Transforming Travel Nerves into Excitement

Feeling the jitters before a group adventure? You're not alone. Join me as I share my personal narrative of facing the fears and anxieties that often accompany the decision to embark on a group trip, particularly with a bunch of strangers. Through active engagement with our Slack community, I find solace in connecting with fellow adventurers before we even set foot on our journey. This initial connection not only builds a sense of community but also transforms apprehension into excitement. From researching every detail about our destinations and guides to embracing the unexpected, I'll give you a peek into the strategies that help me—and can help you—turn pre-trip nerves into thrilling anticipation.

In this heartfelt episode, let's explore the courage it takes to step out of your comfort zone and join a group expedition to destinations like Iceland, Costa Rica, or Kilimanjaro. Setting realistic expectations might just be your secret weapon in transforming potential stress into moments of joy. When you're ready to embrace the uncertainties, you might find yourself forming lifelong bonds and creating memories that are anything but ordinary. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or a newbie, this conversation aims to enrich your perspective on group travel and inspire you to take that leap of faith into the world of shared adventures.


🥾 To learn more about Hike Like A Woman visit https://www.hikelikeawoman.com

? Have a question about our group trips? Book a call with Rebecca here: https://calendar.app.google/J5e6eUP8Kv8tFQ3w9

⛰ Get our FREE How to Climb Kilimanjaro Guide: https://hike-like-a-woman-.ck.page/553a956ded

💦 Join us for a group trip to Costa Rica: https://travefy.com/trip/6yw9rqk4tbewqz2au2zvsu7krbxgwzq?d=43328549

☀️Join us for a group trip to Southern Utah: https://trovatrip.com/trip/north-america/utah/united-states-with-rebecca-walsh-jun-2025

⛰ Join us for our next Kilimanjaro climb: https://trovatrip.com/trip/africa/tanzania/tanzania-with-hikelikeawoman-aug-2025 

🇦🇷 Join us for our group trip to Patagonia: https://trovatrip.com/trip/south-america/patagonia/argentina-with-rebecca-walsh-oct-2025

📲 Shop Airolo through our affiliate link here: https://airalo.pxf.io/c/1312492/1268485/15608

⛑️We use, love, and recommend Global Rescue for travel protection: https://partner.globalrescue.com/hikelikeawoman/index.html

☀️The GOES safety app will you keep you safe on the trail. We use it wherever we are adventuring. Click here https://goes.health/ and use the code: HIKELIKEAWOMAN for a free 30-day trial

★ Buy rad HLAW swag here: https://hikelikeawoman.creator-spring.com/

🎧 Want to start a podcast? Check out Buzzsprout! https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2284500

⛺️ Shop through our Amazo

Learn more by visiting our website at https://www.hikelikeawoman.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Do you know that before I lead a group trip, I feel a little bit of fear. I feel fear, I feel nervousness, I feel stress, I feel anxiety and, to be quite honest, it takes a lot of courage to sign up to go on a group trip with a bunch of women and you don't know anyone. And that's what I do when I lead a group trip. So if I'm feeling that fear, I can't imagine what those of you who joined me for a trip are feeling as well. So here are a few key strategies that I use personally to overcome my initial fears when it comes to joining or leading a group adventure, the first thing that I like to do is connect with other women ahead of time and here at Hike, like a Woman, the way that we do that is, when you sign up to join us for a group trip, we send you a link to join our Slack community and then in Slack we're very active. We have a Slack channel and each channel has a place for each different trip. So you can go in there and, let's say, you're going to Kilimanjaro with us in 2025. So I'll send you the link to the Kilimanjaro group and you can also chat with other people who've been to Kilimanjaro in our all trips chat. So if you have a question about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, someone who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with us this year, in 2024, might be able to hop in and answer some of those questions for you. So, trying to get to know group members ahead of time, I like to know where you're from, what you do, what your favorite snack is, what your favorite thing to eat on the trail is. I just like to get to know all of you in that Slack channel before we even meet up at the airport or the hotel or wherever the trip starts. And I found that connecting with other group members ahead of time actually makes me feel like I'm part of a community, but it also gets me excited to meet you in person. So that is kind of fun.

Speaker 1: 2:27

Another thing that I like to do before a group trip to help me overcome some of that fear that I'm feeling is I like to do a ton of research. I like to know who our guides are going to be, who our guiding companies are going to be. I like to know about the area. If we're hiking on a trail, I like to download some maps and know where that trail is going to go. I like to know where we're staying. I'll Google the hotels, the restaurants where we're eating. I'll look up those restaurants to see what the menu is. I found that the more I know about where I'm going and what I'm going to be doing and who I'm going to be with, then the less fear and anxiety I tend to feel before a trip.

Speaker 1: 3:14

The final thing that I like to do is I like to set realistic expectations. This is kind of like a family trip. You know, like it's never. Things are never going to be perfect, things are never going to be 100% great, things aren't always going to go as planned or as scheduled. Things are just going to happen. And being prepared for the unexpected I think helps reduce some of that fear and stress. Because when you're like, okay, everything's not going to go as planned, then you can kind of release that feeling and you can just let that go. And let that feeling of like I have to control every second of this trip. We can just let that go and we can set realistic expectations. We know that not every moment is going to be perfect and that's okay. But when we have that balanced approach, that balanced outlook, I can reduce a lot of anxiety.

Speaker 1: 4:20

I think it takes incredible courage to sign up for a group trip and to go on a big group trip, especially one overseas, like Iceland or Costa Rica or Kilimanjaro or Patagonia those places we're going in 2025. It takes a lot of courage and I'm so thankful, every time people sign up for a group trip, that people have the courage to step out and to take a group trip with strangers, because I'll tell you what it's so much fun and it's such a great way to see the world, to make new friends and to experience new cultures and customs and places with people who are going to support and encourage you. There's so many benefits to group travel, and overcoming that initial fear and uncertainty is just the very first step. So, anyway, if you want to learn more about how you can join me for a group trip in 2025, head on over to our website, hikelikeawomancom. Thanks so much and I'll be back next week.