Passport Virgin

Tops on the list of things that feed into my anxiety about new and different ... unfamiliar ... change ... any and all of the above is traveling to new places. I've pretty much licked this on domestic travel - but I rev myself up pretty good just making sure I have a BINDER of info on where I'm going and what I'm doing.

For example, business travel requires:

• Triple checking my bag for all essentials (and non-essentials)
• Mapquest and Google Maps of city, town, county, and driving directions between any and all potential locations - NO WANDERING OFF THE BEATEN TRACK ALLOWED.
• Printed travel itinerary with all travel confirmed (at least once).
• Airport parking stub with listed row, floor, and other pertinent info to find the car in the dark on return
• Internet lists of cabs, limos, restaurants, etc. in immediate vicinity of hotel (although 9 times out of ten I'm either with colleagues who handle all arrangements or I'm in hotel room getting room service.

God forbid the travel involves extra unplanned time. My hotel room gets a lot more use, because I'll never explore a city on my own.

The other day my boss said she might be sending me to Vienna, Austria to scope out possible venues for an international conference coming up next year where we might have a client event. To anyone else this must seem like a boon! To me, it sends ripples of panic and I have to stock up on extra immodium for those new gut clenches.

Face it, I'm a passport virgin. I have one stamp in my passport and that's only because you can't get in and out of Mexico anymore without it. The Vienna trip threw me for such a loop that I emailed my Mom and asked her to travel with me if it happens. Granted, it's a great opportunity for us to travel, but just as importantly - it's my Mommy there to take care of me.