7 ms·
Autism makes travel a challenge. Here’s how I learned to cope
- mtnGoat 2y agoThis should read “autism CAN make travel a challenge”. Mine doesn’t, travel isn’t hard for me, frankly I see a lot of people getting more stressed and anxious about travel then I do. the blanket statements people make about these things like autism, adhd, etc are just getting tired and frankly need to stop.
- LeroyRaz 2y agoEven just "autism makes MY travel a challenge" would be better than the current emphatic generalisation.
- copirate 2y agoOr even "MY autism makes travel a challenge". There's a spectrum of autistic traits and not all of them affect travel.
- LoganDark 2y agoOr just "when being autistic makes travel a challenge"
- prmoustache 2y agoAnd a lot of people without autism (or that it hasn't been diagnosed) who have issues travelling and managing unexpected stuff.
- k8svet 2y agoI have seen more and more of this stuff lately and just try to keep my mouth shut. "autistic people don't like exercise the way neurotypical folks do". I'm just like... ???
- corgihamlet 2y agoThe one that grinds my gears is the one on TikTok where a girl took an autism assessment and got asked what 2 and 7 have in common.
- zeroonetwothree 2y agoThey are both prime numbers?
- Balvarez 2y agoYou may be autistic, but also you might not. You definetely have something going on! :)
- kayodelycaon 2y agoI love when the people standing up for me have no fucking clue what my life is like or the struggles I face. It great really annoying when they tell me what my problems are, because I’m clearly a less reliable source than some article on a website.
- tosstoyevsky 2y agoHow would you feel if you didn’t have breakfast today?
- doubled112 2y agoHow much coffee have I consumed instead?
- Rinzler89 2y agoHow much have you?
- doubled112 2y ago3 cups since then
- Rinzler89 2y agoAwesome
- ergonaught 2y agoBy the time you embed all of the potential caveats, you've written the article. Map/Territory, Time/Place, Context, pick your explanation for why you should stop picking every conceivable nit.
- serial_dev 2y agoI get what you mean, but I also hate that everything needs to have 100 disclaimers, specifiers, and caveats as to not have someone correcting you. Autism is a complicated topic, as it has various forms and severity (the whole spectrum thing), some people can live with it better than others, so as a reader of this article, I assume that the statement doesn't cover every. single. person. on Earth with autism. Yeah, I got that, you don't need to put that in the title, it's self evident if you take 2 seconds to think about it. "autism CAN make travel a challenge"? Can? Everything can make travel a challenge, so it's now kind of a pointless title, the important part if it does make it challenge? What kind of travel, all kinds, or only longer ones? Or is it about going abroad? Is it about food? Then why not put all that in the title, too?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- emmet 2y agoThis also grinds my gears. Amazing how many people can see a story about someone having a sandwich for lunch and thinking "Um actually I didn't have a sandwich for lunch and can't possibly imagine someone having experiences different to my own so you need to edit this."
- waterhouse 2y agoThe best, most plausible-seeming description I've encountered is that autism is a collection of imperfectly correlated traits. One may be able to make "often" and "usually" and "sometimes" statements, but probably not "always"/"never" statements. Is there a better description out there that manages to be true to reality?
- nerdjon 2y agoI got caught up in this myself, I was recently(ish) diagnosed with ADHD and I was struggling with some preconceived notions of what it would be like after seeing a ton of articles, social media posts, etc that seemed to all make ADHD out to be this singular experience that I don't match up with. (Even worse I had preconceived notions of what the medication would be like, which it has been great but it wasn't quite like I was lead to believe) I have parts of it, and that's part of why I did not even think to get diagnosed until I was in my thirties. It wasn't until I said something to my doctor casually that the conversation came up. I think these general terms can discourage people from getting help because their experience doesn't line up with headlines like that that imply if you don't have this experience you don't have it.
- weweersdfsd 2y agoYeah, diagnosis like ADHD and autism have been invented just to make sense of the various ways our brains can be different. There's a high rate of comorbidity between the two, and various other diagnosis, which means they are not really separate "diseases", but just collections of symptoms caused by some differences in brain structure. Personally I have traits commonly linked to both ADHD and autism. I'm often afraid of change and desire structure, yet somehow I love traveling. I guess that my extreme boredom with repetitive daily life just overcomes the fear, plus some of my deep interests require travel.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- jmbwell 2y agoIt’s phrased that way to resonate with the intended target audience, people who identify with the premise. A book of outrage would probably phrase it similarly if it wanted to target you instead. It’s such a ubiquitous, pervasive tactic, it’s easy to overlook it when it’s happening.
- nullindividual 2y agoOn the flipside, traveling alone outside of my state (or more to the point, where I don't have 'control' over my own travel) makes me freeze with terror. Going through an airport? It's a cacophony of confusion, anxiety, and fear rolled into one. Will I get to the airport on time? Will the lines cause me to miss my flight? Am I going to the correct gate? Did I need to take the tram to get to the satellite gate? What if it's late? What if my flight is late? What if we're diverted? Where do I go into <airport I've never visited> to get a rental? How will I get the rental back and where do I go? What if the rental wasn't booked correctly? How will I get to the hotel? What time do I need to leave? I could go on... But none of those concerns pop up if I'm traveling with someone else. "Autism is <blank>" is always going to be incorrect. Everyone is different. I always appreciate those that recognize the differences and everyone's unique experiences [with Autism].
