Nervous Flier....

[Cruella 66]

We are flying down to WDW the end of July. Now, I haven't flown in 21 years. I am VERY nervous and afraid to fly but guess I have to face my fear. I am going to ask my doctor about motion and nerve medication ...and do a lot of praying . Any others out there like me? Any suggestions? We live 12 hours away and are taking our children 12,7 and 5; my husband wasn't really looking forward to the drive and I was cruising the internet and found a decent rate...so off we're going. Cindy

 

[cbrfan]

I used to be terrified to fly. But while I still get a little nervous, I've pretty much gotten over it. I just think about how much faster it is to get where I'm going. I agree with you that you should talk to your dr. and, if he/she feels it's appropriate, get some medication to help you with your anxiety. I had great luck with Xanax, an anti-anxiety medication. Others have reported success with it, also. But it will be your dr.'s call. If you do get something you should consider getting enough to be able to try it out before you leave. That way adjustments can be made at home if a change of dosage is needed or it doesn't agree with you.

 

[disneywith4boys]

Just remember you need to be alert enough to help out with your children. That is what always stops me from taking anything when flying. Otherwise, I'd love to be knocked out and woken up when we arrive. I am a nervous wreck, and count the minutes until we land. Dealing with the kids does help pass the time.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We are flying down to WDW the end of July. Now, I haven't flown in 21 years. I am VERY nervous and afraid to fly but guess I have to face my fear. I am going to ask my doctor about motion and nerve medication ...and do a lot of praying . Any others out there like me? Any suggestions? We live 12 hours away and are taking our children 12,7 and 5; my husband wasn't really looking forward to the drive and I was cruising the internet and found a decent rate...so off we're going. Cindy

Here is a great website that might help.
http://www.takingflight.us/

I had a very turbulent flight once that scared me for a while (we usually fly 3-4x per year.) Since then I had great flights and I've gotten better but it helps to read about what to expect & why. There are a lot of good books that can help. This is the one I bought...
http://www.amazon.com/This-Is-Your-...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201409761&sr=8-1

It's written by a Southwest pilot who used to host a Q & A thread on the above website.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yes! I am a complete wreck on a plane too. The last time I flew was in Spring of 2000 when I flew to Orlando for a cruise to the Bahamas with a friend...who was from Atlanta so I had to fly by myself which made me even more anxious. I spoke to the pilot before departing, and told him how nervous I was, as well as the flight attendants. Everyone was so nice to me throughout the flight. The pilot even sent me a note that the flight attendant gave me, that said "Only one hour to go!" with a smiley face on it, and that made me feel better!

Just make sure you are alert enough for the kids. Sometimes one glass of wine will help once you are mid-air and they will give it to you. One drink should be fine and not impair your ability to handle the children, but may just be enough to take the edge off for the flight.

We are driving down this summer, for a few reasons. Our kids are very little (baby will be 1 on May 1st and the big one turned 3 a couple of weeks ago). So I don't want to have to change diapers mid-air or drag a carseat on a plane. Also, my fear of flying. And, my husband loves (I mean LOVES) road trips. So we are driving down from NYC. All the way to Boca Raton first to visit family for 4 nights before our 5-night Disney trip. It will be a 2-week trip total. We are teachers and have the summer off, which was another reason. We have the time, so we would like to do a long vacation. And I get to visit my old college friends in maryland on the way back up! I went to University of Maryland and have some friends down there.

In a few years when both kids are out of diapers and do not require a carseat on a plane, we plan to fly somewhere that we can't drive to, like a resort in the Caribbean. I am nervous about doing that but I will, and I am sure that once I go, I will not regret it. Just remember, it is considered the safest way to travel. And it will be over before you know it, and you will be enjoying yourself at WDW and forget all about your nervousness!!

Have a wonderful trip and enjoy yourself!

Take care,
Bonnie

 

[Cruella 66]

You all are fabulous. I love the 'fear of flying' site and will try to get the book tonight or tomorrow. I think you hit the nail on the head when it was written it's all about lack of control and knowledge. I am a registered nurse and know all about the body but forget mechanics! Cindy

 

[jlx2]

I actually went to a psychiatirst for my severe fear of flying. It was the first time I had ever been and it really worked for me. you may want to give it a try. I also get a prescription for Xanex as well, but like others mentioned I won't take the medication if I am flying with my kids. If you suffer from motion sickness have your Dr. prescribe something for that (I usually use the motion sickness patch) there is also a non drowsey version of bonine and dramamine you could try.

 

[Cruella 66]

Alright, moving along with this...I bought the book "This is your captain speaking" and it's VERY interesting and I highly recommend it! My plan also consists of getting some Bonine, as I've been told it's the best, and taking some before we go to Busch Gardens (we have season passes). I will ride the spinny rides I love but find harder to ride the older I get over and over again. If it doesn't work on them (besides losing my lunch ), I'll use my scopolamine patches I have left over from a cruise last year. I also talked to my doctor and she gave me a rx for Xanax. Being a RN I am familiar with the medication and will be a responsible user! As soon as I finish planning my NYC trip with my Girl Scout troop for the end of June, I'll get back to looking forward to WDW! Cindy

 

[petrymom]

Alright, moving along with this...I bought the book "This is your captain speaking" and it's VERY interesting and I highly recommend it! My plan also consists of getting some Bonine, as I've been told it's the best, and taking some before we go to Busch Gardens (we have season passes). I will ride the spinny rides I love but find harder to ride the older I get over and over again. If it doesn't work on them (besides losing my lunch ), I'll use my scopolamine patches I have left over from a cruise last year. I also talked to my doctor and she gave me a rx for Xanax. Being a RN I am familiar with the medication and will be a responsible user! As soon as I finish planning my NYC trip with my Girl Scout troop for the end of June, I'll get back to looking forward to WDW! Cindy

I get an Rx for Xanax every time I fly. Have mine ready for Friday. I get 0.5mg and try to take one before we board. This is usually enough to relax me enough to get to Disney. Last trip we had a rough take off and I took another one. This helped alot!!!!

