caret icon Back to all discussions

Traveling, scary situations!

Hi lovely people, It's been a while since I've posted on here but anxiety has made me return!

My partner is Norwegian and in summer I'll be traveling to Norway with him to meet his family for the first time (yikes!)

On top of the normal anxiety that brings... I'm super worried about all the travel I'll be doing.

Tips on what to expect, what you do to control symptoms and what to do to calm the "What if I have a flareup!?!?" anxiety would be very much appreciated!

  1. Hi , travelling to Norway sounds amazing, but I completely understand how you're feeling! Travel and anything out of the ordinary gives me so much anxiety, too.

    For me, eating only very safe foods the day before traveling helps a lot. Since the anxiety usually gives me a flare in the morning anyway, I like to get up a lot earlier to deal with that at home, and then take some Imodium or other medication if I feel like I need it.
    I always pack very safe, very plain snacks too, because I tend to get hungry at some point and I don't want to risk anything.
    Are you traveling there with your partner? If yes, I'd talk to him about what might happen if you're flaring, like needing lots of bathroom breaks, not being able to talk when you're unwell, and so on. I personally can't be social during a flare and prefer listening to calming music and focusing on my breathing.
    In addition, I would also make sure that his family members are aware of your condition and that you might not be feeling well at first because of the stress, just to manage expectations. This way, you won't have to worry about making a bad impression if you can't participate in meals (which has happened to me so many times).
    I'm also going to link 2 articles about travel here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/traveling-ibs-expect-best-plan-worst, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/how-to-travel-with-ibs. I really hope this helps.
    Hopefully, everything will go well and you'll have an amazing time!
    Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)

    1. Great advice by Karina. I dont travel much so I dont have advice but I will be going to a wedding 2 hrs away and staying for the night at a hotel and already planning on that 24hr period away from home and 4hrs traveling in the car.

      Safe foods day before and day of
      Light snacks
      Immodium that morning even if I feel fine, maybe day before, not sure yet
      I'll bring Tylenol with me
      Water, Gatorade
      Lycopodium (for bloating)
      Roll on castor oil for belly at night

      If I hadnt had a flare in over a week before I leave I may take Hyoscyamine day before and day off instead of Immodium.

      Imodium seems to work well blocking things up but Hyoscyamine slows things down and takes care of the cramps.

      Good luck and have fun in Norway.. Think positive and know everything is gonna be ok!

      1. I hope the traveling and wedding will go well!
        I also wanted to share these 3 articles about being a wedding guest with IBS: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/wedding-guest, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/wedding-guest-anxiety, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/formal-events, in case you're interested. Will be you be attending the wedding alone or with a partner? I always use my husband to finish any meals or drinks I can't have at weddings, it's very practical. 😉
        Karina (team member)

    Please read our rules before posting.