever I take never seems to be quite right. Always too hot or too cold. I study weather reports. It’s 75 in France. I pack accordingly and when I get there there is a cold snap and I have to buy sweaters.

 I was in New York for the Edgars a couple of years ago and it was freezing. I went into Macys to find a sweater. It was April All summer clothes. Not a sweater in sight.

My granddaughter Meghan went on a big trip around Italy and Greece last summer. She put together outfits for every day and took a picture of them so she knew exactly what to take in a big backpack. Such organization!

Also these days I tell myself I have my passport and a credit card. If I find I’ve left something behind there are shops!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Rhys, you just reminded me of the time I was in London in the dead of winter and needed better gloves and coat–none to be had! The shops all had spring stock in, no cold weather things at all!

Before a trip, I love planning where to stay and where to eat. Packing, not so much. I try to reduce the anxiety by making lists, trying things on, putting together outfits and laying them out on the bed, then hanging them together until ready to pack. Still, I usually end up needing something, or nothing seems to work quite the way I expected.

And all the electronics we have to pack these days! One trip to London I actually forgot the power brick for my laptop and Rick had to FedEx Next Day it to me!! You can bet I’ll never forget that again. I hope…

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I feel anxious enough traveling for Thanksgiving, I can’t imagine Christmas! (Although if you shop online, you can get your presents delivered to your destination, which certainly helps.)

I’m also a listmaker, because with my adult ADD, it’s the only thing that keeps me from packing clothing for four days but no underwear. Which I actually did once, to a conference! I find having certain always-ready items helps me enormously. My toiletries kit is always packed with everything I need (in 3-oz bottles, of course) and I have a Knomo organizer that serves as a purse and corrals my phone, pad and chargers.

I also have the perfect weekender bag that fits under the seat in front of me, and if I’m not traveling for work, I use that. It feels like the fewer things I bring, the more relaxed I am.

It’s not uncommon for me to forget something - no surprise to anyone who knows me! - but I reason I’m not traveling to the Kalahari; there will be pharmacies and stores wherever I go. (I haven’t run into Debs’ problem of needing ant out-of-season clothing, though!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I am super super organized, and like most of us, I have a rack where I hang the clothes pre-trip, and make a list that says, for instance: Thurs AM, x, y, z, belt, boots, tights, slip. Thurs PM, black dress, tights, little shoes. And so on.

I give myself points for the fewest things I can pack, and I NEVER check a bag. If it doesn't fit in above my seat, it doesn't go.

Another list says: phone charger, laptop, laptop charger, bookmarks,teaching material, speech, handouts.

In my underseat fabulous bag, I carry my laptop and my purse, which I put into the underseat so it looks like only one bag.

I have a flat iron that I keep in my suitcase, and toiletries in a kit that I never take out. I have backup underwear, still in original packaging, that I just leave there, always, and never unpack. A pair of backup new black tights, too. And flatl white waffle slippers. They, too, just live in my bag.

I also have a list every day: which I create backwards: planes leaves X:xx, boards X:xx, leave hotel x:xx, wake up x:xx.

Works for me.

JENN McKINLAY: I’m not an anxious traveler. I don’t make lists (weird, since I’m a plotter).

Once I book a trip, I enter what I call Travel Zen, where I accept that everything is out of my control. Hotel lost our reservation? Bummer, I guess we’ll suffer in a comped suite. Missed a plane in Munich–whateves–we caught the next one. Waitress returned the wrong credit card and gave mine to someone else who left the restaurant and I’m flying out tomorrow? Cancel the card and enjoy the free meal. It is what it is.

I just try to keep things simple. I only travel with a carryon, I assume the hotel will have the toiletries I need, and I only pack three colors – for example, when I went to Italy for nine days, I packed only black, red and white clothes which made mixing and matching and multiple outfits very easy. Everything always works out and sometimes a bigger adventure is to be had with the eventual mishaps.

HALLIE: You have to admit, the answers to this question are a bit of a Rorschach. And I do wish Jenn could bottle some of that "travel Zen" and share it with me.

What about the rest of you? Do you organiz, go Zen, or zone out when you're about to go on a trip, and what do you think it says about you?