Good Luck!

 

[goofy4tink]

Alright, moving along with this...I bought the book "This is your captain speaking" and it's VERY interesting and I highly recommend it! My plan also consists of getting some Bonine, as I've been told it's the best, and taking some before we go to Busch Gardens (we have season passes). I will ride the spinny rides I love but find harder to ride the older I get over and over again. If it doesn't work on them (besides losing my lunch ), I'll use my scopolamine patches I have left over from a cruise last year. I also talked to my doctor and she gave me a rx for Xanax. Being a RN I am familiar with the medication and will be a responsible user! As soon as I finish planning my NYC trip with my Girl Scout troop for the end of June, I'll get back to looking forward to WDW! Cindy

If it were me...I would be more concerned about the NYC trip with a bunch of GS's!!! Now, that's something I would need drugs for...been there, done that!!!

 

[Tara8595]

I say a little prayer right before take off and right before landing. Then I just keep myself busy for the duration of the trip doing crossword puzzles. Keeping your mind engaged instead of letting your thoughts wander is very helpful.

Plus, I think about the flight in 'Disney' terms. When it comes down to it, flying on an airplane is the closest thing (aside from having children) to real magic that there is in the world. I mean, you're on the ground, and then 5 minutes later WHOOSH!!! You're up in the air - flying - I mean, think about it - it's amazing that we are able to do this! And a trip that would take 14 hours by car, takes 2 on a plane. Everytime I takeoff I think about it like this and it helps to be filled with wonder instead of negative thoughts.... so... mindset helps a lot.

 

[HolidayRoad]

We are flying down to WDW the end of July. Now, I haven't flown in 21 years. I am VERY nervous and afraid to fly but guess I have to face my fear. I am going to ask my doctor about motion and nerve medication ...and do a lot of praying . Any others out there like me? Any suggestions? We live 12 hours away and are taking our children 12,7 and 5; my husband wasn't really looking forward to the drive and I was cruising the internet and found a decent rate...so off we're going. Cindy

cruella 66,
You are definitely not alone. I am terrified of flying. I know all the stats, how many planes take off and land safely every day, how your safer in an airplane than in your shower etc. etc. I have flown on a few occasions when there really was no choice and have never had a problem or issue and still I'm scared to my core to fly. It's definitely a control thing, so at least I know why it is, I just don't know how to get rid of it. I really wish I wasn't scared of flying, I drive from Massachusetts every year to WDW because of my fear of flying, I come up with other excuses like saving money and quality time with the kids but really it's the fear of flying that's doing this. I know I have no answers for you but just know this; your not alone and when people tell you how irrational this fear is, just tell them that what they say may all be real but it doesn't make the fear any less real. Good luck with flying you will be just fine. Oh, I do know people that are afraid to fly and have gotten pills from their doctors and said that it has helped tremendously, as a matter of fact everyone I know with this issue that has taken the pills have all said how much it helped.

 

[DemoBri1]

Hi Cruella...another good side is http://www.fearofflyinghelp.com/. This site is put together by a veteran commercial airline captain. He takes you through all facets of the flight from taxiing out from the gate to landing. The nice thing about this site is that it uses video and audio to convey to the user what they will experience during flight. All those little noises that you hear are explained, and it really helped me to learn all about these.

I still get nervous about flying, but not as much as I used to. You'll also be amazed at how taking care of the kids will make the time go a bit faster. Also, if you have a portable DVD player, or an iPod type of device, copy one or two of your favorite movies over and watch a movie on the way down and back.

Have fun and enjoy!!

 

[wood145]

We also don't like to fly. My DH hadn't flown for 18 years and I hadn't flown for 12. I tried to focus on the vacation from our point of landing and all the things we would do - that really seemed to help. The kids had never flown so I didn't want them to realize how nervous I was so I tried to tell them (and me!) how fun it was. I was really lucky and I had a nice man sitting next to me that flew every few months and he calmed my fears.

My DH, who hates to fly did fine. (and he denies it but I am 99% sure I smelled alcohol on his breath when our car service picked us up at 6:30 AM ) Hey at least he got on the plane!

 

[kapoof]

i get a little nervous about flying but mostly worried about getting to the gate on time. with traffic and long check in lines i tend to get wound up and anxious.(we live by ohare so that is a HUGE airport with lots of traffic all the time) once you are at the airport look around outside, there are tons of planes coming and going and taking off and landing. also keep in mind the flight attendants who fly everyday...once you are in the air, you be fine, take with a book to read to keep your mind occupied...

 

[abk96]

Hi! I know what you're going through. Even though we have flown twice already in one year and will have a third time coming in July, I still get very,very nervous about flying.

The mind over matter thing works best for me. I've tried some pills in the past and they made me sick.

I have my own head set with a CD of calming music that I listen to on the car ride to the airport and while waiting for boarding. I just close my eyes and relax. I let DH take care of the kids for me. Once I'm on the plane I'm ok.

Good luck to you. I'm sure you'll find something that works for you.