First time on a plane next week...thinking of cancelling

[packupyourtroublesss]

I'm 30 and never flown before.
I'm going away next Thursday with 3 friends (all flown before ) to lanzarote.
I'm terrified of take off on a plane.
I've heard it feels weird /makes you dizzy etc etc
I don't think I can do it
Can anyone tell me how it feels ?
What it's like?
Like a rollercoaster feeling ?

I love flying. I’ve flown all over and some journeys have suffered turbulence but I find people in car ma more of a worry.

Every day I see people driving cars making horrendous mistakes or just driving badly.

In my opinion you’re safer in the air than you are in a car.

Aww don’t cancel, Lanzarote is such a lovely island, with wonderful sunshine.

People fly every day, take off and landing are fine, nothing like a rollercoaster, if it was I wouldn’t dream of flying and I have flown many, many times. Sometimes your ears may pop on take off or landing, but suck a sweet or chew gum and it will soon pass.

Deep breaths, once you have done it, you will know there is nothing to fear, don’t let fear hold you back. Go and enjoy your holiday.

You can do it! There is a bit of pressure in your ears (more of an issue if you have a cold in which case I take a decongestant an hour before take off). Otherwise it has a similar feeling to a very tame rollercoaster for about 30 seconds then it settles I suppose. Not my favourite thing take off but I concentrate on getting somewhere nice

Take off is over quickly. I hate it. I hold somebody's hand, close my eyes and suck a sweet. I'm totally fine with being up in the air (if the clouds are below me then I'm safe!) and landing. It's the "will we make it up" feeling that I hate, even though I know logically the chances of anything happening are absolutely tiny. But it's over so fast and then you can enjoy the rest of the flight.

A little dip in your stomach for a few seconds and then you’ll probably need to pop your ears- take a sip of water and that should do it.
Same on landing.

Can you afford hypnotherapy? I was seeing a hypnotherapist for anxiety and she did a session on flying. I'm so much better now.

I was 25 the first time I ever flew. I found the airport far more daunting than the actual flight (Heathrow is massive, but well-signposted.)

I think take-off is the oddest bit, but it's momentary, and it's odd, rather than bad. The rest of it is mostly like being in a big bus or train really.

Definitely nothing like a rollercoaster. I used to be absolutely fine with flying and in recent years I'm not, for some reason.

• Take-off is fine, the plane will accelerate and you'll feel a bit "pushed back" in your seat and then the second the wheels are off the ground it doesn't really feel like anything. Don't look out the window, you'll see the plane turning and just getting "settled" and it's completely normal but can be a bit freaky if you're nervous.
• In-flight is completely fine, I tend to forget I'm on a plane.
• Turbulence can happen, I saw a fantastic video of a little toy plane that was in the middle of jelly. When there's turbulence, all of the jelly jiggles but the plane doesn't actually move, you're not going to drop out the sky or be pushed off-course. There's never been a plane crash due to turbulence!
• Landing is the bit I don't like, but the view is super cool. It'll feel like the plane is accelerating again when it gets close to the ground. When you hear a little "buzzing" type noise, those are the wheels coming out. Close your eyes as you're approaching the ground, it can look freaky to see land getting closer and closer and then you'll feel a little thud when the plane actually makes contact with the ground, at that point it'll feel like the plane is going super fast and you'll be pushed forward (put a hand on the seat in front of you) but it diminishes pretty quickly.

Other tips I use:

• Chew gum, the pressure could affect your ears.
• Get a fantastic podcast, video, movie, tv show, book etc that really engrosses you and get stuck in the second you sit down.
• Hold your friend's hand.
• Meditation podcasts are free and fab but I found them difficult because I wasn't used to them.

What I'm going to do next time I fly:

• Anti-anxiety meds! I'll probably just ask at my local chemist and take it from there.

Just remember you'll be absolutely fine. Goodness knows how many planes are in the sky at any one time and there are issues very rarely :)

I don't particularly enjoy flying either but I've never felt weird/dizzy/sick! You've had good advice here but I will add that if you're anxious I would recommend trying to sit in an aisle seat. (If there are 3 other people in your party it is likely that at least one of you will be allocated the aisle). It can help stop you from feeling claustrophobic if that's something you are worried about, plus you'll be able to see the air stewards going about their business and that should help put your mind at ease. From another nervous flyer, I promise it'll be worth it!

In my opinion you’re safer in the air than you are in a car.

Not just an opinion, it's true.

OP, as others have said, it feels exciting. Take off and landing are the only fun parts. Everything else about air travel is very tedious.

Oooh, Lanzarote - I loved Lanzarote - wish I was going!