- randohostage 2y agoQuestion my family thinks I have autism how do I get tested without insurance?
- 93po 2y agoit's possible it could be worth trying to implement coping strategies and methods for people with autism and see if it helps your life. the end result of getting diagnosed would effectively be "here's how to cope with autism" so you can just skip the diagnosis part and try the coping part. if it doesn't help, no harm in trying.
- ergonaught 2y agoYou could always start with the self-assessments at https://embrace-autism.com/autism-tests/ https://embrace-autism.com/autism-tests/ but if you want an official diagnosis you'll see a doctor, with or without insurance, whatever that may mean for your circumstances. (In mine, it would mean "paying for the test out of pocket".)
- randohostage 2y agoTy for sharing the link. I think the problem I'm having with this is i don't think the answers fit what I think? For instance "I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored." I just assume everyone is bored when I speak which option do I choose for that?
- Cheer2171 2y ago> I just assume everyone is bored when I speak Sorry to say, and this is not a diagnosis, but that's more common for anxiety and depression than autism.
- andrelaszlo 2y agoI think it can be common among others as well :) The reason for why you assume this makes a big difference. Unfortunately anxiety and depression are also very common comorbidities in autism, so there's that overlap too. No single question, or even single form, would be enough to tell whether someone is autistic or not.
- navane 2y agoThis is a book ad. Also, all the tips are: if you don't have a nose for adventure, plan ahead.
- blablabla123 2y agoProbably worth a book though
- incomingpain 2y agoTravel is really hard for me; very anxious. Trains tend to be better, especially business class. checklists and lots of planning doesn't ever make it that much better. My 1 kind of dream is that I get pilots license and fly myself wherever I want to go.
- hobo_mark 2y agoWait you think flying a plane is a more relaxed experience than going on a trip?
- incomingpain 2y ago>Wait you think flying a plane is a more relaxed experience than going on a trip? Technically I'm not a pilot so I don't really know tbh. Xplane is relaxing at least? Hence the dream factor. But I imagine, I'm in control and it lets me get around faster then anything on the ground.
- yabones 2y agoThe real takeaway from this is about controlling sensory inputs. My wife is "neuro-spicy" and we have to consider those things when we go adventuring. What we've found best is to make sure there's always enough "controlled" things each day. Going to a museum, walking around a city, or going for a hike are great, but unpredictable. One or two each day are fine, but too many can cause burnout. Earplugs, books, snacks & water can help a lot with this stuff. Planning ahead is very important. As an example, she absolutely hates airports but doesn't mind flying. The noises, announcements, people moving around, never knowing if your gate will change, all of it is awful to her. I don't mind the airport but once the plane is in the air watching the time tick down is torture to me. Everybody's a little different. The "spoon theory" [1] can help things make sense, and it's a great start, but it's a bit more nuanced than that. It's more about controlling exposure to "unexpected" stimulus. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory
- pavel_lishin 2y ago> One or two each day are fine, but too many can cause burnout. Maybe I'm also neurospicy, but I fully don't understand people who go on vacation to get up at 7am, and pack their day full of activities. When I travel, with my wife or solo, we each pick one thing per day, and the rest we leave open to serendipity - or honestly, just sitting in the hotel room and reading a book. Otherwise, it gets wildly overwhelming.
- aprilthird2021 2y agoI'm one of the people you don't understand. My wife is one of the ones who wants to relax, do one thing, even read a book in the room or at a nice location. When we were first married, I didn't even realize there was a way to travel where you didn't have an itinerary jam-packed from 7am-7pm. We found a nice middle ground, and I think I understand both perspectives now. On the one hand (my hand), travel and vacations are expensive and getting more and more out of reach. There's definitely a need to plan in advance to make the most of your time, especially if this may be your one chance to travel to X or Y destination. On the other hand, travel and vacations are often a much-needed respite from an increasingly mentally taxing work life. If you also mentally tax yourself planning out your vacation and continue to worry about making it to every stop on your itinerary, you will only see your stress levels rise, and the relaxation aspect of vacation and travel can be totally missed.
- globular-toast 2y agoI don't know... I've met plenty of people like this who definitely aren't autistic.
- fumeux_fume 2y agoThis basically reads like how to travel with a child.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y agoSome neural conditions are like that. ADHD can make it hard to manage emotions, stay focused, or follow through on intent. I certainly feel like a child at my worst. I've finally started trying a new med recently.
- whalesalad 2y agoAs long as I have a weed penjamin I will be ok. Fortunately TSA doesn't care about these and I travel with them often.
- jmcgough 2y agoThe biggest things for me were: 1) Realizing that I was autistic 2) Developing better awareness for when I was in a taxing environment and better verbalizing my needs. People are usually happy to accommodate if you can communicate before you get irritable from putting up with that noisy restaurant. 3) Active noise-cancelling headphones (Bose QuietComfort)