Do you travel well or have travel anxiety?

[Triniti]

I'm from the UK but live abroad, so travel to the UK once every couple of years or so.

Wow! So you've been all over. I've never left the UK before.

 

[paloftoon]

If you can afford it, and if longer trips annoy you, try to break your trip up. Like a 10 hr car ride could be broken up into 5 2-hr car rides, and plan it out. Baby steps.

For getting a job, look for options where you can walk or will force yourself to walk no matter the mileage and weather. Unless you have a physical disability, the only one preventing you from walking is you!

 

[clg114]

I usually travel well and actually like going to airports.

I also travel well, but do NOT like going to airports. Too many people, too much poking & prodding, too many rules and too many things that I can't have. I understand that it is all for safety, it is just not for me.

 

[KRISTEN deanna AKLAND]

I get that way sometimes. The thing that's hardest for me is that I am terrified of public restrooms, which are a necessity when traveling. Last trip I took last year was a European cruise with my mom. That went pretty smooth until the return trip. We would have missed our connecting flight but the flight crew got delayed. I kinda made a bit of a scene. It was embarrassing but we got through it.
We all(even the NTs I know) have our own anxieties.

 

[Streetwise]

Hi,

Am curious to know if anyone here suffers from travel anxiety? When I was little occasionally I used to suffer from bad anxiety when we had to travel than the few miles into our town, but the 45 miles to where my grandparents live was too much and resulted in anxiety and attacks leading up to the day in question. Then on the day of travel, we would take my dads car, if I went nine times out of ten I'd have a panic attack and end up sick along the way.

I'm a bit older now but my travel anxiety is even worse now. Any journey even the short ones into town make me so anxious and give me anxiety symptoms leading up to it and on the day.

I never go anywhere now. No job, no friends just extreme anxiety. Also another form of this is that when I'm in the car and travelling I need the toilet and need to wee literally within five minutes of the journey starting. And on hour long journeys it becomes so difficult, especially as most public toilets are closed here now.

This morning I was meant to go with my dad to see my grandma but the anxiety was severe and I backed out and now I feel so guilty and bad.

I know that the logical thing to do is to go to the doctors but I get severe panic attacks when I go so I don't go.
But I realize that this is becoming really bad for me.

If !you want! to start !to change !it !the idea with a phobia is !!do a very small amount, at a time ,what I do is ,think about travelling to the next city and then think about going to the outside of the railway station ,then the next time getting further into the railway station and so on and so on .i’ve thought about it and think about it ,If you’re seeing a therapist they will accompany you ,if they choose to.

 

[Streetwise]

Wow! So you've been all over. I've never left the UK before.

One thing if you choose to go to another country ,don’t go to one that has a lot of security protocols in place it will put you off, all countries have security no but some have more.

 

[Freakunique]

I really relate to this.
I have always been stressed about being on public transport. I think it's the feeling of being trapped.
I do not mind cars so much but trains, buses and planes cause me massive anxiety.
I still do travel by public transport, but I've experienced panic attacks many times.
A few years ago this led to mild agoraphobia. I see the same patterns in you and I feel for you because i know how much you would want to go out and enjoy things, but you feel like you can't.
The only thing that helped me is forcing myself to do the things that give me anxiety. It is highly uncomfortable, but you can eventually train your mind to understand that it is not a threat and you will be okay and it does get easier. The more you avoid it, the more you are telling your brain that it is a real threat and more anxiety follows.
I hope you find a solution, because I know how terrible it can be

 

[Jibbers]

Hey!

I used to have major anxiety. The thing that helped me was to just keep going anyway, despite the suffering. And another thing that helped me was a lot of mindfulness/meditation. Travel comes with a lot of factors that can go wrong. Would it help if you'd prepare for some things, so you are prepared for when you get cold/are hungry/there's a detour/etc? I usually have a bit more stuff on me than a neurotypical person, I bring an extra sweater, I prepare my own food and I bring a stunning toy and my noise cancelling headphones so I can handle wherever I go.

Mindfulness was a major help for me, I did an intensive 10 week course and it was life changing. I followed it 4 years ago and it still helps me on a daily basis.

Good luck!

 

[Jibbers]

Hey!