Flying is the only mode of transport that doesn’t make me feel ill, mainly as you don’t really know you’re moving. On take off it’s the same sensation as leaning back a bit. Please don’t cancel.

Take off and landing are the only fun parts. Everything else about air travel is very tedious.

No it's not! I was flying back to the UK a few weeks ago and had brilliant views over the Middle East, Turkey, up over Europe and then all round Kent and Essex and London before coming down at Heathrow.

I've also seen the Northern Lights over Newfoundland on the way to New York, and I've seen glories a few times.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glory_(optical_phenomenon)

Flying can be awesome!

You might absolutely love it like I do!
I’ve never heard of people feeling dizzy, I think that must be pretty rare. People wouldn’t be so willing to fly a lot if feeling unwell was common.

Please don't cancel! Go and have a wonderful holiday in the sunshine.

I always have a pair of Flight Earplugs in my bag. These really help me with the change in pressure when you take off and land. You can buy them in Boots or on Amazon. The rest of my family don't use them and are absolutely fine, so it is a personal choice.

Hope you have a brilliant holiday, hopefully the first of many

Coming back from Australia one year we flew over Siberia - it was March and the iced up rivers were just starting to melt. Even at five miles up the rivers were huge and the space between towns immense - like an hour's flying time, so 300-400 miles.

Think about my late mum & nannan while you're on the plane.. my uncle loves to tell how they had the other folk in stitches as they chatted about the moon not seeming any closer.. ;-)
Then the pilot told everyone to watch the sunrise, everyone stood up & went to that side of the plane - except my Nannan, who feared the plane 'might tip up'..

It sounds as if you have it as quite a Big Thing in your mind. You may well be disappointed as it's actually quite boring.

Ages crawling around on the tarmac, a bit of a wait for your turn on the runway, a quick burst of acceleration - the most exciting bit - which you might hardly notice if you're chatting, then you're in the sky and can't really get any sensation of speed as there are no points of reference around you. A lot of the flight will probably be inside a cloud, which is a bit like a dull day. It can be a bit noisy and creaky like an old bus. And lots of 'bing bong', which is the crew communicating with each other. Descent for landing is quite slow and then suddenly you're on the ground, and the only other interesting bit is the sensation of quite hard braking. Then more crawling round on the tarmac. And everyone jumps up to get to their stuff in the overhead lockers and elbows you in the head.

I get really scared of flying but I still do it. I just go really quite and tetchy until I’ve had a vodka, then I’m fine🙂 However, it is an amazing experience to see the world from up above. Most of the time your above cloud but I shall never forget flying from Naples and seeing the volcano or going over the Alps, it is part of the holiday.

I hope that you go and have a lovely holiday 😊

I think you should try and go. I’ve flown a lot, doesn’t bother me at all and I HATE any fair ground ride, it’s not comparable. I usually download something on my iPad and watch with noise cancelling headphones and don’t even notice take off or landing

Look at the cabin crew - they fly every day! Easy.

take a magazine and some sweets etc

Lanzarote is fab - go and visit all the artist houses they are amazing and volcanos

@packupyourtroublesss
Did you go and enjoy your holiday?

I'm really not a fan of flying op, but I love to travel so it is worth the anxiety for a few hours.

I think for me it's because I'm not in control of the plane - I don't know what the funny perfectly normal noises are but they're nothing to worry about really (I twll myself)

Taking off for me is the hardest part. The plane will usually hesitate at the far end of the runway then its like someone accelerating in the car for no more than 20 seconds - you can feel the thrust pushing you back slightly into your seat, it can feel a bit rumbly, then the front of the plane lifts, then the back, it smooths out as the wheels lift and then as you climb there are a few clunks as the wheels are retracted. It might need to turn which is a bit of a wierd feeling, but look out of the window for great views.

Landing can be a bit wierd too, your ears might pop quite a few times, and once you land there's a feeling of braking hard as the pilot slows tonnes of metal, luggage and passengers to an almost walking speed.

Lanzarote is ace, please don't let flying put you off!

THE SHIP IS SAFE IN THE HARBOUR, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT SHIPS ARE FOR.

Live!

Flying is awesome! I hate roller coasters but I love flying. They're nothing alike. Have a few wines before you board. We do long haul once or twice a year, it's amazing.

You have to broaden your horizons!

Put a film on your kindle and watch it during take off, I'm not a huge fan of flying (but do it a lot) and this is great for completely distracting you. You'll be up in a few minutes, there's no dizziness or sickness. Also take something for anxiety, ask your doc or see if a pharmacist can help. Propanolol I think will help.