Tips on preparing for travel / vacation

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Hi,

I will be travelling to Japan in April with my wife and kids and I'm a little nervous as I've never been on a trip like this before. We've been on a few holidays around Australia (where we live) and they haven't gone too well. I get very upset by the change in routine and surroundings and end up ruining the trip for everyone.

I've been doing some research on travel tips for people with Aspergers but most sites are focused on kids.

My plan is to do as much research as possible on our hotel, surroundings, transport options and places to eat so I'll know what to expect and everything won't seem too unfamiliar when we get there.

Just wanted to see if you guys had any tips on travelling and ways I can prepare in advance?

This trip is a big deal for my family and I'm so worried that I'm going to mess it up for them.

Thanks!

My only tip is a packing one, purely because my stress always begins when everyone is last-minute packing!

I always pack at least the day before. Absolutely everything that I'll need gets packed into suitcases. Then, the next morning when I'm getting ready, I unpack things one by one as I need them and then immediately put them back. It helps me to avoid that last minute rush, but also ensures that I've packed everything I need. If I use something in the morning that I haven't had to pull from my suitcase, I realise that I forgot to pack it in the first place! If everything I need that mornings has to be taken from my suitcase, I feel confident that I've packed properly.

Most people see that as ridiculous. My husband wonders why I pack things that I'm going to need the next morning. But it helps a lot.

definitely make sure you have plenty of time to pack.

try and exchange currency for all the places you plan to visit, before you leave. most banks offer this service. don't assume that you will find an exchange location over there when you arrive, i made that mistake in december when i went to austria from croatia. i had to haggle with the bus driver on the return trip as i couldn't find a place there to change kunas into euros, and i lacked enough euros. he caved and let me pay in kunas, but definitely try to avoid having to do that. (though in retrospect, it was a funny experience)

bus/train tickets, etc, are useful to have either before you leave, or as soon as possible once you get there. most airports sell them, at least for the city they're in. my cousin went to japan last month and he bought a multi day pass to the famed bullet train online. not sure what site he used though.

try to get aisle seats on the plane, so you can move around during cruising and not have to go over anyone. the best ones for that purpose are aisle seats in the middle row, in a plane with 3 rows of seats, so only one person will have to climb over you, as opposed to two if you have an aisle seat in any of the side rows.

i recommend around $50 per person, per day to spend, though maybe the kids don't need that much for themselves. how young are they?

i've heard japanese social culture is very accommodating for and meshes well with the social issues people on the spectrum might have. i've never been there myself, of course, but it's possible you won't feel horribly awkward.

Thanks for the tips!

Yeah, I've already started to make a big check list of things to pack so that I'm not freaking out at the last minute. Whenever I think of something it goes on the list.

Flights, transfers and hotel have all been booked by my wife, so now I'm just trying to find out as much as I can in advance. Like room layout, hotel facilities, food options, etc.

I want to try and know as much as I can in advance so I don't feel completely lost when we get there.

got any layovers?

some airports offer 'layover tours' of the city the airport is in, if the wait is long enough. that might be a fun way to pass the time and you get to see some pretty nifty sights on the way to your destination, but they don't do those everywhere. istanbul (ataturk) offers them, i was stuck there 13 hours both ways in december, but i was there overnight, and with the current political happenings there, i decided not to risk it.

check the maximum baggage weight (both checked and carry on) with your airline before you leave, to avoid extra fees.

hope you guys get good food on the flight.

Visiting Japan has always been on my bucket list. A beautiful place for a trip indeed. Leave your stress behind.

Japan is amazing country, it is one of a kind and associates with futuristic world of technologies, manga culture and special Asian philosophy. I envy you! As for the travel tips, different recommend to book pocket wifi, to be an early bird, don't neglect cheap domestic flights.

Very late to reply to this, but might be useful to someone else.

If you switch to satellite view on Google maps, then zoom all the way in to where you want to explore, , it will switch to street view (if it hasn't right away, keep scrolling in) and you can walk down the street virtually. You can even swivel the camera and look at stores and other things along the street. It's really great for figuring out how a place looks and feels.

It sounds obvious, but I find that doing research beforehand can help with things that make me worried or unsettled on holiday. So I might research best ways to get to/from places (e.g. airports, accommodation, etc), or what things there are to do at places we're going to visit.

We also tend to plan roughly what is happening on each day. We started doing this for our kids, but it makes me feel better too.

Finally, I've gradually got better at accepting that I'll be unsettled by holidays (due to all the change) and have accepted that sometimes it is OK for me to take a bit of quiet time during a holiday to calm down. This seems to end up making it better for all of us.