Travelling as an Autistic person

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So my friend wants me to go and visit her, and i would love to, that would be awesome! shes my best friend and we bonded over Sonic (my special Interest) only, she lives in america (New York) and i live in Canada (new brunswick)

The farthest i ever went was maine when i was very young and i only stayed for a day.

she wants me to stay for 2 weeks.

to me, thats fine but it leaves more opportunities for meltdowns.

So in preparations im already getting a Autism alert bracelet ( incase im in public and have a meltdown and separate from her and people find me, i cant really communicate when im in a meltdown so thats what the bracelet is for) and i will be getting my doctor to prescribe me apo lorazepam and seroquel to help with severe panic attacks and meltdowns and i have bought myself stronger noise cancelling headphones for the plane.

but im wondering if i should, while im able to think, come up with a protocol for meltdowns, its not hard for something to trigger a meltdown and the more intense ones are dangerous. I was thinking to divide them into different levels a sort of 1-10 and list actions accordingly to help soothe and what have helped in the past.

has anyone here travelled before and how did it go?

New York City?

If you go into Manhattan, be prepared for sensory bombardment. Most of NYC outside of Manhattan is like most somewhat urban places in the US.

I travel quite frequently, and it's tiring and often overwhelming, but frequently fun when I get where I'm going (I've never traveled alone though, only with my family. The thought of navigating an airport on my own makes me anxious). Things that help me are:

Having a step by step list of how things will go in the airport (i.e, check baggage, security, find my gate, etc.)

Having easy but secure access to all my documents (passport, ID, etc.)

Wearing comfortable, sensory-friendly clothing that doesn't have a lot of metal (so it doesn't set off the metal detectors)

Having my electronics (phone, tablet, 3DS etc.) fully charged in case there ends up being a delay and I'm stuck at the gate for a while

Noise-cancelling headphones and my ipod

Cash on-hand for snacks, etc (both domestic and foreign currency for when I'm traveling internationally, so I can buy things regardless of which country I'm in.)

Security object that I can hide in or focus all my attention on in case of sensory overload or anxiety (I love my dinosaur hoodie because I can pull my knees and head into it and it becomes like a dark, portable shelter. I also never go anywhere without my stuffed dragon because the tactile input of his fur and his familiar smell make me feel safer.)

Sleeping medication or melatonin (I don't know how long the flight from New Brunswick to New York is, but sleeping on a plane is pretty much impossible, no matter how exhausted you are.)

Little things in your hand-luggage to keep you occupied (books, colouring supplies, aforementioned electronics, etc.)

A couple pieces of advice I have as far as traveling: It feels kind of crappy physically; you feel exhausted but too wound up to sleep, and it's often really hard to tell if you're hungry or not. I always either feel hungry but don't want to eat, or I want to eat but don't feel hungry. This feeling does a number on your sensory issues, and you might find yourself getting snappy and irritable or more easily overwhelmed without being aware of why.

No matter how warm it is where you're coming from or going to, always bring a sweater and wear long pants. The recycled air on planes is frequently cold, and the aforementioned exhaustion can cause you to get cold more easily too. Plus for me, layers of clothing feel like a buffer against the crowds of people. In this same vein, always wear comfortable shoes, preferably sneakers. You're going to be doing a lot of standing and walking around at the airport.

Read up on the rules concerning what you can and can't bring on board a pane (e.g more than three ounces of liquids, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.) Having a run-in with security because you accidentally brought something you weren't supposed to can be frustrating and anxiety inducing. If you're not sure about something, you can always call the airline and find out.

It depends on the airport, but many have services for people with disabilities if you call in advance, things like expedited passage through security lines and pre-boarding for the plane. I personally take advantage of the pre-boarding when I fly because trying to find my seat and get settled in surrounded by so many noisy strangers all jostling for space is too much for me sensory-wise, and by that time, my patience has dropped considerably, making me more vulnerable to frustrated outbursts.

Anyway, that's all I have for the time being, sorry this got so long! Hopefully you find some of it useful, and have a good trip!

when i was 19 (so, in december), i traveled on my own to south central europe, some 6000 miles away from where i live.


i didn't know anyone there, but i never go overwhelmed....the above post makes my planned one completely redundant (which happens a lot to me here) but...

for traveling internationally i'd advise to make sure what the document/visa requirements are and getting them sorted out well in advance. many countries have e visa systems where you can just print the documents out, i did that but surprisingly i never ended up having to "use" my visa. turkey.

having your trip planned in advance, an itinerary, can be calming and possibly reduce stress due to routine, but if you ask me it's more fulfilling/fun to not plan every day as much.

though my autism doesn't seem to be like yours.

bring a portable charger if you use your phone a lot. mine saved my arse many times. notably by using it to look up bus schedules.

have fun!!

find out what there is to go in the area you're going to...things that might interest you!

Used to travel a bit as a young 20 something. Always felt very stressed until I shut the hotel door at the other end. I would go through the airport process in my head a hundred times and would have a book with me to lose myself in.

I normally go abroad at least once a year. So far this year, I've been to Portugal and Spain. I don't particularly enjoy flying but I can tolerate it. I'd love to travel abroad on a train rather than flying at least once as I think I would find it a more enjoyable way to travel. Luckily, it is possible for me to travel from London to the European continent via train. Although the current choice of direct routes is limited, you can make quite a wide range of onward journeys once you're in Paris or Brussels.

i always wanted to travel by myself, but i never have the nerve to do it. i've been on numerous trips and know what to do, but there's always that one scenario that i keep having in my head that something will go wrong and i wouldn't know what i would do if i didn't have someone there to help me.

I have only done it a few times, traveling abroad on my own that is. I was going to come over for the eclipse but in truth, I lost my nerve. What I would say is pace yourself and plan. Write down in chronological order what you need to do to get there so you can tick them off as you go along and have a plan B ready in case there is some kind of unavoidable change. Break things down and give yourself plenty of time to get anywhere (even the thought of being late inducing panic) Factor in worse case scenarios to make sure you have enough time to make your connections. When you are there, or even on the way give yourself to "come down" from what ever overload is coming your way, we need down time.

I feel like I am writing this for me, which I probably am. I would add sunglasses to the head phones. I don't usually have a problem with noise, but if I combine it with millions of people, bright lights and heat then I am going to run into a problem. I usually wear head phones and sun glasses to stop anyone talking to me.

I would love to attend a tennis tournament someday. That would be a lot of fun.

Here the chart i made that better explains my meltdowns

One of the airports closest to me posted a video on their website which explained, step by step, everything you would have to do leading up to getting on the plane - specifically for autistics. Check to see if they have one of those for you, I found it very helpful!

I have done a lot of international travel recently. Being prepared is definitely key but the first post definitely covered that. I have long legs so I would always get exit row seats.

I had a very good routine to get onto the plane at the start of boarding by just being in the correct place at the right time. I'd get to the gate early so I could get a seat (and I'd just read for an hour or so). 10 mins before the plane's boarding time, i'd go to the bathroom and come back and stand where the normal economy line started so that as soon as a line started to form, I was right near the start of it. I'd also make sure to have bought snacks and drinks (after going through the security screening) in my backpack. Getting off the plane is easy.Stay sitting until people are actually moving (takes about 10 mins after being able to remove seatbelts) and then basically follow the group to the luggage collection. Have your friend meet you as soon as they can. I'm bad at recognising faces so if i'm meeting someone new I get them to send me a picture of what they're wearing to the airport.

Good luck and safe travels.