My dear Mom, now almost 80, works herself into a frenzy before every trip, and has as long as I can remember. She does psycho laundry, ironing, yardwork, cleaning, etc. etc. I really don't recall any sweet anticipation of family trips. I do recall her barking orders, yelling, crying, and usually not sleeping before we travelled. It's really no fun heading out with someone that tired and cranky (picturing Ursula in my mind -- hehe). I've often wanted to ask her: What do you gain from getting so wound up? And do you have any idea how it makes your family feel?
So no, I don't get nervous. I make an extra effort to stay calm and downright happy that we get to go on an adventure together. Everyone past age 6 gets a list of what to set out to pack, and everyone has a few chores to do. The necessities get done. We expect things to go wrong or to be forgotten sometimes, and they sure do! (A 12 hr delay with only pretzels and water in the Colorado Springs airport last trip.) Hopefully handling it all calmly teaches our kids to be adaptable and level-headed, too.
You're packing suitcases and going somewhere wonderful, not facing major surgery. Chill. Really.
-- Drama Queen's daughter