Travel tips: How to travel when your neurodivergent individuals with anxiety

This will be quite an extensive list, because if you're anything like me, you like to know in advance what to expect and plan for different situations.

1) Travel with friends, family, or someone you love and trust, who knows you, and will be understanding about your anxiety and needs.

2) Do not ever travel solo as a female to a country that females shouldn’t travel to, even how inviting/eciting it looks. Always travel with someone and hire a local guide, especially in places like Morocco, Egypt, afsgangan ect.

3) Extensive planning and preparation can help ease your anxiety, feel more in control, and calmer about your trip.

Understanding language: Google Lens is a lifesaver for translating languages.

• Many service people know a little English in many European city centers; the further out you go, the less likely you are to find people who can speak English.

• It’s polite to learn the country’s language for basic words like ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’, ‘Can I pay’, ‘Where is the toilet’, etc. Google can help you with this, asking someone you know who knows the language, looking at YouTube videos, or using the app Duolingo.

Plane: Traveling via plane can be scary!

1) Use Loops to dim the sound or listen to music with earphones.

2) Chew gum, or suck on boiled sweets when taking off to help with your ears from popping.

3) Bring entertainment, you have to wait 2 hours at the airport, and then sometimes, when boarding your plane, for up to 40 minutes - this is when it’s a full flight, individuals need help, or technical issues. And you’ll have no internet on your phone, unless you pay for it, and sometimes that can be bad quality, due to the weather and signal.

4) Bring tissues and Tums - you might have an upset stomach. You don’t want to go into a stall, and there isn’t any toilet tissue when you have the runs. Carrying anti-dioreha tablets might also help, and some anti-histamines. I like Piriton.

Planning is key: Planning allows you to have some control and to know what to expect.

• Here are my best tips for planning…..

  • Transport: Download Uber and have that at your fingertips if you're out and about and need to get back to your accommodation quickly and safely. You then don’t have to speak to the taxi driver or sort out money by hand, it’s digitally done.

  • - Download and use Google Maps to help you get from A to B, and navigate around places. It gives you pretty accurate public transport options like buses, trains, and trams.

  • Self-care and planning: Schedule downtime after your travel and self-care. Don’t just jump back into work; take a day or two off to re-regulate yourself and prepare for holiday blues.

  • - Carry a stim toy, or a comfort smooth rock to rub in your pocket, or whatever works for you. Download calm, breathing exercises, or an online therapist on your phone.

  • - Schedule the first couple of days to have downtime/naps due to jet lag if you are traveling anywhere with a big time difference. You may feel tired. When I went to the USA, I liked that my watch didn’t change time, so I always knew what time it was back home.

  • - Don’t skimp on travel insurance: should something happen, at least you know you’ll be covered for your medical costs.

  • - Activities for things to do: Bring a book, download movies from YouTube, or download games onto your phone. You might not have stable internet.

  • - Talk with your therapist beforehand, they might prescribe you sedatives, or anti-anxiety meds, etc., for your trip to help with your mental state.

  • Money: ALWAYS over budget and inflate your price, including having an emergency fund, so you don’t have to worry about running out of money. It’s then a perk for when you go home, or you can put it towards the next trip.

  • - Get cash exchanged before your trip (at the bank/post office/airport). Pop some in your purse, your suitcase, and in your sock/bra or someplace, so you always have cash on you, should your card not work, or you encounter an emergency.

  • Navigating around: Join groups on social media (Facebook) and ask questions in the group for recommendations. For example, I was in a Disneyland group, which helped answer questions I had, and saw recommendation tips from other travellers.

  • - Google, where the local hospital is, the nearest pharmacy, and other essential places. Write them down in a notebook, or print out the directions and your list, so you have it, should an emergency occur.

  • - Buy a map of the city, so you have a physical map, or print one out from Google - should your phone not work, and then you will know how to get around the city with less stress.

  • Food: Check restaurant menus prior to visiting, or Google supermarkets available in the town/ city you're visiting. Then you can go online to that supermarket to see what type of food is available and the prices. Then you can plan your meals and eat your safe foods, and budget appropriately.

  • - Pack your safe foods and rely on bottled water, rather than tap water.

  • Accommodation: Using Airbnb is good, because some users on there are very thorough with details on how to get to the location, available local places, and items they have, etc.

  • If you're staying at a hotel, look at their website's frequently asked questions, or give them an email/call.

  • Packing: Clean your house before you leave; when you come home, you’ll back to a clean and organised house, and then all you need to do is unpack and do laundry. Make sure you take out your bins and empty your fridge if you are going for one or more weeks. Then your food won’t go rotten in your fridge, etc. Also, don’t forget to ensure you have enough medication, you have sorted out your pets, and you leave a document with the details of your stay - should anything happen to you, then someone will know where you are staying, where you were planning on going, and it could help. Schedule an appointment with your therapist or your confidant for when you arrive home, so you can decompress.

  • - I like to do a load of laundry a couple of days before I leave, so I don’t have to do it all when I get home. It reduces the mental load and helps with one less task for travel burnout.

  • - I immediately unpack when I get home, or the day after. Then the job is done. If you procrastinate, it won’t get done for like forever! A clear mind is a happy mind.

  • - You cannot take any liquids over 100mls past security, but you can in a bag if you ‘check it’ before hand.

  • - Double-check the rules of the airport about what you are allowed to take and bring back from the country you are visiting, so you don’t get stopped by security.

  I hope this list helps you. Love and light, Victoria Louise.