[Travel Insurance] Add coverage for last-minute trip cancellations due to personal emergencies

Hi, I cancelled my first solo trip a couple of days ago and wanted to share with you what I learned and as a reminder for anyone in a similar situation in the future. Might be helpful for the anxious travelers and first-timers among us. \--- **A little bit of context...** I was having a hard time emotionally during the last couple of months. Broke up with my girlfriend 6 months ago, which still affects me, since the whole 3-year relationship was pretty unhealthy. Need to look for a new job, because I am going to be affected by a mass layoff in summer and situation at work is stressful because of that. My dad got an unexpected heart surgery the week I wanted to go. I have been questioning fundamental things in my life since beginning of last year and going. Have been in therapy in 2025 because of my mental health issues, which have been part of all my adult life (prone to anxiety, depressive episodes). My main reasons to do the trip where having a genuine interest in seeing the world and experience nature, culture, people, food, getting to know strangers - even just for a quick chat. I would call myself an introvert and am comfortable to spend time on my own (which I already do a lot lol), but can be pretty social, especially when meeting new people. Everything was sorted out, got the flight tickets, got accommodations, had a plan how to get around, what to see and do. Felt very confident about my plan and about me being able to do it. \--- **Where it went wrong...** During the days before the start of the trip, I started to become more and more anxious about going. Worried about feeling lonely, not enjoying it on my own, anxious about flying because I have a history of being a nervous flyer in the past. I started justifying to cancel the trip, like "What am I doing? Who do I want to impress? Is this really something which is important to me?". I was starting to worry about all the things that could go wrong and imagined being stuck there alone, feeling lonely and anxious, leaning into all kinds of worst-case scenarios. I received the news, that my dad got an unexpected heart surgery (thank God he is fine) which added up to all this self-made stress. \--- **What I learned...** *Having fear of the unknown and negative emotions in general is a normal reaction of the brain trying to protect us from being harmed* It is human and not going to go away. You need to experience the unknown to gather real world data, to be able to make an assessment based on the truth - everything else in noise. *Worst case scenarios are not based in reality and not helpful* They just add to the fear, which puts your nervous system in a state of "fight or flight". Your subconscious mind will take over and you loose your ability for clear thinking. *Fluctuating emotions should not affect your actions too much* I have been controlled by my emotions for almost all my life. Feel them, recognize that they are there, ask yourself, what they are trying to tell you, but don't act impulsively on them. *Pack early* I was procrastinating on packing which added to the overall stress. I had to work until the last day before departure as well. Next time, I will have my backpack ready a couple of days before leaving and take at least 1 day off, before departure. *It is okay to not take a trip if you are not in a good place mentally or other reasons* There is always a right time and place, and maybe this time has not come. So be gentle if you are really not ready. I think part of me wanted to do this trip to prove myself, that I am doing fine, regardless of what's going on in my life and it backfired. \--- Maybe it could have helped me to go, maybe not, I will never know, but I am looking forward to travel solo in the future. I am disappointed and sad, for not taking the trip and letting my fear rule me, but I take it as a lesson and don't beat myself up over it. Very possible, that I will enjoy a solo trip even more, when everything else got a bit more stable again. It's easier said than done, now that the anxiety is gone and clear thinking is back but don't let your fears stop you from seeing the world if this is something you really want to do. \- Has anybody experienced something similar? How did you move on with your solo-travel journey? Does anybody else has tips and tricks do deal with this to help others, who struggle with pre-travel anxiety/panic and doubts?