Ban.do Founder Jen Gotch on Anxiety and the Power of Mini Vacations

At 19, Jen Gotch had a panic attack in the airport, just ahead of boarding a flight back to college. "I, on a cellular level, felt like I was going to die if I got on that airplane," says the Ban.do founder and author of the soon-to-be-released Upside of Being Down: How Mental Health Struggles Led to My Greatest Successes in Work and Life. Now, years later and hundreds of flights under her belt, that anxiety has shifted, evolved, and—most recently—waned, as she's found strategies to stay calm on the road. (One life-changing tool? TSA PreCheck.) This week, we sat down with Jen to talk through how she continues to tackle her travel anxiety, why vacations (even if they're just on our own couches) are good for our mental health, and why she stopped working on her days off.  Find a link to preorder Jen's book, out March 24, and a full transcription of the episode here: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/bando-founder-jen-gotch-on-anxiety-and-the-power-of-mini-vacations

Om Podcasten

Though travel and adventure have historically been publicly claimed by men, women have always been part of those narratives, too. Each week, host and Condé Nast Traveler editor Lale Arikoglu shines a light on some of those stories, interviewing female-identifying guests about their most unique travel tales—from going off-grid in the Danish wilderness to country-hopping solo—sharing her own experiences traveling around the globe, and tapping listeners to contribute their own memorable stories. This is a podcast for anyone who is curious about the world—and excited to explore places both near and far from home. For more from Women Who Travel, visit our website or subscribe to our email newsletter.