To ask if anymore has experienced starting to worry about travelling longer distances after age 40?

[Changeshappen11]

This may sound strange but just wondering if anyone has experienced this. Very early 40’s and finding myself not wanting to travel too far to go on holiday - ie uk would be fine or somewhere in Europe a few hours flight away but for some reason I’m feeling worried at the thought of going on anything over a 5 hour flight ie further afield such as the States. Also the fact that it’s further from home. When I was younger this didn’t bother me and I would happily go a long haul if I got the chance. Anyone else experience worry,as they have got older, about the thought of going somewhere much further away, and going on a much longer flight?

I found myself getting anxious about a few different things I was really upset about it. My Mum has always had anxiety about every bloody thing and I was getting very worried that I was going the same way, until I read a couple of threads on here where people were talking about peri menopausal symptoms and anxiety was one of them. I hadn’t expected that at all

So I’m just hoping that the anxiety goes when I’m through the other side of menopause because if it doesn’t I’m going to hurl myself out of a plane without a parachute!! (Only semi joking I’m too much of a wimp for that, but equally can’t carry on like this🙄🙄). I’m a lightly packed back pack & go anywhere kind of person - well I was. I was getting anxious the other day about driving to the south of France in my car- it’s fucking ridiculous and I hate it.

Whoops, Mauritius not Madagascar. I’d definitely think twice about Madagascar.

Yes I am the same. Nearly 40 and had a bout of fear on a longer-than-usual flight recently. The idea of going to more exotic and far flung places is starting to be less appealing. It’s really disconcerting!

Though I do think that worrying about travelling specifically has also been impacted by all the terrorism in the past few years and loads of (mostly quite stupid) people getting arrested overseas

Plus justbthe general ‘the older you get the more you remember & take on board’ re crashes etc and the more aware you are if the lack of protection offered by insurance & how difficult it can be to getting good medical help when you don’t speak the language etc. My mum was I’ll last time we went away, I thought she was going to die there, I have never been so scared in all my life! All these things quietly add up to unsettle us

Also feel the same... but still do it/try not to catastrophise... always feel a bit uneasy/anxious about travelling/don't sleep well before a long trip/stress levels increase before i go - but I still plan these trips (some to visit family, so it's the only way to see them when it's 'my turn')... And always enjoy it when i get there/embrace the differences in culture/weather etc... then get twitchy to get home

I feel completely the opposite. We didn’t travel much when the children were young as we couldn’t afford to. I had worked in some challenging places in Africa before marriage but then nothing much until the children were in their teens - apart from European Centre Parcs once a year.
Since they’ve become adults we travel much more because there is less need to juggle their diaries too. Usually it’s with my husband’s work and often I go out alone to meet him after he’s work part of the trip is done. Usually it’s just a flight and getting to the hotel but I travelled alone across India to meet him last year. It was fabulous.
I think the flight part is fun; I love having a stopover to stretch legs and have a shower etc. I want to travel more and do more interesting less well trodden places. An over 50 year old friend is in Mongolia at the moment. We’re going to Bahrain in September and I can’t wait.

To be honest using Souther Rail to get from home to London is a bigger challenge.

Felt this for a while. Glad I’m not alone.

Yes - nearly 40. Love love travelling however have not felt 100% great on the last 4 long haul trips (nothing serious but did put a dampener on things whilst away). I stress the same will happen to me again if I go away... wish I could just jet off without worrying about health.

I feel exactly the same! I'm almost 40, used to love going on holiday, even spent a gap year in Australia and New Zealand.
Now I'm reluctant to go anywhere, even within Europe. I do still go abroad about once a year and while I enjoy bits of the holiday, in general it feels like an endurance test and I'm relieved to get home. Have no more holidays booked just now and I'm glad, a few years ago that would have been unthinkable!
For me I think it is definitely anxiety and the what ifs. I'm hoping I get over this one day and get my travel mojo back as there are still loads of places I'd love to see!

Anxiety can begin, or change, at any age.

There is some increase during the perimenopause, but it's unrelated to getting older per se.

Never let an age stereotype prevent you from seeking (or updating) medical advice.

Er not even close. Did Scotland to the south of France last year.

Have more stamina than my 5 year younger DP when it comes to long driving stints 😂😂

I’m the opposite. I want to see everywhere. Whilst we’re young (ish) and healthy we’re doing as much long haul travelling as we can. They will probably come a day when we’ll prefer shorter trips. There is lots to see and enjoy by experiencing other cultures, languages and food.

The opposite, OP. In my 60s I now have the time and money to do more adventurous long haul off the beaten track type holidays. The edgier the better. Our philosophy is, it’s now or never, and if our number is up and something awful happens, no one is depending on us at home. I don’t want to sit at home and wish I had been places and seen thing. I want to do it while I still can

Totally agree. You are me @Greenteandchives

I've been to more far flung places in my sixties than ever in my life and I'm loving it. I even went on a scooter round Ho Chi Minh City (which has over 7million scooters on the roads daily) Now that was an experience I won't forget!

