Stress. Advice/words of wisdom?

[Lissy]

Hey, guys.

I don't post a lot, mostly a lurker (*shy*), but I know people have great advice to offer here, and I'm just so going out of my mind with stress and worry (most of it is likely irrational) that I could use some opinions.

First of all, I'm going to be flying out to see my SO on Wednesday. Great, right? Well, as excited as I am, this is going to be my first time driving myself to the airport, which is about two hours away from where I live, and I'm nervous out of my skull. Just thinking about it gets my stomach in knots. I've been using Google Maps left and right, but...I'm awful with directions. Honestly, I don't even know the names of the majority of the streets in my town. I'm worried that I'll leave to drive to the airport, and be so lost that I won't even end up getting there (and with how expensive my tickets were - basically bought them with money I don't have - that can't happen). Anyone else ever had this issue? Any travel/driving tips I should know to make this easier, or at least minimize my stress?

Second is my current technology issue. I'm sure we all know that in LDRs, we rely mostly on our technology to communicate with our SOs. Well...my laptop hasn't been working properly for about a week now. I've had to do system restores too many times to count, and I finally got worried enough to take it to a place in town that does computer repair. I explained my situation and the guy I talked to suspected a virus. Hearing this nearly made me sick; I've relied on my laptop for communication with my girlfriend for so long that I'm literally at a loss here. The computer I'm using now (a family one) is shared and not private, and less readily available to me, not to mention it's not compatible with Skype (no webcam). I know that this issue is relatively small, but the prospect of not having my laptop is frightening. If anyone else is as attached to their computer as I am, you know what I mean. ^^; So my question for that is...has anyone else had viruses that have been repaired successfully? Am I blowing this out of proportion? I had literally tried every trick in my book to repair the problems myself to no avail...so I'm worried.

Phew. That turned out to be sort of long-winded. Sorry about that! Thanks for reading, if you've taken the time. :3
Any advice or opinions at all, even just words of comfort, would be greatly appreciated right now. I feel like I'm so close to my visit but can't enjoy the excitement because everything is crashing down around me! Help!

[Minerva]

Give yourself a ton of time to get to the airport. Like twice as much as you need. If you get there early, then you do. I assume you don't have GPS or a phone with maps, right? I get turned around really easily when driving, and used to get lost all the time. But with a GPS I do much better. I still get lost, but I find myself quicker. =)

Another idea, if you have the money and time, is perhaps go a day early and spend the night at an airport hotel.

If nothing else, just give yourself a ton of time to get there so you don't have to worry about missing your flight. And then once you get there, you can take a deep breath.

I can't answer about the laptop as I've never had to get one repaired, but I do know how hard it is to be without one! Last year I finally got myself a smart phone and while it isn't a perfect laptop replacement, it works in a pinch -- I have the internet, my calendar, my contacts, Skype, a camera, and GPS on it. It was expensive and it eats battery after battery, but I love it.

good luck.

[Mara]

I definitely agree with Minerva, give yourself a ton of time to get there. Also, if you can afford the gas, I would make the trip out there once so then you would know where you were going for the next time. I'm very bad with directions also though and I always just use google maps on trips and I'm usually fine. Along with the directions, I always write down corresponding street names like what street is right before the street I'm looking for, what's the street after it, etc.

As for your computer, I've had a few viruses on my old laptop and everything was always repaired quickly and simply with no damage to any of my files or computer or anything. Since I've gotten my new laptop [a mac] I haven't had that problem though.

Best of luck!

[HollzHeartsChris]

I can't really offer any better advice than what Mara and Minerva have given you, but I can say don't stress out so much because it isn't going to help your concentration. Just take a deep breath, relax yourself and try not to think too hard about how things *might* turn out. Think about the positives and don't concentrate on the negatives. Like the other guys have said, give yourself extra time to get there so then if you do take a wrong turn, you won't be madly rushing to correct yourself. I'm awful with directions too, I've been living in the same area for 17 years and I still don't know the towns and villages around me that well XD Google maps is generally correct and normally helps to solve any travelling issues for me

As for the computer problem, if you can afford it, I'd recommend a smart phone as well, to help solve the issues of when your laptop is down. Get it repaired and use the phone whilst you wait. I've never regretted buying mine It has skype and a brilliant App store (mine's an android phone) on it and loads of other useful features. My SO has an android phone which helps too, so we use an app called Whatsapp to text for free whilst we're out on the go. On the other hand, if you'd rather, I'd suggest an iPod touch or iPad. I've used both to communicate with my SO and they have a good Skype application on them, although it can crash sometimes and you do need headphones or a headset with a mic to work it. There are tons of IM apps on both a smart phone and iPod touches/iPads as well and I'd definitely recommend them

[Minerva]

Oh! One thing I thought of that might help: use Street View on Google maps. Pop down and look at the roads you'll be on, especially the intersections where you'll need to turn. Give a really good look around and take note of everything. I did that last year for my visit to the UK; I looked at most of the roads I'd need to travel on, especially by the hotels I'd be staying at, and it was SO helpful. One hotel was a lighthouse in Wales, and the directions were pretty much "turn onto the hidden dirt road across from the field with cows." But with Street View, I was able to see where my turn was and look all around. Once I was there in real life, it felt like I already knew where I was going. The owner asked if I had any problems finding the place and I said no, and he was surprised as EVERYONE gets lost trying to get there! It really helped.

