Have you ever thought about what traveling for autistic people looks like?
In general, neurodivergent people live a very difficult life. That’s not a secret. But what is it like when we’re traveling? Because I love traveling, seeing the world, and being out in the world.
How does that rhyme with wanting structured lives and comfort zones?
From sensory overload to disrupted routines, every step can be a struggle. As someone who loves to explore the world, I understand the conflicting desire for both adventure and comfort.
In this article, we’ll explore the top 4 challenges autistic travelers face and how they navigate them.
1. Unpredictable Change of Plans While Traveling
I don’t think anybody likes having to deal with big-time delays or other unexpected changes in their itinerary.
But for neurodivergent or autistic people that’s an extra challenge.
According to the National Autistic Society: Sometimes minor changes such as moving between two activities, can be distressing; for others big events like holidays, starting or changing school, moving house or Christmas, which create change and upheaval, can cause anxiety.
For example, we were in Italy/Switzerland about 2 weeks ago. We went by train because I love just sitting on a train watching the beautiful landscapes. (And discovering new train types).
Everything went very well until the last day.
Trains got canceled about 3.5 hours away from our home country. We had to completely turn around our plans and take a train to a nearby train station. Luckily we purchased a flexible Interrail Pass, so we could hop on every train we wanted.
Then, cram onto an overcrowded bus to get to the next station, only to finally catch the train home from there.
That caused some stress. Especially because we couldn’t find the replacement bus at the exit of the station. Then we saw a bunch of people towards a bus stop, so that was our queue to go there.
In the end, we made it back home.
2. The Discomfort of Foreign Food for Autistic People
If you’ve read my previous blog post about my eating disorder, you will understand this even better. I’d recommend you read it for free over here.
The main point is: Autism isn’t just being overstimulated because of sounds and light. Or being unable to communicate with strangers — it’s more than that, it’s so complicated.
Whenever you’re traveling you have to deal with not having the food around that you’re used to.
In my case, that’s even more difficult with the eating disorder and all. Every vacation is drama and I stress about what we should be eating. Usually, we’ll end up at McDonald’s or a Pizzeria.
3. Crowded City Centers Are The Worst for Autistic People
I always think I’m okay, but I’m really stressed in busy city centers.
The only city I can handle very well is Zürich. I don’t know why but it might have to do something with the amount of relaxed Swiss people around instead of annoyed people wanting to bump into you.
There’s another thing I’m afraid of when traveling: pickpockets.
We would have gone to Milan as well, but because of the German Railway Company threw a strike on the day we would leave, we had to leave some days earlier and skip Milan.
One of the things that kept me busy was the number of pickpockets in Milan and the dangerous situation around the central train station. I kept reading about it and in the end, I didn’t want to go there anyway.
Do you have any of these fears for big cities?
4. Communication Problems While Traveling for Autistic People
If you thought communication was an issue speaking your own language, watch autistic people communicating in a foreign language!
No, all kidding aside, it can become quite difficult for neurodivergent people to speak while traveling because you’re simply not sufficient at speaking the local language.
Personally, I can handle this pretty well. I can even say that I’m better at speaking in foreign languages than my own because the pressure to perform isn’t there. The people don’t expect you to speak well, because you’re not a local.
For other autistic people that can be very different.
Typically, autistic women experience this more often than men as they tend to mask. They may alter their speech patterns or word choices to mimic those around them as a coping mechanism.
In another language, you usually can’t do that. You don’t know the ins and outs of the language as you do of your own.
This makes it sometimes very difficult for autistic people to communicate while traveling.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve seen, traveling can be particularly difficult for autistic individuals, who may struggle with sensory overload, changes in routine, and unfamiliar environments.
However, it’s also clear that travel can offer tremendous rewards for those who are willing to step outside of their comfort zones and explore the world.
By understanding the unique challenges that autistic travelers face, we can work towards creating more inclusive and accessible travel experiences that allow everyone to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the world around us.