In 2016 I took my first trip traveling alone with people I did not know. In the planning process I assessed my needs which have been on going over the years as travel has become more challenging for me on the spectrum. With good planning it can be a good experience.
Over the years I have put together my own system in dealing with my anxiety in going through what I call the gauntlet of the TSA system. I make sure that when I leave for the airport everything like my watch, etc is my back pack. The only thing in my hand is my phone, boarding pass, and billfold. I do not wear lace up shoes and I wear special pants that don’t require a belt to be taken off at the airport. I use Global Entry and pre-check to ease my stress. I struggle with others not being prepared and that a person has control of my life for several minutes and question my judgment. When my system works I am calm and move with ease as a single traveler. I start packing for my trips a week or two before departure for effective weight management and items to bring. After I make it through the long lines I use the airline club like Admiral Club with American. I find the yearly membership fee is about what I would pay for food in the terminal during a year of round trips. I find going into a peaceful place with good snacks is well worth being away from the crowds.
For my trip to Germany and meeting a tour in Italy I found that selecting a good, upscale tour company is a great help. The first thing I did to make my trip enjoyable was to travel business class to have plenty of room to be relaxed. I felt very calm compared to being cramped on a long trip in economy class with lots of anxiety. While others are boarding the plane I am already relaxed in my seat. Making the change of flights in Europe was easy for me as a business class passenger. I spent a day in Berlin and researched a man that gave a guided tour alone with no other folks. This allowed more concentration on what we were seeing and not having to worry about other’s needs. I was met at the train station and he made sure I got the right train back to Hamburg.
My trip to Italy was with a tour company called A&K, a first class company and worth the extra money that I paid to keep my anxiety levels down. We were a group of 5 people with a guide. The guide called us her kids and made sure everyone was engaged with the sights and comfortable with our personal needs in the accommodations. The hotels that we stayed at were selected by A&K. The places we dined at in each local city were arrogated by the tour director who knew the owners. We were always welcomed like friends. A&K also offered some local experiences that were great to meet and see folks off the tourist path. We went to a farm where cheese was made, dinner at a local resident home for the evening, learned how to make pasta in a cooking school, learned how to make pizza in a local restaurant. The group had a husband and wife and a mother and daughter. The hard part was being the odd man in the trip. There were times when we had alone time to do what we wanted and that was hard for me to plan in a unknown city. I would stay close to the hotel to avoid being taken advantage of. At times I would ask the married couple if I could join them to go shopping or to eat a meal. When I did eat alone in the hotel restaurant I would manage to get into a conservation with people at a nearby table to make my meal more enjoyable. Being on the spectrum some days I was just over loaded and I had to meet my own needs by taking a rest while the group was going through a museum with a long line, making sure I go to bed the same time every night, drink plenty of water, good shoes, and aback pack with what I may need in a day, including power bars.
I learned in purchasing souvenirs and gifts to buy things that are small enough to pack, carry an extra bag in luggage for any over flow, and ask about shipping it back home for me. I did that with a couple of things and worth the money. No checked bag fees, no customs issues, no hassle carrying it on the plane. A must for me in the future. The other folks in my group had to drag stuff around from bus to bus, to hotel to hotel.
On the day of departure from Italy I was escorted to the airport to navigate the customs for my tax refund on items purchased and to get checked in. Having an escort that knew the tax official kept my stress level down.
Once through the security process and passport control, I headed to the lounge. Back in the US, I used my global entry, with paperwork filled out for items purchased, which made it easy to go through the TSA process with recheck. Being back in Philadelphia airport was familiar. I had a car pick me and went back to my apartment with ease.