Traveling With Claustrophobia

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Are you traveling with claustrophobia? I do.

One weekend in April we went to Fredericksburg in Texas Hill Country for the very first time. There was a Volkswagen Show in town, and as a Volkswagen Bus owner at that time, we joined the show. We arrived on Friday evening and after we set up the bed in the bus and were ready to close our eyes, I realized something was wrong. I felt the air was not moving, the bus roof seemed like an inch from me, and I couldn’t breath. After we turned around with our head by the back door and my husband opened the back door wider, I slept well until the next morning. That’s the day I found out I have claustrophobia.

What is claustrophobia?

According to webmd website, claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that causes an intense fear of enclosed spaces. If you get very nervous or upset when you’re in a tight place, like an elevator or crowded room, you might have claustrophobia. 

Claustrophobia is different for everyone. The anxiety can range from mild nervousness to a full-blown panic attack. 

Being inside a tight place can trigger symptoms such as shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, sweating, nausea, or dizziness. For some the triggers are shaking or trembling, hyperventilation, dry mouth, headache, or numbness. Some others will feel hot flashes, chest tightness or pain, confusion or disorientation, choking sensation, urge to use the bathroom, or fear of harm or illness.

Any confined area can set off the fear, including things like elevators, airplanes or subway trains, tunnels, revolving doors, car washes, bathroom stalls or changing rooms, or cars with automatic door locks.

I know my case is mild because I’m not afraid of flying, riding a subway, driving through tunnels, or taking my car to the car wash. Also, I go camping a lot with my family. We slept in a tent, and lately in a teardrop, a tiny trailer.

Moreover, I tried to calm my fear when I’m in a situation that usually scares me. Normally I took a deep breath and tried to rationalized the situations. I like traveling, and I  don’t want claustrophobia to limit my adventures. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s not. 

Below I share with you some of the places I have visited during my travels. There were places where I could conquer my fear, and there were places where I almost fainted at the end of the journey. If you or someone you know are traveling with claustrophobia like me, check out all these places before making a travel plan.

My Experiences During Traveling with Claustrophobia

CAVE EXPERIENCES

I have visited a few caves in Texas and other states, even in Indonesia. So far I didn’t have problems inside the caves I have visited because the air was moving, the caves are huge, and there’s always a source of light. Either from the lamp they put in the caves, or from the flashlight I had in my hand. When I said the caves were lighted, it’s not bright like inside the building. It’s a dim kind of light. 

– Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet, Texas. During a guided Walking Tour the tour guide will turn off the light for a few seconds, but he/she will mention it. That way parents with young children can prepare, as well as people with claustrophobia. I kept my eyes open and survived because it’s less than 1 minute. They also offer a Wild Cave Tour where you will crawl in tight places. Definitely I will not do it.

– Cave Without a Name in Boerne, Texas. It’s lighted inside and the air was moving, so no problem at all.

– Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, Texas. My sister and I took a Discovery Tour where state-of-the-art lighting illuminates massive, rock formations. Fine by me.

– Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. There are two ways to enter the cave, by walking the Natural Entrance or taking the elevator down into the Big Room. My family and I did both. The elevator was a normal size and it was fast. The Big Room was lit, but the Natural Entrance had very minimum lights. We had our flashlights, and I guess the eagerness to explore a new place helped me conquer the fear as well.

– Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. They offer several tours and we did the Domes & Dripstones Tour. This is how they did the tour. They bused us from the Visitor Center to the sinkhole, where we entered the cave. The entrance was a small door in the woods. It felt like you’re going into a secret place inside the earth and not sure whether you will go back or not. You will ascend and descend hundreds of stairs and several steep inclines (total stairs: 500.) Air was moving and lights were on. I survived, but you know your limit.

– Gua Batu Cermin (Mirror Stone Cave) in Labuanbajo, Flores, Indonesia. It’s not a big cave, they limit 10 visitors inside the cave. There are spots where you have to bend down and it’s really humid inside. When you visit in the morning there will be lots of sunlights. I visited in the afternoon and I survived. I think because it didn’t take time to explore the cave. 

– Rangko Cave in Flores, Indonesia. It’s like the cenotes in Tulum Mexico. When you visit at the right time, the sunlight falls on the water. But that’s not the time we visited, so it was dark. I jumped to the water with my family and friends, so it really helped me. Also, I didn’t put my head under the water at all.

