Our founder's story: Nicola Bonn and her life-long fear of flying

If I can do it you can too!

First of all, I just wanted to say welcome to Get On The Plane and that if you have a fear of flying then you are in good company because I have been petrified of it since I was 8 (I'm now 44!).

The last flight I remember enjoying was when I was 6. I was going to Tenerife with my parents and grandparents and I have distinct memories of racing up and down the plane, visiting my grandparents in the smoking section (I can't believe that was actually a thing). I remember smiling, laughing and thinking that flying was the most exciting thing ever.

Fast forward a couple of years and I was having a full on panic attack during take off on a Monarch (or was it Britannia?) flight to Menorca. I was absolutely certain that the plane was falling out of the sky and my level of fear was extreme enough for the pilot to hear me screaming.

My parents were mortified and didn't know what to do with me. I saw a child psychologist who tried to help me see sense (it didn't work) and ended up being the youngest person to ever go on a BA Fear of Flying Course.

Over the years I've cried on countless flights, spent weeks before holidays feeling sick with dread, I've been hypnotised, paid for awful online courses that don't work, been on countless fear of flying courses, taken benzodiazepines that have at times made me behave like Annie from Bridesmaids and saddest of all, I've missed making memories on important family holidays when I simply couldn't face the flight. (Which has led to utter heartache for me, my kids and my husband.)

In short, if you're scared of flying I TOTALLY get it.

So, why I hear you ask is such a fearful flyer the person to set up a destination that encourages people to get on the plane? Well it turns out that there are certain things that really do help and after years of terror, I feel like I've finally worked out what's needed to be able to tolerate a flight and even enjoy it a bit (there's been a lot of trial and error, believe me ).

There are some people who can go on a fear of flying course or see a hypnotherapist and totally get over their fear, but for people like me and perhaps you, there is no one magic solution and, being honest, I don't think we'll ever feel 100% happy about flying.

HOWEVER there are tools and tricks that can help us cope and get us to the point where we no longer feel overtaken by fear, either of the plane crashing or of losing control due to panic (which is way more common than you'd think – the fear, not the actual losing control bit).

I believe we can get to a point where we feel calm enough that we may even enjoy parts of the flight and most importantly don't dread it to such an extent that it ruins important opportunities to travel and experience the world with the people we love.

Get On The Plane is the supportive, uplifting, positive space that I've so needed for all these years and I'm so happy to create it for us. You'll find so many of the things you need to get you in a positive headspace that will get you on that plane and hopefully empower you during the flight. Here's just some of what we offer:

• Events, workshops and Q&As with our amazing in-house pilot Senior First Officer Claudine Miles and team of experts.

• Calming and breathing techniques that actually help (rather than leading to increased feelings of panic).

• Audio downloads to keep you positive and calm both before your flight and when you're on board

• Our Zen In The Sky Kit with all the things that keep me in the right state of mind when I'm on the plane

• A positive and supportive community that you can connect with in the lead up to your flight and once you reach your destination (if you're anything like me, you start stressing about the flight back about 4 days into your holiday).

• We can help organise support in the airport and once you're on your flight

• Real, honest, no BS advice from someone who really gets what it is to have this fear and the repurcussions on your personal and family life.

So let's get you on that plane and rest assured, I'll be cheering you on all the way!

Nicola x