I m traveling to Indiana, evansville tomorrow 7:45 am to live with my Fiancee for 4 months! He haven't seen me at my lowest weight yet and I m super excited. I've been planning for this trip for months and I can't wait to finally get to him!

Though there is this knot in the back of my head and I m a super nerves flyer. I can be very very scared on planes especially during take off - landing, and when the turbulence hits. It's a 4 hours flight followed by another 2 hours flight.. and I've had bad luck before with getting stuck in airport because of weather/plane condition..For that reason I've been both dreading and excited.

Anyone got any tips dealing with connecting flights and nerve breakdown ><? I don't want to lose it on the plane, lol. It's been too long since I flew..

I've never been on a plane, so I cant give tips! But, just wanted to say thats awesome you get to see your fiance! And right in time for Valentines Day! And I wanted to say congratulations I glanced at your ticker, you have done amazing w/ your weight loss!

I have travel anxiety. Not quite the same as the fear of flying thing but still, I can relate! I use Bach's Rescue Remedy. I have a friend that swears by it and I have seen a nervous dog totally relax after having a couple drops placed on his tongue. Bring lots of things to distract you as much as possible (books, laptop, knitting/crochet, etc).

What an exciting trip! Can't wait to hear how the fiance reacts!

I used to be terrified to fly...now it makes me uncomfortable, but I don't face the same sort of abject terror. The absolute biggest concrete help to me was, surprisingly, counting. From the moment the plane starts its taxi down the runway, I count, slowly, in my head. By the time you reach about 200, you'll be above 10,000 feet and can relax a bit more...the hard part is over. You usually reach cruising altitude around 300-350. That means the plane bumps less and it gets a lot more comfortable.

With turbulence, I have a couple of techniques. If I have a beverage, I try to set it on my tray and watch the water level. Sure, the water bounces around a little bit, but even if the turbulence FEELS rough, the water usually hardly moves at all...just a few ripples. I remind myself that if the turbulence were as bad as I feel like it is, the water would be sloshing all over the place. It helps me remember that turbulence feels worse than it is. You can also start counting again if you get really scared. It focuses your mind on the numbers, which means you're not focusing as much on the fear. Also, remember that turbulence has never (EVER, in the history of commercial flight) brought down a plane. The plane is made to withstand far more turbulence than it ever encounters...seriously, those wings are built to flex almost 30 feet in either direction. So the plane will be fine. It's uncomfortable, yes, but in 90% of cases, it's also short-lived...the pilot will take you to a higher/lower altitude for a smoother ride.

I am usually OK for landing, because I remind myself that the flight part is nearly over. Takeoffs are more taxing on the plane (and my particular fear is that the plane will experience a malfunction, so they're scarier for me), and landings are more taxing on the pilots (who I tend to trust more). Remember that the pilot is both in control AND just as invested in landing safely as you are.

Thank you all for your kind words
If nothing goes wrong, I will be landing in Evansville tomorrow at 4:50pm local time (phew!). Oh please please please don't delay my planes >.< I will most definitely update this post when I got there and have my laptop set up .. if I don't then...something happened @_@.
I have a tendency to overact when I m scared, and I always leaves some kind of "last words" note somewhere..lol, I left it on my blog last year.

I will be bringing my video player and plan to watch paranormal activities 2 on the plane. Somehow watching scary movie calms me, lol.

It's definitely comforting to know that the turbulence won't flip my plane. I was on one before and I swear I felt it dropped for a good 4 seconds and everyone around me were panicking, definitely the worst 4 seconds of my life.

My fiance actually saw me around 168ish when he came over last November but I hope I look different enough this time to surprise him >.<

If all is well I will update with you all here tomorrow night <3 Thank you all for being so sweet!

Be EXTRA prepared for delays, though, because Indiana is getting hit with an ice/snow storm and while it'll probably hit further north than Evansville, you might face delays in your connecting city.

