Taming the Pre-Trip Jitters: What Outdoor Educators Need to Know About Anxiety in OEE Programs

Jun 26 / Curt Davidson

Outdoor Experiential Education (OEE) offers participants adventure, challenge, and growth, but it also comes with a less celebrated companion: anxiety. A new study by Alpenglow & the Sustainable Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Lab at Utah State University dives deep into the who, when, and why of pre-trip anxiety, and the findings are full of gems for practitioners ready to turn stress into success.


Pre-Trip Anxiety: It's a Thing

If you're leading backpacking, kayaking, or rock climbing courses, odds are your students aren't just packing gear; they're also packing nerves. This study found that anxiety levels don't necessarily skyrocket the night before a trip. Instead, they remain relatively steady in the weeks leading up, which means there’s time to intervene early and often.

What Makes Students Sweat? The Top Worries

When it comes to what keeps students up at night before an OEE trip, it’s not bears or broken gear. It's food, hygiene, and social dynamics that top the list. That’s right, the data show that students are more worried about what's for dinner and who they'll sit next to than about injury or bad weather.


Here's how students ranked their pre-trip worries:

  1. Food
  2. Hygiene
  3. Social interactions
  4. Performance ability


Pro tip: Want to ease nerves? Be upfront about the menu, hygiene options, and social expectations.

Experience Matters (A Lot)

Unsurprisingly, first-timers are more anxious. Participants with less outdoor experience reported significantly higher levels of anxiety. This finding reinforces the idea that early exposure and skill-building workshops can be an anxiety buffer. In the Behavioral First Responder learning series, we advocate telling students.

1.     What they’ll do

2.     What they’ll learn

And perhaps most importantly,

3.     How they’ll feel


Introduce low-risk prep activities like:

  • Mini gear demos
  • Day hikes or indoor climbing
  • Team-building meetups before the course starts (initiatives really do work!)


All of these give newcomers the confidence boost they need to step outside their comfort zones—literally.

Women Report Higher Anxiety—Especially Near Water

Female-identifying participants consistently reported higher pre-trip anxiety, particularly for water-based courses like kayaking. Whether due to social norms, menstruation issues, or past exposure levels, this gender difference was most pronounced right before departure for their trip.

Instead of generalizing, use this insight to tailor support:

  • Offer choice-based activities when possible.
  • Normalize pre-trip jitters in all genders during prep meetings.
  • Create mentorship spaces to talk about fears and share success stories.


Instructors Aren't Immune, But They're Less Anxious

Instructors had lower anxiety levels overall, but they’re not superhuman. Staff worries centered on performance ability and environmental conditions, showing that even seasoned pros have butterflies, too.


Support your staff by:

  • Offering refresher training
  • Providing downtime before trips
  • Encouraging peer-to-peer debriefs

After all, confident instructors help shape confident students.

Takeaways for OEE Program Design

This research suggests anxiety is both predictable and manageable. Here’s how to make your program anxiety-smart:

  1. Start early: Don’t wait until right before the course. Begin anxiety-reducing strategies two weeks out.
  2. Address the basics: Food, bathrooms, and who sits where matter more than epic views.
  3. Prep for experience gaps: Get beginners comfortable before the adventure starts.
  4. Use gender-informed design: Consider inclusive language and varied comfort levels.
  5. Support your team: Instructor anxiety matters too, and managing it pays dividends.


This research is a game-changer for how we approach anxiety in Experiential Education. Our anxiety module in the Behavioral First Responder learning series already reflects the new data-driven insights from this work. You'll learn how to use this information and much more in that learning series. Check it out today!

Ready to take action on this research?
Our Behavioral First Responder Certification gives you practical tools to address anxiety, support your team, and lead with confidence.

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