I think I can relate to this. I often become a nervous wreck before a big trip. My thing is that I fret that something will go horribly wrong.
I know what you mean. I occasionally get those flashes -- someone's going to drown or get in an accident or something like that. But most of the time I can just shrug them off. I'm not afraid of flying or anything. Having missed my flight on my last trip -- to Colorado in May for the Brokie BBQ! -- both made me more cautious and was somewhat reassuring. I was lucky; I got on the next plane and was only delayed an hour or two.
I have a trip to Italy coming up, though, which is making me more nervous than usual. I am going to meet friends there, but they're going at different times and on different planes. And the plane itinerary I have -- though thankfully I got my ticket free, using frequent-flier miles, is kind of scary.
First, there's the way there: I arrive in Amsterdam at 11 a.m. something, then leave there at 5 p.m. something -- so already that's a long and awkward wait. But the worst part is that I then arrive in Rome at 8 p.m. Then there's a train from the airport to Rome which (as I recall -- I was there a couple of years ago) may add an hour or so, so by the time I get to Rome it will be 9ish. But ALSO I have to meet my friends in Florence at 9 a.m. the next day, which apparently is the only time they could get tickets to the famous Uffizi Gallery. So my plan is to take a train from Rome to Florence, which gets me into Florence -- if I'm lucky and the planes are all on time and I catch the fast train -- somewhere around 11 p.m. Then I have to find my way to my hotel. All this, in unfamiliar cities with a language I don't speak and I'm sure a pretty bad case of jet lag (though I'll be eating my dried cherries!
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The way back is just as bad. The only flight out of Rome I could get is at 6:15 a.m. And since you're supposed to be at the airport two hours early, that will have me leaving to go to the airport sometime around 3 a.m.!
I have tried to get the times changed, but &%*#^$! Northwest says they have no other FF seats available -- when you're using FF miles, you don't have a lot of choices. I'm going to keep calling between now and the time I leave (Oct. 3) to see if anything opens up. For instance, it would be ideal to fly directly into Florence, and perhaps there's a better flight out of Florence at the end, as well.
So I am excited about the trip, but every time I think about it these issues loom up and stress me out!