Do you have travel plans? Are you giddy and anxious just thinking about your upcoming trip? Then you may have fallen ill with Reisefieber!
Literally translated, Reisefieber means “travel fever” – but it’s not the type of sickness that keeps you in bed. Reisefieber describes the feelings of excitement, combined with anxiety and nervousness, that you have in anticipation of a trip. You may have spent weeks daydreaming about your trip to the Caribbean. But the night before, anxiety creeps in as you try to fit everything you need into a small suitcase. You’re worried you might have forgotten something. Your palms are sweaty, you develop a mild headache and your stomach is rumbling. Perhaps you’re engaged in a frantic search for your passport or you’re worried that you won’t wake up in time for your early-morning flight.
It might be difficult to keep calm or fall asleep the night before. You’re struck with Reisefieber, and there’s nothing that can cure it – except, perhaps, taking long deep breaths and calming yourself down. But once you’re lying on the beach a few hours later, your “travel fever” will subside, leaving nothing but bliss in its place.
If you are traveling this summer, beware: Reisefieber could show up without much notice and disrupt a good night’s sleep. But no need to worry: your “travel nerves” will go away soon enough.
By Nicole Glass, German Embassy
