2. Will anyone speak English? In very remote areas, the answer is NO. You have only two choices: travel with a guide or speak the language fluently. In populated areas, primarily YES, but even if it is impossible to communicate verbally, there is always sign language and pantomime. I pointed to a chicken in one of the big Maxima Supermarkets prevalent in the Baltic States and asked the counter woman if she spoke English. With a nyet (lot's of Russian speakers), I simply began clucking and flapping my arms like wings, got a smile and "yes nod." On a Paris Metro, the train came to a stop, we sat there like two idiots while everyone got off. The woman across from us motioned to follow her and kept repeating fini, pointed the way to the correspondance (how you change trains in the Paris metro system) until she was sure we understood. (Practice charades before you go);

3. Will I miss my plane/train or misconnect? Another big worry but fortunately it happens infrequently. Perhaps, you can call us lucky or prudent since we traditionally allow an extra day to get to wherever we are going. I don't worry about the return to the United States adopting a que sera attitude;

4. Will the area be safe? I don't really pay much attention to the U.S. State Department or British Government warnings but it goes without saying that we wouldn't travel to an area at war or where high terrorism is going on at the time. Traditionally, you are more likely to get robbed in other nations than killed or injured. A case in point was the recent Baltic States visit where Patty had a necklace ripped off her neck (they've been taking lessons from New York City obviously) and Mort had his pocket picked. In both cases, Patty should have had her necklace inside her sweater neckline where it would be invisible and Mort should have been wearing a money belt;

5. Will I have enough money? We try to cover all bases by bringing two different credit cards (one used only for travel) in case of theft, doesn't work in the country or you are a victim of identity fraud and have to cut it up. That happened to us in Indonesia. Capital One notified me via e-mail, we called collect, verified it was identity theft and had to cut up the card. Fortunately, we had another Visa card with to use. We never travel without the handy-dandy ATM card and some good old American Dollars. A constant warning in all my articles that I must repeat once more. Call your bank and credit card issuers, tell them where you are going and for how long to avoid identity fraud and denied usage. I can't emphasize how important this is;

6. Will I have the proper clothing? Hot climates get cool at night. Cold weather can turn into 60 degree days. Thirty-five straight days of sunshine turns into an unexpected monsoonal flood that never happens at that time of the year. Been there, done it. Throw in a few items for the unexpected. For me, lightweight gloves, Polartec hat, and thermal long underwear, all that weigh next to nothing. AND, always wear your jacket, hiking boots (if needed) on the journey is case luggage doesn't turn up. At least you'll have the important bits with you; and, my newest anxiety...

7. Will the tour group be compatible (if you are traveling with a group)? This was never one of my worries until a tour to Vietnam with Peregrine. There were just four of us and we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye. In one van for 14 days, no one spoke to each other by the end of this trip. Ask your operator what the minimum amount of participants they will go with. If less then six, take a pass. Cliques and attachments do not automatically stop when you graduate high school.

Once on the plane, I can relax knowing that the odds are only one of the seven will happened and I've already done extensive pre-worrying. What is your big travel anxiety? Fill me in and I can add it to my other nightmares. After all, we're all in this together!

Air France offers great fares to Paris and beyond.