Aspies and Holidays Abroad

[HelzBelz]

This is more a curiousity thread - I have never had a desire to travel abroad. For me this is multi-faceted; my anxiety makes the unknown of each step too overwhelming for enjoyment, my fear of crowds makes airports and cities a little piece of hell, and my simplistic view of enjoyment means I can get what I enjoy in my home and my area. If I could magically teleport to a warm island to be alone on a beach I would relax and read a book on the beach with a sweet summery drink. So with the beach a half hour drive from here if I wanted this so badly, I could organise this with no stress. I live in New Zealand, so going overseas seems silly when I can find a warm beach, snowy mountains or secluded bush tracks within a few hours of home. And no fears of poisonous or dangerous animals if I venture anywhere. And no concerns of passports and visas and strangers in a strange land with strange customs. Logically, the end result of a holiday can be found in my back yard.
So if this common for aspies? The logic that the same sun shines here, the walking tracks still give you a pleasant ache in the muscles and snow is snow? I step out my back door and have the bright detail of the Milky Way - and I appreciate that a huge portion of the civilized world doesn't have this. I've frequently been told 'it's normal' to want to travel and that I SHOULD explore the world. It doesn't sound to me either fun or relaxing. I might create some new memories and have seen something different, but I'd rather create memories at home with my family and leave the travel to others. I'm totally content here.

 

[Katleya]

It's neither normal or abnormal to want to travel. Whether the process of travelling (not the end result on the warm beach) is stressful or not is a very subjective thing. Some people love the process. Others become sick just from thinking about it. Most people fall somewhere between these 2 extremes, and can decide whether the inconvenience is worth it or not.

I personally love travelling and organizing it. I make PowerPoints with flight and hotel details, itineraries, things to do. Everything is scheduled with a level of precision that makes me look like a total control freak. I like doing the research, I love airports & airplanes (special interest kicks in), and I've found that being abroad in a different culture provided me for a few days with some relief, in that any minor social blunder is usually perceived as because I'm from a different country, which is a breath of fresh air from "you're from here, you should know better and be like everybody else". I also love doing the research on the local language & culture, so usually I'm actually made to feel pretty welcome, and people are a lot more open when you show genuine interest in their way of life --something I'm somehow unable to do back home in day-to-day life.

If it sounds stressful to you & you have no desire to travel, I don't see why you should do it. To feel miserable and waste money? That doesn't make sense.

 

[Momo]

I love traveling, though I supppose I've been moved about my whole life so often it doesn't faze me any more, I remember I went to Thailand 47 times within the first 6 months of my birth! My father is a pilot so travelling has always been a part of my life, so I suppose I just grew to love it.

 

[Ronin82]

I love traveling to new places, but it has to be on my own terms and I have to do all the planning before-hand. While I love the idea of plane rides, I have severe vertigo and can't fly without a special routine to make the flight bearable (I get sick REALLY easily!). So while I love going to new places, I prefer to drive if at all possible. While in new places, I know to arrive a day early to decompress and meltdown from overstimulation and changes in environment and routine. Paying attention to my internal self to figure out when I can be social and explorative, and when its best to sequester myself in the hotel room and watch TV all night is extremely important. Traveling can be a lot of fun if I take the necessary precautions to take care of myself in the process. Learning to navigate my own issues has been challenging, but a fun process!

 

[Sherlock77]

This is more a curiousity thread - I have never had a desire to travel abroad. For me this is multi-faceted; my anxiety makes the unknown of each step too overwhelming for enjoyment, my fear of crowds makes airports and cities a little piece of hell, and my simplistic view of enjoyment means I can get what I enjoy in my home and my area. If I could magically teleport to a warm island to be alone on a beach I would relax and read a book on the beach with a sweet summery drink. So with the beach a half hour drive from here if I wanted this so badly, I could organise this with no stress. I live in New Zealand, so going overseas seems silly when I can find a warm beach, snowy mountains or secluded bush tracks within a few hours of home. And no fears of poisonous or dangerous animals if I venture anywhere. And no concerns of passports and visas and strangers in a strange land with strange customs. Logically, the end result of a holiday can be found in my back yard.
So if this common for aspies? The logic that the same sun shines here, the walking tracks still give you a pleasant ache in the muscles and snow is snow? I step out my back door and have the bright detail of the Milky Way - and I appreciate that a huge portion of the civilized world doesn't have this. I've frequently been told 'it's normal' to want to travel and that I SHOULD explore the world. It doesn't sound to me either fun or relaxing. I might create some new memories and have seen something different, but I'd rather create memories at home with my family and leave the travel to others. I'm totally content here.

I'll borrow a concept from photography... It's been said that it starts right at home, could be your backyard, or the town/city you live in, your neighbourhood, a nearby region, etc...

Learn to appreciate what is immediately around you, whether you take photos or not.

One local photographer here, George Webber, has never photographed professionally outside of western Canada for many years now, while many others have gone on foreign trips to pad their portfolio, some quite often. I've been told that George has great respect well beyond this region despite his lack of travels.

The same thing applies for travel in general, and some people just seem to have less urge to travel much and I seem to be like that, there are so many places to explore in Saskatchewan where I enjoy my driving trips on the prairies.