If you are keen to have a holiday in Bali and plan to rent one of the stunning Bali villas which are available, there could be several things that prevent you from doing so. It might be work or business commitments meaning you cannot get the time off, family matters which you must attend to, or it could be what prevents up to 7% of people from having an overseas holiday, and that is an extreme fear of flying, also known as aerophobia.

Let us first say that there are lots of people who consider themselves nervous flyers. Even people who have several overseas holidays per year admit that they get a sense of uneasiness whilst flying, especially if the plane they are on encounters some severe turbulence. However, whilst they might be nervous flyers, they can at least to can get on a plane and fly to their holiday destination.

What we are going to address, or rather who, are those whose fear of flying stops them from even getting on a plane and, as such, prevents them from booking overseas holidays, including to Bali. We cannot wave a magic wand, and suddenly, your fear of flying will disappear; However, what we can do is give you some advice that can hopefully get you closer to a point where you can fly, especially for your dream holiday to Bali.

Do Your Research

Often a fear of flying occurs due to an overestimation of the dangers and risks associated with flying or a lack of knowledge about the many safety protocols and features that ensure safe flying. Do some research on air travel, including statistics on the occurrences of air accidents, and you will discover facts such as it is safer to fly than drive and travel by train by huge margins.

Accept How You Feel

Those with phobias, including aerophobia, often try and ignore how they feel, but that is not going to help. Instead, accept your feelings and face them head-on. By accepting your fears, you are taking a step closer to being able to overcome them and getting yourself to a point where the thought of flying does not send you into a panic.

Recognise What Your Triggers Are

Think about when your fear of flying rises to the surface. Are there any common triggers or thoughts which precede them? It might be thinking about the take-off or landing, the thought of turbulence, or the speed you will travel at. If not these, then what is it that triggers your extreme fear? Recognising what triggers your aerophobia gives you a greater chance of understanding them and being able to bypass them.

Identify Your Predominant Irrational Thoughts

You might find yourself asking, “What if…?” followed by one or more irrational thoughts that lead to you hitting the panic button. For each of them, you can soon discover that they are extremely unlikely to happen based on the research you did previously or looking specifically for answers to your questions.

For example, “What if the plane gets hit by lightning and it explodes?” First, know that planes get hit by lightning on average twice per year, and second, it is almost 60 years since a plane crash was caused by lightning. You are more likely to die by being stuck by lighting whilst standing on the ground than if the plane you are travelling in gets hit by lightning. Now, follow this process for every “What if…?”