I used to have major anxiety. The thing that helped me was to just keep going anyway, despite the suffering. And another thing that helped me was a lot of mindfulness/meditation. Travel comes with a lot of factors that can go wrong. Would it help if you'd prepare for some things, so you are prepared for when you get cold/are hungry/there's a detour/etc? I usually have a bit more stuff on me than a neurotypical person, I bring an extra sweater, I prepare my own food and I bring a stunning toy and my noise cancelling headphones so I can handle wherever I go.

Mindfulness was a major help for me, I did an intensive 10 week course and it was life changing. I followed it 4 years ago and it still helps me on a daily basis.

Good luck!

Stimming toy* thanks autocorrect. However a Rubik's cube is quite stunning

 

[Streetwise]

Stimming toy* thanks autocorrect. However a Rubik's cube is quite stunning]
That was another toy that depressed me

 

[Sherlock77]

I travel well, don't recall having any major anxiety

I have only flown on an airliner a few times, not because of anxiety, just because I haven't

Most of my recent travels in the last eight years have been road tripping on the Canadian prairies, lots of gravel roads, and back roads, and very remote areas, some areas where hardly anyone lives... And I don't even own a 4x4!

I have been stuck on a dirt road in Saskatchewan (had to get pulled out by a nearby farmer), gotten a flat tire on a gravel road just south of the Trans-Canada highway near Medicine Hat, I've had some adventures

I do get out lots, because of exploring with my photography, I can easily make a six hour drive last 10 to 12 hours

My most recent road trip photo of my car on a narrow gravel road somewhere east of Calgary, in the Red Deer River valley...

And this photo is possibly the most remote place I've ever driven, I drove three hours on my own on gravel roads that morning without seeing another vehicle, in the far southeast corner of Alberta, later the same year I went to the same place with a friend, same thing, no other cars

 

[BlueSky Aozora]

I'm sorry your mother ended up depressed over that. I can under why. Not a very pleasant thing to experience.

I can totally understand why you'd like a campervan. When I was a lot younger before I had the severe anxiety my parents and I would often go on holiday. My father used to tow a caravan and if we went far we'd stop for the night. Those were fun times, except the one time where we were on the motorway and the caravan started to fall apart!


That sounds really hard for you, though I'm glad you find a comfort when staying near the airport. I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable flying but then I'm a massive baby Have you been to different countries?

Airplanes has special code to handle people with Autism. I forgot what that code is; I watched a famous Arab youtube about that. But at least it'll help so that you don't have to queue, you got to get in the airplane first so you'll get that quiet time etc (maybe depend on airplanes).

 

[BlueSky Aozora]

I'm surprised many people here travel well. I always thought that aspies/autistic people have problem with travelling. Other than sensory issues, maybe because of the aspie/autistic traits that doesn't like to change environment/place of living - like a change in routine. Oh, maybe that's different kind of travel?

 

[Sherlock77]

I'm surprised many people here travel well. I always thought that aspies/autistic people have problem with travelling. Other than sensory issues, maybe because of the aspie/autistic traits that doesn't like to change environment/place of living - like a change in routine. Oh, maybe that's different kind of travel?

My Asperger's is fairly mild, as self diagnosed, and I function fairly well for the most part... I don't seem to have the sensory issues some have... I do have a very dominant special interest (my photography), I have tried to road trip with other people and worn at least some of them out with how intense I can be... As I said earlier a four hour drive can easily become 10 hours

 

[Intensate]

I have travelled 3 times to Australia ,Morocco ,Malta and Holland.
I do find airports a sensory overload and have had meltdowns in them.
Since in 2016 my Gp prescribed me diazipham and now I take one 30mins before I arrive and they work for me and I don't have major meltdowns.
I have another just before getting of plane to cope with the next journey on a train
Also for me I will not let the autism stop me from doing things I want to do,it can be a hard fight though

 

[Frostee]

The only anxiety I get is with Airport security and queuing. I really cannot stand people pushing in front of me.

 

[Fade2black]

I don't mind cars, as long as I'm driving. When I have to fly I hate everyone I see, everyone annoys me and if I have to sit in a center seat, it takes everything within me not to lose it.

 

[Dadamen]

I like travelling and have no travel anxiety, the only time I was really anxious travelling was when a plane landed 200 km from the place where it should have landed and then had a 4-hour bus drive. This was also my first plane travel. When it comes to traveling by a car all is fine. The situation that makes me anxious is bad weather forecast when I have booked a travel.