Carpe Diem and all of that...

I don't feel anxiety about travel, but I find nowadays I CBA to go very far! When people boast about going to Thailand or Australia or Chile or wherever I don't envy them at all, because I genuinely couldn't be bothered to go all that way when we have amazing places to visit in Europe. I never much liked being cooped up on a plane for hours, but the older I get the less I like it. I reckon about 10 hours is as far as I'd go now - anything else I'd need a really good reason.

I've developed an absolute hatred of airports (the noise, the people, the heat, the general busyness) and have never enjoyed flying (apart from the time I got an upgrade to business class on my way back from NY - that was quite pleasant). I don't do long haul, but I don't do short haul either! (I would happily fly from our tiny local airport in a private plane though.)

None of it worries me, I just hate it. And it's not to do with distance - I'd go as far as you like by ship or train.

Several friends have developed a reluctance to do longish journeys by car though. And one regards Sussex to the midlands too far to drive! One friend dreads flying to New Zealand to see her son, but that's because she finds it exhausting. She's 75.

I’ve got more anxious about travel in general, I’m 51 now and I would say the anxiety started about 5 years ago. I hate flying and have started to take a sedative just to get me on the bloody plane! I hate the whole airport experience tbh, going through security really stresses me out. I don’t like long car journeys either! God I sound miserable but I do travel, I’ve been to several African countries and New Zealand in the last 10 years. I’m in Menorca now and although I’m looking forward to going home (I’ve missed my dog), I’m not looking forward to the flight.

Just a note on anxiety in general - it is a known symptom of peri/menopause - so if you are suffering with anxiety in midlife it could be that it's down to declining hormone levels and it's probably worth visiting your GP, gynecologist or well woman clinic to discuss.

I can relate to this op.
Don't let it stop you going though! You'll enjoy it when you're there!
My adventurous days seem to be over but I did loads and had a truly wild youth so I'm good with it!

We’ve always travelled a lot, long haul - DH’s family the other side of the world and his job providing many air miles. We are still travelling at way, way beyond 40 to all kinds of places ( D planning a South America trip for us atm) but I must admit that the travelling aspect ( airports, planes, hire cars ) is getting irritating for me now and our best two recent holidays have been in the U.K.

Another PP mentioned the timing of your new anxiety to age- I’m not normally an anxious person but did have a bad time if it in my 40s, together with all kinds of physical symptoms. My anxiety focussed on something in particular, which seemed disproportionate in retrospect - maybe this is what is happening to you re travelling far ?

I can relate to this too, I wonder if the anxiety element is down to peri menopause and then once you get through that you get more confident again?

But with me it's less anxiety and just lack of patience and not wanting hassle. I like travelling to places where I can speak the local language (or somewhere like Copenhagen, where everyone speaks English). I am getting less and less patient with the hassle of flying - and the fact that people take so long to get on and off planes, push past you and insist on taking on huge bits of luggage that won't fit. And why does't BA board its planes from the back? We are considering Scotland next May half term and I asked my husband if he'd rather drive (from Hampshire) or fly. Until recently flying and hiring a car would have won, easily, but after our last experience he couldn't say!

To the person who has booked the Channel Islands, you will love it, especially flying from Southampton. It's about as stress-free as flying gets.

I've backpacked round Australia, new Zealand and Se Asia in my 30's, all different trips and while I'm not anxious about long journeys I find the long flights horribly boring now so prefer to stay nearer home.

I was thinking about traveling around south America but the flight is so long!
I also had a massive DVT a few years ago so that also puts me off long flights.

I'm early 40s and don't recognise this. I'm more security conscious when travelling now I have a small child, but the distance doesn't bother me at all. In fact we are planning our first proper long haul trip (14hr flight) since our child was born because we figure she is old enough not to make the flights hellish now she is turning five.

Eurochick- you are lucky. Like a PP said, I’m always relieved to get home now.

And I'm mid sixties with an older DH and refuse to have my appetite for adventure and exploring the world curbed by horrible long haul flights. Yes, I hate them but the reward in going places far outweighs that. (Have a 17hr 50 flight coming up... two changes... absolutely horrendous but it'll be worth it!)

I feel a bit like this OP and can't put my finger on why (but interestingly, having read a PP, I am perimenopausal). As it happens I can't travel long distances these days due to disability/mobility issues but whereas I would have previously been quite upset about this, I actually privately see it as a bit of a 'pressure off' godsend. I think perhaps it's partly because my DH and I do have so many more health issues these days, the thought of having to navigate medical help in another language - and the fact I seem to find it so much harder to learn even the rudiments of other languages these days, which I'm definitely putting down to perimenopause brain fog - feels quite daunting.