✈️ Miles' Travels – Episode 1: The Empty Suitcase
He is Miles, a thirty-year-old, only child, with an introspective nature. Everything at his desk seems under control: papers stacked, folders lined up, everything in its exact place. There, in his world of routine, everything works. But in front of the open suitcase on the floor, that order dissolves.
He doesn't know what to put inside because he's not sure what he'll need outside. He checks a list he wrote himself: clothes, documents, cell phone charger. Then he checks it again, convinced he forgot something. He looks at his passport again, for the third time in ten minutes. He knows it's still there, but his anxious mind never settles for the first check.
Thus begins his journey, not with a plane, nor with a ticket, but with a silent battle against himself. Miles embodies the anxious traveler, the one who starts walking long before leaving home, trapped in a labyrinth of invisible anticipations and fears that weigh more than any garment.
📖 The anxious traveler according to psychology
Anxiety before traveling is a common, almost universal phenomenon. The psychologist Andrew Stevenson, in The Psychology of Travelexplains that the days before departure can be more overwhelming than the trip itself: the mind is filled with anticipation, fears of the unknown, and a feeling of losing control. It's no wonder that, for many people, packing, checking paperwork, or buying tickets becomes a ritual filled with tension rather than excitement. [Stevenson's article in Psychology Today]
For her part, the psychologist Jaime L. Kurtz, in The Happy Traveler, points out that anxious personalities often fall into the trap of overplanning: endless lists, constant passport checks, imagining potential catastrophes. And yet, she observes a curious phenomenon: when the trip finally begins and the "worst" doesn't happen, these same people experience intense relief and enjoyment, because they feel they've survived the very thing they feared so much. [Jaime Kurtz's profile on Psychology Today]
Between Stevenson's vision and Kurtz's observation, the portrait of Miles is drawn: a traveler who has not yet left his home, but who already carries the weight of uncertainty.
The suitcase is empty, but it contains the doubts that paralyze him: the fear of forgetting, the suspicion of not being ready, the certainty that, even before leaving, he is already carrying an invisible weight. This is how every anxious traveler begins: with luggage that no one sees, but that determines every step. Miles's journey has barely begun, and he is already confronted by his own reflection: the crushing uncertainty, the desire to escape, and, at the same time, the hope of finding himself on the road.
English version
This is Miles, thirty years old, an only child, instinctively introspective. On his desk, everything looks under control: stacked papers, aligned folders, each thing in its exact place. There, inside the world of routine, everything works. But in front of the open suitcase on the floor, that order dissolves.
He doesn't know what to put inside because he isn't sure what he'll need out there. He checks a list he wrote himself: clothes, documents, phone charger. Then he checks it again, convinced he forgot something. He looks at the passport once more—third time in ten minutes. He knows it's still there, but an anxious mind rarely settles for the first confirmation.
That's how his trip begins—not with a plane or a ticket, but with a quiet battle against himself. Thousands embodies the anxious traveler: the one who starts walking long before leaving home, trapped in a maze of anticipations and invisible fears that weigh more than any garment.
📖 The anxious traveler, according to psychology
Pre-trip anxiety is common—almost universal. Psychologist Andrew Stevenson, in The Psychology of Travel, explains that the days before departure can be more overwhelming than the journey itself: the mind floods with anticipation, with fears of the unknown, and with the sense of losing control. No wonder packing, checking papers, or buying tickets often becomes a ritual charged with tension rather than excitement. [Stevenson's article at Psychology Today]
Psychologist Jaime L. Kurtz, in The Happy Traveler, notes that anxious personalities fall into the trap of over-planning: endless lists, repeated passport checks, rehearsing worst-case scenarios. And yet, once the trip finally begins and the “worst” doesn't happen, these travelers often feel intense relief and enjoyment—because they sense they've survived what they most feared. [Jaime L. Kurtz profile at Psychology Today]
Between Stevenson's view and Kurtz's observation, Miles comes into focus: a traveler who hasn't left home yet, already carrying the weight of uncertainty.
The suitcase is empty, but it holds everything that stalls him: the fear of forgetting, the suspicion he isn't ready, the certainty that—even before departure—he already carries an invisible load. This is how every anxious traveler begins: with baggage no one sees, yet steering every step. Miles's journey barely starts, and he's already facing his own reflection: the tight knot of insecurity, the urge to flee, and, at the same time, the hope of finding himself along the way.
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