Welcome to my worst nightmare: travel prep. It is required part of traveling and yet I always seem to put it off until the last minute. Travel prep always seems to be a struggle for me, thanks to executive dysfunction.
Let’s take, for example, packing. Obviously no one really enjoys packing, at least I don’t think so. So of course it only becomes more of a pain when you’re not just staying for a couple of days, but for three months. The logical thing to do for such a trip is to plan heavily in advanced and to pack everything in a neat, organized nature at least several days before.
But of course, my autistic brain is not interested in planning. My usual packing routine is this, procrastinate for several days, panic when I realize I have little time left, pack everything in a cluttered manner, and inevitably forget something important. Basically executive dysfunction, always comes into play when I pack.
TSA rules also don’t help my autistic brain. For United States travelers, we have to deal with a whole list of things we can and cannot bring in our carry on luggage. These things aren’t just obvious stuff like knives and guns. It’s also some unusual stuff like the liquid limit rule. The 3.4 Oz rule is what always gets me. I seem to always idiotically pack sunscreen or a filled water bottle in my carry on luggage, which of course sets off the alarm. This always leads to embarrassment and of course, and shows that my last minute packing has consequences.
But for study abroad, I decided to change my packing method. Or at least try to pack things a little more efficiently. So I am starting prepping earlier than usual (for me, that means not the day before). I even brought those fancy little travel cubes for my checked bag. Surprisingly, they actually did help me stay more organized and save some space.
It might sound obvious to some people to neatly organize everything into little categories when they pack, but for me it’s not. I usually just throw stuff in, only bothering to separate bathroom stuff like shampoo and soap. The cubes forced me to actually separate stuff and actually think about what I was putting in my bag.
My bags are still far from #Instaworthy, but it’s a start. I definitely feel more comfortable, though actually taking them abroad now. So here’s to packing cubes and prepping in advance.
Of course, there’s still plenty of other parts of travel prep. One such thing I do that might not be common for non autistic people is mentally prepare myself for security. TSA is basically horrible for autistic people. The bright lights, crowds, and stressful security prompts make it all a nightmare for autistic people. It doesn’t help either that many TSA agents are untrained on how to deal with autistic people like myself.
Autistic symptoms like lack of eye contact, shaky hands, or sensory overload, is treated with suspicion. I’ve definitely had my fair share of TSA agents mistakenly think I’m doing something illegal or prime me with extra questions. And then there’s the TSA scanners, my god the scanners.
These things straight out of hell have been upping my flying anxiety since they came out. I am a very private person and I don’t like the idea of people ogling me or staring at my body. So you can imagine then, why I’m not too fond of the TSA’s special scanners which allow strangers to basically strip the clothes off my skin digitally. It doesn’t help they look straight out of a tech dystopian movie. The creepy looking things always manage to give me the heebie jeebies.
The good news is that you can opt of out of it. The bad news is that you must do an alternative where a TSA agent pats you down. This is just as hellish in my opinion, if not worse. Touch is also something most autistic people don’t enjoy. So for autistic people, TSA security is basically a pick your poison. Do you want to go through a virtual strip search or do you want to have some stranger touching you all over? Neither is ideal.
So thanks to the anxiety that the TSA brings, I’ve started prepping the day before. This usually involves some mediation, use of calming apps, and good sleep the night before. If possible I usually try to avoid the crowds by arriving early and going to the security section that has the shortest wait time (There’s a particular security checkpoint in Denver’s airport that is a godsend). Technology is also a godsend for me, as it enables me to use apps as tools to calm me down.
Some of the apps I use include Color Therapy, a coloring app I use to stim discretely, and an Emergency Chat App which enables me to give the phone to someone I trust and communicate via text. I also utilize some anxiety focused apps such as #Calmdown, an aesthetically pleasing app that offers mediation techniques and calming mini-games. These apps have all been extremely beneficial when I’m flying.
I also make sure to pack snacks and a small stim toy such as a squishy or a stress ball in my carry-on. That way when I’m hungry, I have easy access to food and I can stim if I need to. Coming prepared with these items has helped immensely.
I personally have these methods to be immensely helpful in my travels. Here’s to hoping that my new packing routine is also beneficial in the long run. Do you have any methods you utilize to prepare for flying? I personally have found that despite all my woes, good travel prep is something I need to survive flying.
Traveling Abroad With Autism 