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How about a mining tour?

To date, I have done two mining tours: Tour-Ed Mine in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania (a few miles north of Pittsburgh) and Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour in Cripple Creek, Colorado. That’s after I asked whether the air was moving and there was light inside.

On the Tour-Ed Mine they took us ½ mile into the earth with a real coal car. At Molly Kathleen you will take a miner’s lift 1000 feet into the earth. The underground tour itself is not claustrophobic, but the descent in the shaft is very close for two minutes. That’s where you need to calm your mind. I went down with a Boys Scout troop so I just listened to them talking.

ELEVATOR EXPERIENCES

Normally I have no problem when riding an elevator. These elevators are different though.

– Hoover Dam. One summer we visited Hoover Dam and took the Powerplant Tour. It includes an elevator ride and walking through a tunnel, and they stressed this on their website for visitors with claustrophobia. But we were there already, so I braved myself. What I didn’t know, they put visitors inside the elevator like sardines. I don’t recall how many people they put in one elevator. Probably between 30-40 people. We stood within an elbow length and I could feel the person’s behind me breathing on my hair. Right when dizziness attacked me and I didn’t feel O2 anymore, the elevator’s door opened and the air lingered inside. We arrived at the bottom. What a relief! Walking in a tunnel wasn’t a problem, but I had to go through the same thing when we went back up to the observation deck in the elevator.

– Flaming Gorge Dam Tour in Northeastern Utah. During the tour we took the elevator inside the dam to the bottom. The elevator was quite big and there were only 9 of us. So, I had no problem at all. There’s enough oxygen for people like me. Also, I think I was entertained by the five bikers that went with us where one of them was afraid of heights. His friends teased him along the way, so we laughed with them.

– Metro’s Elevators in DC. They are killers. Don’t try this at all. It’s small, dark, and slow! I thought the second time I took it – different time, different location – it would be different, but it’s not!

– Washington Monument in DC. I survived by listening to the tour guide story along the way. If you have more than mild nervousness, I don’t suggest you try this. The ride down was longer and slower and you will go through two dark levels. All you can see is the wall. It felt compact.

– Gateway Arch. Basically you will sit in a small tram that fits 5 people. If all adults, expect your knees touching others. The tram experience will take around 45-60 minutes. It’s lighted and you can see inside the walls and stairs all the way up or down. I was a bit nervous but I made it!

SNORKELING

When we did island hopping in Flores Indonesia, one of the activities was snorkeling. The first time I put the snorkel mask on I felt panicked. I couldn’t breath and took it off right away. I tried again but the same thing happened. And it wasn’t my first snorkeling experience.

My husband and son were gone already after I told them I would be fine. Then I told myself that I flew all the way from the U.S. and not doing it? Come on. You can make it. I took a deep breath one more time and finally I made it!

My friend told me to dive. She said the views are more fantastic down there. But I know my limit. I will stick with snorkeling on the next opportunities.

OTHER EXPERIENCES

– One time I joined the Boy Scout Troop to work at the haunted house in Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. I could only work a few minutes. I was supposed to scare people but I couldn’t breath under the mask.

– On our way home from Christmas vacation in Pittsburgh, we spent a night in Bowling Green, Kentucky. At that time our son loved trains a lot, so we visited the train museum in town. After exploring the museum, we climbed aboard five restored railcars and listened to the history of the railcars from the guide. The tour guide opened and closed every door before and after we entered the cars. All windows were closed, and the air was stagnant. In the last car I started to feel dizzy and I wanted to tell the guide to end the tour, but my son was enjoying his time. So I just held on to the chair until he finally opened the door. 

– Who doesn’t like going to a water park in the summer? When I did the LaLana Peak Slides in Hawaiian Falls at Mansfield Texas, the one with the longest covered, it was a mistake. I tried to calm my head but it didn’t work well. Fortunately I didn’t vomit, but it wasn’t a fun experience. When you go, just do the open slides. Any covered slides are a no no! 

I have more experiences, but I think these are enough to give you an idea on how to travel with claustrophobia. You probably won’t go to the exact places, but you will probably do the same activities. Now you have a picture!

So, should you keep traveling with claustrophobia?

Of course, yes! Don’t make claustrophobia stop you from doing what you love. You must learn to conquer your fear, one at a time. It won’t work all the time, but at least you give it a try. That’s part of the adventures. Have fun on your travels!