MT7 - Fear of Flying with Johnny Jet

Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

Chris Christensen

History, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Johnny Jet shares his deeply personal story of overcoming a debilitating fear of flying before becoming a travel expert. A dream trip to Australia in high school was derailed when, at the airport, he had a panic attack and refused to board the plane, devastating his family and himself. He spent the next three years struggling with anxiety and fear—not just of flying, but even of leaving home. Learn what triggered this and how Johnny dealt with it. Johnny created a travel newsletter and website in 1995 that he has been publishing ever since. ✅ Tips for Overcoming Fear of Flying Visualize flying—even simulate it at home. Speak with pilots or flight attendants to understand the safety and mechanics of flight. Start small—book shorter flights on larger planes for a smoother experience. Break up long-haul trips with stopovers (e.g., Hawaii or Fiji en route to Australia). Distract yourself with music, reading, or a hobby during takeoff. Avoid alcohol and drugs, which can worsen anxiety and behavior. Consider fear of flying courses, including airline programs with simulators and pilots. Practice gratitude and perspective—remember that flying opens the world. https://amateurtraveler.com/fear-of-flying/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Traveling is fun, inspiring, and in many cases, life-changing.
0:03.8	But for the people who live in these destinations, it's not always for the better.
0:07.9	This is Peak Travel, a podcast from W. H.Y. And we're back with our second season.
0:13.2	I'm your host, Terri Ramesh Zazawa. We're traveling the world, tailgating the Super Bowl in New Orleans,
0:18.9	touring ancient caves in Petra, and summiting Himalayan peaks in Bhutan,
0:22.9	all to figure out how travel shapes communities and hotspots around the world, and how we can do it better.
0:28.7	Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
0:31.2	This is not your normal amateur traveler episode, but a bonus episode.
0:35.1	I'm calling the more travel episodes. And this one is about
0:38.2	fear of flying with our guest, Johnny Jett. This is Chris Christensen from Amateur Traveler. Let's talk
0:44.1	about fear of flying. I'd like to welcome the show Johnny Jett, who I have not seen in person
0:51.8	that many times since we traveled together on the Dwaro River in Portugal.
0:56.7	But Johnny's come to talk to us about fear of flying.
1:00.7	Johnny, welcome to the show.
1:02.0	Thank you for having me.
1:02.8	I can't believe it's been that long.
1:04.8	It is, you had no kids at the time and your kids are in grad school now, I think.
1:10.0	I have an eight-year-old and a 5-year-old.
1:12.7	Yeah, so it's been a little while.
1:14.1	It's been a bit.
1:15.3	So it is ironic that we have you on talking about fear of flying because your parents named you Johnny Jett.
1:21.4	Yes, that's not my real name, but it's my nickname.
	...

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