I love to fly, so I'm not a good one about suggestions regarding that, but make conversation with the person sitting next to you if they seem nice. I've spent MANY a flight talking to a very nervous flyer, and when we landed, they always thank me for taking their mind off the flight - or I'm able to say, that sound is the landing gear coming down, perfectly fine, that sound is the wing flaps, perfectly fine, etc.

Nothing to worry about - think of yourself as guiding someone else who would be scared - how would YOU calm THEM down - i.e., no drama, etc.

Yeah we are preparing here for a big ice storm. Had to stock up on firewood, groceries, and batteries/candles. I hope it skips us and you make it in on time!

Benadryl about an hour and 15 minutes before I'm scheduled to board. It makes me sleepy enough that I'm usually asleep before the wheels leave the ground. Two to three hours later, I'm awake again.

It's probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but it makes the flight considerably shorter.

Oh man! I was checking the weather and I did see light rain, but had no idea a big snowstorm is about to hit.

With my usual luck, I'd probably be stuck in airport again >.< argggggg!

Hey Ivonnely,

First things first - flying is very safe. The pilots don't want to die either! My boyfriend hates flying and he likes to read technical/physics explanations of flight mechanics as well as safety statistics and explanations for phenomena like turbulence, engine failure etc. It's sort of like going to the doctor for a scary medical procedure and having the doctor walk you through each step, explaining what he/she's doing all along. It also helps to watch other passengers. Look at the people who "know what they're doing" - they are just sitting there reading the paper or whatever like it's no big deal.

Secondly - if turbulence/sensation bothers you, I recommend taking Dramamine. It dulls the inner ear sensitivity to prevent motion sickness, but it also means you can't feel all the subtle little balance changes when the plane is turning. Just take one pill (it says take 1-2) because 2 will make you stoned and sluggish.

Third - If you have stressful connections or miss your flight or there are delays or cancellations, you'll be surrounded by other people in the same boat. You are going to live with your fiance, so even if it takes forever to get you there, you will make it. Make a point to be polite and calm when dealing with customer service reps.

...Besides, you're so darn cute I bet you'll get a free upgrade or priority standby.

I understand about being nervous. I regularly fly by myself between Asia, Europe and the USA and I still have moments of "crap, what if the plane just crashed now?" But so far none of them have -and the chances of being on an actual doomed plane are slim to none.

Oh, Krampus reminded me of another turbulence trick. Think about being on a boat. There are waves in the water, and the boat will move with those waves. The air is the SAME WAY...it has waves in it. Just because you can't see the air doesn't mean the air molecules aren't there, holding up your plane, just like water holds up a boat.

Don't take meds, they'll make you retain even more water and you'll be bloated. Not hot for a first reunion!

Relax in the knowledge that, in the daily risks that we take, flying is the least of them. You are, statistically speaking, about 76% more likely to be in a serious car accident in your life then ever have any trouble on a plane. It is safer than walking to the grocery store!

Just wrote a paper for Occupational Health and Safety so I'm full of safety facts . I can also tell you that people tend to fear the things that they perceive as being out of their control (flying, nuclear war) than things that they can control (alcohol consumption, driving), even though they are far more dangerous. And new risks are also much scarier than everyday risks. That's why we're more afraid of SARS and H1N1 than we are of AIDS. So if you don't fly often, you are bound to be far more terrified of that plane. Rest assured, it is perfectly safe! Treat yourself to a few good glossy tabloids and kick back and have a great flight!!

Ty for all your kind words.. Though I just want to update everyone: My flight has been cancelled, I m on phone to reschedule. ;( Poo

I travel quite a bit for work and thus have become quite the flier.

My best advice (for anyone, not just a nervous flier) is to wait until the very last minute to get on the plane regardless of which boarding group you are in. If you are one of the last on the plane, you just sit down and go, no time worry about flying.

Also, if you get a chance to pick your seats when you are at the airport, flying close to the wing provides the smoothest ride if you have a fear of turbulence. I myself like to sit as close to the front as possible because I like to be the first one off, but that's just me.

If you get delayed or have problems, I usually go to the first class line even if I am not a first class passenger. It is usually far shorter and better served.