Filmmaker Karan Johar took to social media to candidly discuss his experiences with travel anxiety. Despite the risk of being trolled, he expressed his hope that many others could relate to his feelings, which some might dismiss as a “champagne problem.”
In his latest post, the director of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ illustrated what travel anxiety entails for him. He explained, “First I have a desperate need to reach the airport early (sometimes even before the ground staff have arrived). Then in the lounge, I check my passport and my boarding card 50 times. And once I am seated, I wait for the pilot to announce the duration of the flight, as if my life depends on it.”
Karan also noted that announcements about weather conditions greatly impact him. He shared, “If we are told it’s ‘a smooth ride’ I can breathe, but some pilots say ‘few bumps on the way.’ Then right through the duration, I wait at the edge of my seat for those expected bumps.”
During short-haul flights, he finds himself checking the map every 10 minutes. On long-haul flights, the ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ director resorts to taking a pill and hoping to drift off to sleep, even as his subconscious mind remains aware of potential turbulence.
As part of his travel anxiety, Karan feels an overwhelming need to be excessively polite to the cabin crew, often smiling like he’s in a toothpaste advertisement.
Regarding his landing routine, KJo said, “An hour before we land, I am all ready (though not at all prepared for any circling or air traffic). Then I rush out and want to overtake every passenger like it’s a limbo race… (no particular reason at all).”
Actress Soni Razdan chimed in with her thoughts in the comments section. She wrote, “Resonate and how. But it’s getting better with time the more I travel. Turbulence is not my friend, but after going to Antarctica, I can do anything.”