Coping with anxiety whilst travelling.

[Albus Dumbledore]

Hi,
I'm hoping to go to spain in september to spend some time at my mums holiday home with her and my step dad. I have general anxiety disorder, and panic disorder with agoraphobia, and haven't been on a plane for over 2 years, when my anxiety wasn't quite so bad.
On the way out, I'll be getting a taxi to the airport, and then flying on my own. One the way back, I'll be travelling with my mum and step dad, but can't guarantee I'll be able to sit with them on the plane.
I just wanted some examples of how people manage their anxiety whilst travelling. I am planning on taking diazepam with me, and taking it before I get on the plane each way, but I know I am going to be very anxious, especially during take off and landing. I think I will take my adult colouring book with me to use as a distraction, as well as a book.
I will only be taking hand luggage, but would also like to take something to self soothe with.
Any help would be more than welcome :)

[sherlock holmes]

If you're anxious about flying I recommend getting some fear of flying books. I've read two (got them from amazon) and they were great. A section written by a pilot explains how planes work and how safe they are, and a section written by a psychologist talks about ways of managing anxiety.

Additionally I went on easyJet's fearless flyer course and it totally took away my fear of flying, so I really recommend going on that if you can.

Colouring books sound great. Can you put some soothing music on your iphone etc to listen to on the plane?

[Arienette]

Practice mindfulness maybe? Helps me on stressful commutes although I've not tried it for travelling further afield bc I wint book it bc it makes me anxious so don't have much more practical/helpful ideas.

[Albus Dumbledore]

I will definitely bring my ipod with me to block out the sounds of the plane. It feels very silly for me to be scared, when statistically planes are very safe. I often try to logic myself out of my fears by remembering how safe planes are, but I still feel very anxious. I think I will try to get a book though to see if it helps.
Besides the fear of the plane failing, I feel incredibly anxious about not being able to escape or hide, which is a common thing for me (on bad days, even being stuck in traffic or going over bridges triggers my anxiety).
I think mindfulness will help, and I will try to practise it before I go so that it is easier to use.