I'm leaving on vacation in a week and at this point all I can think about is evey possible detail that could go wrong.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Yes,
Even a short trip this happens to me, but especially a vacation. Not sure why, but I think it is normal, and not to worry. U will have a great time. Remember to breath.
Laura

Yes! I spend a lot of time planning (accomodations, area activities, mileage), notifying family of our plans, making and re-doing packing lists, dreaming and looking forward to the trip. Nothing to worry about, right? Well, the week before I start hyperventilating, wondering what I have forgotten. Will the vet take care of the cat if my daughter has no money? What if my daughter loses her house key? Do my sisters have back-up keys? Is our will up to date? Do my clients know I will be away? I go on and on. I tell myself to have confidence in my plans and if something goes wrong on the trip or at home, we'll manage just fine, or if we forgot to pack something, we'll buy it there. Maybe worrying itself is a sign we reeeallly need a vacation!

What can possibly go wrong? Anything you leave home, you can buy at your destination; you can reconfirm your flights & hotels before you leave, & call the hotel concierge for reservations. Plan your wardrobe & lay it out before you actually pack so you can add &/or subtract items.

What else is there?

I worry much more about stuff at home then the actual trip - anything I forgot, I can buy or do without. A credit card, passport and some flexibility can handle anything else. But I do worry about pipes breaking in the house, the cats escaping, the pet sitter forgetting or losing her key, house burning down, my job deciding I am expendable while I am gone, etc. But I think I could handle any of those things as well, so I am not sure why I worry - other than it is genetic.

yes, i get pretty tense before a trip and usually can't sleep the night before we leave. my family jokes about it. although i don't get anxious a whole week in advance. i thought i was an over-planner until i found this website and see how many people plan every last detail of their trips in advance. i would rather familiarize myself with an area's attractions, restaurants, etc and wait till we get there to decide when to do what. my husband and kids think i worry about too many details, but i am the only one who reads up beforehand and sometimes i resent having to feel responsible for the vacation.

There are drugs available for paranoia, anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Or, recall the wise words:
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

Actually, before I leave on vacation I'm usually too busy getting ready for it to worry. But I never sleep the night before I have an early morning flight - worried that I won't wake up in time to get to the airport. I used to schedule 6AM flights a LOT for vacation - on the theory that the sooner you get there the sooner you can relax - but no more! Iwas too tired once I got there to enjoy the day!

And I ALWAYS make sure that several of my neighbors/friends have keys to my place. Helps put my mind at ease.

I always get what is probably called "pre-travel" anxiety, 2-3 days before the trip. Just accept it as part of your vacation! For me it goes away completely the moment I get to my hotel's room.

I do not get anxious about packing or household things. I travel so much that sometimes I irrationally I worry about my travel safety, plane crashes, terrorist acts, etc... I know it's irrational but it seems I just can't help it.
This happens about every 4 or 5 trips (i.e. once a month)
I would like to take something that would make me feel relaxed, kinda like a Vicadin does when I am at the dentist.
Not sure what that would be. Any ideas?

A low dose of valium is often prescribed to people with pre-travel issues (as well as people who hate to fly). As Joan Cusack said in Working Girl, "just take the edge off ever so slightly." But don't forget to check the milligrams!

Jeez, none for me thanks. I don't even take Advil. All natural, baby.

But I pack an hour before I depart and sleep on planes. Just relax . . . .

I just LOVE Joan Cusack in that movie. It was just on this morning, again.
I rarely take medication but during these panic attacks a light dose of something would be nice. I think I would feel like an addict asking my doctor for something, though.
I asked for 2 sleeping pills for a trip to Singapore and he looked at me like I was some strung out junkie. I'm like... it's only -2- for goodness sake.
Seriously, do you think valium would be a good choice?

Can't speak from firsthand experience but my Godmother takes a valium before flying and it calms here immensely. (She's no addict to anything except her morning coffee.) I've heard it works for other people with myriad travel anxieties. I'm also quite certain other options are available.

Tx, try St John's Wort, it's an herb sold in pharmacies - no prescription. Or in health food stores.

Gekko, who said this?

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."

These might be my new words to live by.

For you worriers: Do you worry about horrible things happening all the time, or only when you travel?
I don't worry about my house catching on fire etc. while I'm on vacation or preparing to go on vacation, I'm too busy having fun!!

I i'm more like TxTravelPro, I don't worry about packing or forgeting something or even flying. I worry much more about horrible car accidents, someone getting horribly sick, my kitty home all alone. As for any drugs no thanks, i just try to go on with the mind set that if I wasn't worried that something might actually happen then.

I call it nervous anticipation. I have even gotten anxiety attacks, however it is part of traveling. Enjoy it. Many people live life as though it were a dress rehearsal for a future date. Enjoy it NOW! Even those nervous jitters. If they become incapacitating, of course, ask your doctor for something to, ask the other Fodorite quoted Joan Cusack as saying: "take the edge off."

I don't expect a good portion of you to understand this but I suspect the anxiety I experience is related to the guilt associated with traveling on business and leaving my family at home.
When we travel together I don't have these fears. As I have said before... I work in the travel industry, my brother is a pilot for AA, my sister and sister-in-law work for a major travel agency. I know very well that the fears are irrational but sometimes they creep up on me and I get wrapped in up the fear of leaving my family to pick up the pieces if something should happen to me.
It's sort of a "is it worth it" emotion that drives the anxiety and it seems to happen when I am NOT looking forward to the trip.
I bet a psychiatrist could tell me why it happens. I think I understand but I have no choice but to go anyway. I have never resorted to taking medication, I usually have a couple of bloody mary's to loosen up.