The Most Common Travel Dreams and What They Mean

You can catch them, but you might not be able to decode them. (Photo: Stocksy)

Travel-related dreams are among the most common kinds of dreams we have.

From scoring that coveted spot on a gorgeous beach to perishing in a plane crash, travel dreams have a range from delightful to terrifying.

Yahoo Travel spoke with Dream Interpreter and author Lauri Loewenberg about the most common travel dreams that people have and what exactly our subconscious is trying to tell us while we are asleep.

Where is this subway taking me…in a metaphorical sense. (Photo: Stocksy)

Plane crash - The most common travel-related dream is actually the airplane crash dream. “It is really, really common,“ explains Loewenberg, who wrote the book ‘Dream On It: Unlock Your Dreams, Change Your Life.’

While terrifying, the plane crash dream may not actually spell doom in real life.

“If this dream were a premonition then everyone would die in a plane crash since it is so common. This dream is not at all about your traveling but rather something in your life that you had high hopes for, something that you hoped would take off and go places but instead it came crashing down. You get this dream when you have had a big let down or when your hopes were dashed.”

Related: Fly Safer—Tips to Help You Survive a Plane Crash

And not all transportation related dreams mean the same thing. Each mode of transport that appears in your dreams is symbolic of a different area in your life.
“In every dream, the details in the dream will point to specific things in your own life,” Loewenberg explains. "So the type of vehicle will be connected to a certain part of your life. Planes are typically about things that we want to take off, things we are hoping for, high aspirations.

Boats - A boat in your dream is typically connected to a more emotional thing, in particular they tend to be connected to relationships."Water in dreams often reflects our emotional state.

"Cloudy, muddy water can link to depression. Clear water would point to clear thinking and certainty,” Loewenberg says.

It can also be indicative of your love life. Two ships can literally equate to two ships passing in the night. This could spell a missed opportunity in your current love life.

Driving in a car - If you are traveling alone in a car, this can mean that you are facing some difficult situations and worries. However, if you are with family members, this might signify that you have found new and interesting friends in the work place.

"Your car dreams are your inner GPS pointing you where to go or telling you when to stop,” says Loewenberg. "If you follow the signs in your car dreams, you will never be steered off course.”

Flying like Superman - Flying through the air like a superhero, without the need for a plane is an incredibly common dream.

“Dreaming that you are flying with your own body is particularly common in childhood and it does taper off as we get older but, as adults, we still will get the flying dream from time to time,” says Loewenberg.

It’s a bird…it’s a plane….it’s you? (Photo: Stocksy)

"The flying dream is a really great dream in most cases because it will symbolize that you are realizing your abilities and your own power. That you are rising above where you were before, to free yourself from a situation that may have been weighing you down. People who get the flying dream a lot are typically very goal orientated and have high expectations of themselves,” Loewenberg says. "It is more common in children because they have great imaginations. We will run around the yard as a kid with our arms out pretending that we are flying. And life is typically more fun when you are younger. As you get older life becomes hard. You have issues, you have problems, you have bills. And so life starts to weigh you down and that will also weigh down your dreams.”

What does it mean if you find yourself alone in the desert? (Photo: Stocksy)

Where you travel to in your dreams can also be as significant as the mode you use to get there. Loewenberg also explained what each popular travel destination that appears in your dreams can signify.

Being in the desert - “Being in the desert would usually be connected to some area of your life that is not productive. Maybe it is your love life, maybe it is something going on in your career. But its dried up. Nothing is going on.”

Related: Searching for UFOs in the Atacama Desert

Are your dreams telling you to relax a little? (Photo: Stocksy)

Being at the beach - “The beach dream is a great dream and is connected with you feeling the need to reward yourself for a job well done. It’s you saying that it is time to relax now, maybe because you have been going through something difficult or you have worked really hard at something. And now your very wise subconscious mind is saying, ok now it is time to relax. Lets just treat ourselves.”

Related: America’s Buzziest Beach Towns

What does it mean when you find yourself lost in the jungle? (Photo: Stocksy)

Being in the jungle - “If you are feeling lost or a little threatened while you are in that jungle, it could mean that you have a lot of things going on or that you are feeling a little confused and lost and maybe lacking direction. There is so much going on that you don’t know what to tackle first.“

You’ve reached the summit….now what? (Photo: Stocksy)

Standing on top of a mountain “Dreaming of standing on the top of a mountain is about accomplishment,” says Loewenberg. "It’s about feeling on top of your game and having risen to your own high expectations.”

Being on top of a mountain and afraid of falling can mean something entirely different. The fear of falling shows that you are focusing too much on what can or will go wrong in your life instead of focusing on what is going well.

We’ve all had the astronaut dream. (Photo: Stocksy)

Space Travel"Spaceships, UFO’s and rockets are all modes of transport that travel high into the sky, and when they appear in dreams they can be representative of our extreme desire to travel to or move beyond our current world,” explains Loewenberg. “UFOs, in particular, tend to be connected to a path in life that is ‘alien’ to the dreamer, something never encountered before. In a positive context, it is a journey capable of changing the dreamer’s world. In a negative context, it is a path that threatens to pull or ‘abduct’ the dreamer out of his or her comfort zone or daily routine.”

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