My wife and I love to travel, but traveling while multiply neurodivergent comes with its challenges. Here are some tips we’ve found that work for us!
Bring Snacks
Going out to dinner - even deciding on a place to eat can really drain your energy as a ND person. Having protein bars, or making a stop to a grocery store to get some protein rich snacks like cheese, deli meat & crackers can be really helpful when you don’t have the spoons (energy) but need to eat. Especially if you’re going to a different country & you’re not 100% comfortable with speaking their language to order food.
Allow yourself to rest without feeling guilty.
If I’m flying overseas or across a few time zones I plan a day of rest into my vacation, or at the very least a day that I don’t do anything until after 2 or 3pm. I know no matter what I will have awful jet lag, or just need some time to acclimate myself to a new environment.
Guilting myself about needing recovery time only makes it worse. Instead of spending your much needed recovery time thinking about all the things you’re missing out on, make it enjoyable! Bring a face mask, catch up on a tv show, or read a book. Enjoy sleeping in without worrying about setting your alarm - make that recovery time something you’re looking forward to.
Bring Earplugs & Sensory Objects
Make sure you have a way to self regulate that’s portable and preferably attached to your phone or bag so you don’t accidentally leave it behind. I’ve found if I forget something to fidget or stim with I will start to pick at my nails, or do harmful stims if I’m distressed- But I also have a pretty bad memory when it comes to remembering to bring things along.
A few things that help me when traveling are having a pop socket stand on my phone I can always fidget with, A hair tie or two in my bag - I usually stretch & tie them into knots to stim, and having a few playlists downloaded on my phone in case I need to calm down.
Plan like you’ve never planned before
No matter where I’m going, I like to have at least 4 restaurant options per day. I bookmark them on google maps so they are always accessible. It’s helpful to have lots of options in case you get too overwhelmed, or the restaurant is closed for some reason. That way you have choices so those unexpected changes aren’t as disruptive.
I primarily use google maps to plan. If I’m visiting a bigger city I try to find a few key things I want to do (usually a museum or a botanical garden) and then I find restaurants, cute shops, coffee shops, bubble tea places, public art pieces, parks - anything I enjoy within walking distance & I bookmark and label them all.
Then each day I only stay in that specific location (depending on the size of the place I’m visiting) That way I know I’m not using too much energy running around a big city here and there, and instead I’m focusing on a small area and really making sure I get the most out of it.
Google Street View is your best friend.
Sometimes I get overwhelmed if a place isn’t how I expected it to be. A few things that I like to know ahead of time are; if it’s on a busy road, or if the architecture is really disjointed, or if every building looks exactly the same, if the coffee shop is a lobby of a building instead of it’s own storefront, or if I thought a shop was on the ground level but it’s actually upstairs or down stairs (since stairs are really challenging for me due to Dyspraxia I like to know these things in advance to mentally prepare.)
Having all of that information helps me feel more prepared and safer in unfamiliar environments. It reduces stress, so when I jump out of a lyft or get off of public transportation I’m not scrambling looking for where to go- I already have a pretty good idea of what everything looks like.