[HollzHeartsChris]

One hotel was a lighthouse in Wales, and the directions were pretty much "turn onto the hidden dirt road across from the field with cows." But with Street View, I was able to see where my turn was and look all around. Once I was there in real life, it felt like I already knew where I was going. The owner asked if I had any problems finding the place and I said no, and he was surprised as EVERYONE gets lost trying to get there! It really helped.

This. Hahahaha, it made me smile and laugh! . I live in Wales, on the North coast. I have to admit, it's pretty much how you have to find your way around here. Just out of curiousity, whereabouts in Wales did you visit?

[Minerva]

We visited Cardiff and stayed at a lighthouse in Newport. It was lovely. We were only there for a couple of days and I wish we'd had longer. I can't wait to visit again. Next time I want to see the mountains. =)

Upon going back to school, my 8 year old son had to do the requisite "what I did last summer" report -- he had to name the favorite thing he did over summer break and draw a picture of it. Most of the other kids said things like, "riding my bike", or "playing baseball with my dad". Sam wrote, "watching the tide come in in Wales". hehehe

[kteire]

I second the Streetview suggestion Minerva made - I used to do this a lot before I got a GPS and it's great to be able to see exactly where you need to make what turns. But if you can spare the money, a GPS is fantastic. I have a very good sense of direction when I'm walking, but I get turned around easily when I'm driving, even in the city I've lived in for 23 years!!
And as far as computers go, I've found viruses are never as bad as you think they're going to be, so long as the person repairing them knows exactly how to do it. Which, I'm assuming, they do at a computer repair place I need to send my laptop in for repairs soon as my touchpad mouse has stopped working, and I'm going to go mad in the time that it takes them to fix it... Ugh!!

[mllebamako]

Like everyone has said, give yourself lots of extra time to go to the airport. I always get to the airport super early because I don't want to miss my flight.
Google maps is a gift from above But if you get lost on the way, don't be afraid to ask people for directions or have a friend/family member at home with the computer who can help guide you there (that is, if you are like me and don't have a smart phone).

As for your computer, I used to get viruses all the time on my old computer. If you can't fix them yourself, take the computer to a professional. They can work wonders!

Good luck and try not to worry so much--it's going to work out!

[Neme]

Why not take a dry run with a friend or relative? Print out directions before hand and make sure you are a passenger so that you can observe any landmarks, street layouts, etc. to focus on your surroundings.

[Lissy]

Thank you so much, everyone, for your advice! I actually do feel better now about the driving - while I don't have a GPS, unfortunately, I do plan to give myself lots and lots of time to get to the airport. And I didn't know about Street View on Google Maps, and now that I'm looking, it's so helpful! I tried looking for GPS apps on my Android, but it looked like I would need Internet constantly throughout my trip, and all I get on my phone is Wi-fi. I would like to have an opportunity to squeeze in a test trip to the airport with a family member, but my time constraints won't allow that this time around.

I feel much better hearing about y'all's computer troubles. ^^; I've been freaking about it since I dropped my baby off at the repair shop, worrying that my problem won't even be fixable, but I tend to overreact...I'm supposed to get a phone call about it today.
I would love to splurge on a really nice smartphone, but my current Android is about as smart as I can afford, and it doesn't do Skype. But I need to be able to Skype with my SO! Maybe an iPad needs to be planned into my holiday future.

[ioanna]

i second all of the previous suggestions, they were all great!

is there any bus/ shuttle system that links your town to the airport? it sometimes can even be cheaper than gas+parking.

good luck with all the planing

[Kerry]

my computers have had viruses and I never lost any data. system restores don't work on viruses so taking it to be repaired was a smart move on your part. I also always recommend backing up your system on a regular basis- like saving programs, documents, pictures to an external hard drive. I also save my pictures to cds and make sure I have hard copies of any documents I think are important.

my 1st thought about your trip was to take a ride to the airport before you go so you're comfortable navigating the area. it might seem like a pain now but if you do so now on the day you have to leave you won't feel as stressed about it. I get to the airport 2 hours ahead of time to give myself plenty of time to check in and go thru security.