Driving with anxiety

[BJJVANLIFER]

Haven't traveled alot in the past 6 or so months and being brick and mortar bound, I've come to the realization I'm getting anxiety just driving to places / states I've never been. I'm due in California in a few days, and I'm taking the I -81 southern route...

Has anyone traveled this route? What should I expect? I'm in PA now, 3/4 of the way out of it.
I'm having anxiety of things going wrong with the van.. Accidents.. Bad eyesight so I don't drive at night. I need some kind of inspiration to finish this journey.. After a year or so of care giving for family I got the chance to travel but funds are somewhat low and I just can't pull the trigger to keep going. Im going to TRY and sleep tonight and make a snap decision in the morning.. Any input is good.. Thanks yall

 

[Carla618]

Can't help you with the route, but I had a similar experience when I moved from an isolated town of 1,200 (lived there 11 years) to a town of 150,000. Initially, I was a nervous wreck driving.

You will improve and relax a little with each mile. I, too, no longer drive at night. Best of luck

 

[Freelander]

Best advise I can give is to just take your time. go slow and easy. When looking for a place to send the night look for 3 or 4 different places. Some are posted and some are not.

 

[Seajatt]

Haven't traveled alot in the past 6 or so months and being brick and mortar bound, I've come to the realization I'm getting anxiety just driving to places / states I've never been. I'm due in California in a few days, and I'm taking the I -81 southern route...

Has anyone traveled this route? What should I expect? I'm in PA now, 3/4 of the way out of it.
I'm having anxiety of things going wrong with the van.. Accidents.. Bad eyesight so I don't drive at night. I need some kind of inspiration to finish this journey.. After a year or so of care giving for family I got the chance to travel but funds are somewhat low and I just can't pull the trigger to keep going. Im going to TRY and sleep tonight and make a snap decision in the morning.. Any input is good.. Thanks yall

Don't be afraid to stay in the right lane and cruise at 60. At that speed, your fuel efficiency is maximized, you have a good amount of time to react to any hazards in front of you and its a lot more relaxing than screaming along at 80.

 

[Morgana]

Just brainstorming a few things that may help whittle down the anxiety (or not! YMMV.) ... You don't have to answer these questions to us (unless you want to), but maybe think them through for yourself.

Do you have AAA or the like (mainly for peace of mind about towing etc., but also for travel advice)? Can you plan a route that gets you off the road well before dark? Do you have someone you can be in regular touch with while you're on the road? Have you worked through (rehearsed in your mind) what you would do if you did have an accident or flat? Have you done this before? If so, did anything go well that could reassure you? Did anything go badly that you could learn from? Do you have a car emergency kit and first aid kit?

Most important, I guess, would be: Do you believe there's any real reason not to take the trip right away? (For example, the money is really really not enough or you have some giant engine leak or a sore tooth that you haven't had checked.) If yes, deal with it! Safety comes first. If no -- if you've really taken some time to sit with this and the answer comes back no -- then find a way to manage the jitters and go for it.

I get anxiety sometimes going to Walmart; other times I could happily drive to Alaska. Mostly once I just get on with it, the anxiety dissipates pretty quickly.

There is no wrong answer.
There is no perfect solution, either.
You're the boss.

Good luck!

PS
People including me recommend Gavin De Becker's book The Gift of Fear a lot here. One other good one on managing fear and danger is Laurence Gonzales's Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. His advice includes "have a plan, but be willing to let it go"; "educate yourself beforehand"; and "be humble -- the Rambo types are the first to go."

 

[WanderingRose]

Yes to The Gift of Fear.

Also remember that any journey begins with the first step, and that we were all newbies once.

Try not to let yourself imagine everything bad that could possibly happen, but be planful, careful and mindful each day as you set out, so as to do your best to insure your steps are leading you on the direction you want to go.

Deep breaths help, and good luck to you.

 

[Quinn]

Haven't traveled alot in the past 6 or so months and being brick and mortar bound, I've come to the realization I'm getting anxiety just driving to places / states I've never been. I'm due in California in a few days, and I'm taking the I -81 southern route...

Has anyone traveled this route? What should I expect? I'm in PA now, 3/4 of the way out of it.
I'm having anxiety of things going wrong with the van.. Accidents.. Bad eyesight so I don't drive at night. I need some kind of inspiration to finish this journey.. After a year or so of care giving for family I got the chance to travel but funds are somewhat low and I just can't pull the trigger to keep going. Im going to TRY and sleep tonight and make a snap decision in the morning.. Any input is good.. Thanks yall

I must have anxiety too I can"t even imagine such a trip. But if you need inspiration, you might be VERY pleased once you reach CA. If you are coming thru AZ you can go to Mount Laguna, and camp in the campground s night and hike around. Then go to nearby Cuyamaca /Paso Picacho. Julian maybe. Borrego Springs where u can camp for free on BLM land. Then head off San Diego and beaches.

 

[user 423]

I-81 to I-40? Just watch the weather as it can be pretty unpredictable this time of year. I got caught in a blizzard between Knoxville and Nashville one year in February.

 

[user 16179]

Don't be afraid to stay in the right lane and cruise at 60. At that speed, your fuel efficiency is maximized, you have a good amount of time to react to any hazards in front of you and its a lot more relaxing than screaming along at 80.

It really does pay to slow down. My Caravan (w/solar panel in a roof rack) gets 17 mpg at 80 on Texas Interstates. It jumps to 24 at 55 on State Highways and other backroads.

 

[Freelander]

My RV gets 7 mpg at 75 mph and 8 mpg at 65 mph.

 

[BJJVANLIFER]

Well it took me too long to get to California and the job was given to another candidate I ended up in Austin and it's been amazing. For the most part. I got a job the day I landed working sxsw literally 12 hour overnights at one location where I could park use a restroom, charge up the jackery and cook right at the van out front.

Now however with sxsw over my hours are cut in a quarter, and my family is having issues back home which is giving me the worst thoughts in the mornings. I don't know whether to stay or head back or continue on to California. Anxiety is obviously not just from driving. I'm getting some weird air from the vents and under the van is a tad louder which makes me think it's the exhaust manifold. That's a 1000 dollar job at the least. My plan was to have 2k for repairs aside, 1000 for traveling / gas in case I want to up and go, and 3k in savings. I'm almost there at this point and I've had amazing luck here in Austin. Not one knock on the van, no problems from the police and everyone ere is really really nice.

I did lose my atm card the last day of sxsw and had 4 days off to try and explore maybe lake Travis.. I will say having the 711 app has helped immensely being able to use a scan for food and gas while my card is being sent. Anyway just a follow-up. Any questions about Austin and van life here just drop me a message.

Thanks for the responses