‘My family wants to take a vacation but I'm worried….’ Advice from Saba's Care Corner.

Amid the swirl of political attacks, it's hard to move beyond the chaos and prepare ourselves to resist. Here, life coach Saba Bando helps us focus on self-care so that we're ready for the fight.

Welcome back to Saba’s Care Corner!

The last few months have brought an onslaught of attacks on our fundamental rights — it's hard to move beyond the chaos and prepare ourselves to resist. At Saba’s Care Corner, executive and life coach Saba Bando helps us focus on self-care so that we're ready for the fight.

Send her your questions!

May 9, 2025

Dear Saba,

My family wants to take a vacation but I'm worried about coming back into the country. I'm new to activism. Any advice?

Thank you for your question. There is a lot of evidence to support your concerns, and a lot of confusion about what to expect if traveling out of the country. There are plenty of media stories as examples of what can potentially happen. While there is the practical side of things – such as current travel procedures and laws -- there are no guarantees that these will be followed by the current administration. Instead of focusing on these very real practical concerns, let’s instead focus on the aspects of this where you do have control and free will over your decisions.

As you think about how to apply this self-inquiry to your particular circumstances, also keep in mind our interpretation of these “uncertain times ” – a term being said a lot now and often as a negative. Another perspective to consider is that uncertainty is a part of life. A negative or positive view of future events both require our imagination. Either way, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We can prepare for the future, but not predict it.

Photo: Alamy

The 5-Step Framework:

I developed a 5 step framework (The 5 C’s) you may find helpful:

CONCERN: What is my greatest concern right now? Example: my family wants to travel but I’m concerned about returning to the US afterwards.

CARE: What am I caring about? What really matters to me? Examples: to continue living our lives despite the current situation; spending quality time with my family by taking a vacation out of the country; that my new activism could target me and my family while traveling….

If you were to slow down and go a layer deeper, this can be a way to check-in to see or feel if you’re fully grounded in the current reality. If you and your family decide to travel out of the country, it also means you are accepting the possible risks that come with that. You may weigh in on the pluses and minuses of this decision… for example, are you American-born citizens? You may be in a different position right now than others who don’t fall in that category.

COMPASSION: Can I practice self-compassion for the part of me that is worried right now? Examples: I want to travel freely and this is unfair; I don’t want to disappoint my family; if we don’t travel, what will people think? Or, I’ve never worried about this before, why do I have to do it now? My worry makes sense because I don’t want to face any difficulties while traveling.

CLARITY: This is an opportunity to get in touch with your values. What are the values I am choosing to live by? Examples: Being responsible is important to me... I will be responsible for the choices I’m making to travel, including potential risks. I will decide the level of risk and inconvenience I’m willing to take on in order to travel internationally. Or, quality time spent on vacation is important to me… is there another way I can have that experience and feeling without putting myself or my family in potentially harmful situations? Are there other destinations that may be a better option at the moment? A values self-check can help clarify what means the most to you.

CALL TO ACTION: What is the next best step I can take right now? Examples: Do some homework, get some facts. Do your due diligence by keeping up with the latest travel news, travel warnings, new executive orders, and their impact on US travelers. Have an honest conversation with your family about your concerns, and assess everyone’s appetite for taking on additional inconveniences and possible risks due to the current administration’s policies. Tuning into your own values and options, and doing some preparatory research, will likely lead to a greater sense of clarity.

The Resisting Project 2025 campaign released a guide on safer traveling and is available here.

Hopefully you will find some value in this self-inquiry. Let me know what comes up for you. What can we expand on?

Comment below or send me an email: insidewellbeing808@gmail.com.

For more from Saba’s Care Corner, see earlier letters at Resisting Project 2025.

About Saba: An executive and personal coach, Saba Bando is committed to disability rights, women's rights, social justice, and racial justice, and is a first-generation immigrant and proud mother of a wheelchair-user. She resides in the Chicago-area with her husband and son. She also serves as a volunteer coordinator for Resisting Project 2025.

Photo: IStock | WildArt