In just over 2 months I'll be going on my first ever overseas trip with just my boyfriend to Europe. I am terrified of the flight, which is all up about 24 hours, with a transit in Doha from Sydney. So the first leg is something like 15.5h, and the second is about 5h (the joys of living in Australia...) Although my boyfriend basically has no fears and is one of the calmest people I know, the ONE thing he is scared of too is flying (so not really going to have much reassurance on board with me).

I am flying Qatar which I know has a great reputation, but I've only ever been on a few planes my whole life and each has caused major panic! I found sitting in the aisle scares me less as I almost 'forget' I'm on the plane and it feels more like a bus since I can't look out the window to the giant plummet below. It's also a night flight, not sure if that's better...

Does anyone have any tips to try and relax? Not only am I terrified of the plane itself, turbulence, terrorism etc, but I also have health anxiety so am a bit worried about having some sort of health issue on board...I know I need to relax, I'm only 22! But I have migraine auras which are super scary and thankfully every time I have been close to family or easily in contact with them to help me through it. My boyfriend doesn't really understand them and thinks they're just panic attacks which is not going to be very reassuring if it happens on board...or any time during the entire trip (which is over 2 months!) This trip will definitely have a lot of hurdles for me that I've been avoiding - being away from parents (safety blanket) especially for such an extended time, trying new foods and activities, being in an unfamiliar environment for such a long time, and probably most of all dealing with a migraine aura on my own if it happens (because I freak out every time very badly and am convinced it's a stroke).

Hopefully this trip helps me learn more about the world and that I should focus my energy on exploring and enjoying moments instead of worrying, but I definitely need to get there first, so does anyone have some good tips for overcoming the plane fears and the long trip worries? I am definitely looking forward to a much needed break after a long few years studying and working hard to save for this, after all its a European summer which will be amazing, but I don't want the anxiety to get in the way! I'm trying to convince myself that I will come out of this experience on the other side with a much better way of dealing with my fears, so hopefully that is true.

Thank you