Travelling/holidays

Anglesey is beautiful as I pass through there to Holyhead (on Holy Island) quite frequently on the ferries to Dublin - even in daytime but especially late at night there is something magical and beautiful about the Island, that you feel so protected and safe 

Kennythes said:

Whether you're craving serene beaches or lush rainforests, there's a slice of paradise out there waiting just for you.

Do bots travel alone or with other bots?

I live on Anglesey, what need have I for a holiday? I have lovely beaches all around me, there are mountains and forests nearby.

Mostly what stops me travelling is the thought of other people, I dont' want to go anywhere crowded. I worry about what I will be able to eat, will I find anything I can eat or will I be stuck with bread and fruit?

I don't like the heat either so most places are out and I don't swim and the thought of lobsterising myself with a load of others round a pool is gross. And I'd have to wear a cossie! The world isn't ready for that and if you wear a burkini I gather you can be made to feel very unwelcome and even banned in some places!

Therre are places I would like to see, mostly archaeological sites and some wildlife sanctuaries, but they all seem to be in hot places with loads of insects that want to eat you. Also I couldn't fly to many of them, I can't sit in one position for more than 2 or 3 hours without seizing up, if I went on a long haul flight, I'd be in screaming agony and you'd need a block and tackle to get me off the plane.

I don't travel because of social anxiety and because I worry about my animals whilst I'm away and my garden, holidays always seem to occur right in the middle of the best and busiest of the gardening season. I freak out of I have to go east of Bangor, going to Llandudno was a major expedition.

I fell the same way and I have a bucket list too

Thank you for this Autonomistic

It is very interesting and full of insight.

Autonomistic said:

I've always felt that I've never fit in here, the sort of 'wrong planet syndrome' that so many autists experience. I think for me, at least subconsciously, travel has been a way to search for that elusive place where I do fit in.

I found that comment very thought provoking.

Autonomistic said:

I hope that travel is something I will be able to enjoy again one day.

I hope so too as it clearly means a great deal to you.

As a child I used to pore over my atlases and globe, imagining what the countries would be like. I was obsessed with stamp collecting and would love finding all the obscure countries in the atlas. Travel became one of my special interests long before I could actually go to any of these places. My first holiday abroad didn't happen until I was an adult and able to afford it from my salary.

The pros

I love learning about and visiting places of scenic beauty, iconic sights and places of historical interest. There are so many wonders of the world and so little time I have to see them all. I also love exploring especially out in nature, seeing birds and other wildlife in their natural habitats. Whenever I go anywhere new I take so many photos. The memories of trips I have been on will hopefully stay with me for a long time.

My desire to visit all those places and countries has kept me going through the hardest times in life. My bucket list of places I still want to go gives me a reason to continue. Even cheap caravan breaks in the UK can boost my mental health enormously.

I've always felt that I've never fit in here, the sort of 'wrong planet syndrome' that so many autists experience. I think for me, at least subconsciously, travel has been a way to search for that elusive place where I do fit in. A hope that I cling to that there must be a better life somewhere on this planet. Sometimes I dream about selling everything and taking off to explore the world as a permanent nomad, maybe buying a camper van.

I find it slightly easier to communicate with people in other countries. The social expectations are different and it doesn't matter so much if I don't behave in the 'correct' way socially. Any miscommunication or misunderstandings can be simply attributed to cultural or language differences.

When I am on holiday and surrounded by strangers I feel that I can be more myself. Strangers do not expect anything from me and I can go into my 'ignore everyone' mode without fear of upsetting or offending anyone.

I love the freedom of being away from home and not contactable by email, phone or letter. No demands. There is nothing better than being in the middle of nowhere and feeling totally free. That sense of dread and hypervigilance I constantly have at home I seem to be able to leave behind when I go away.

The cons

It is not all positive by any means and there are so many challenges with travel. I experience huge amounts of anxiety and I research and plan everything meticulously in advance. However disruption and delays happen and when something does not go to plan I can go to pieces completely. For that reason I prefer the security of a package where possible. Just knowing that there is a rep, who can sort things and make alternative arrangements, is reassuring.

Noise and crowds can be a huge problem, especially in places like airports. I go armed with ear plugs and a book. I try to find a quiet unused departure lounge at the airport until my plane is ready to board. The flight itself is something to be endured, as I hate being crammed in with so many people.

I try to book accommodation in a quieter, less busy location and always request a quiet room in a hotel. However inevitably there can be difficulties achieving peace and quiet which can be stressful. The last time I went on a cruise I had to move cabins twice due to noise issues. The staff could not hear the vibration / noise I was complaining about, but thankfully they saw how distressed I was by it and helped me move to a different cabin.

The cost of solo travel can be prohibitively expensive now that my mum is no longer able to travel abroad with me. If I want my own room and need my own space that comes at a cost. I really can't ever see myself being comfortable in shared dorms in budget accommodation. Solo travel is also much more anxiety inducing.

I haven't been abroad since before the pandemic. I do miss it and with my current caring responsibilities I'm not sure when I will be able to resume travelling abroad again. I hope that travel is something I will be able to enjoy again one day.

Lovely  

I wish I could remember more of my holidays.

One I remember fairly well was when we were still in France and went to the country side. On that particular holiday my mum taught me sewing, my dad fell in a lake - very funny hehe - and also I can remember we met this woman who was a traveller and she had the coolest get up ever.

Boots, shorts, really cool top, hat and she had a compass, bag and binoculars. At the time I remember thinking I was going to be just like her when I was older and travel the world.

That's the holiday I remember best.

Luna said:

What has been your favourite holiday Debbie? 

It's the Sorrento one described at the beginning of this thread 

Thank you for asking.

Anyone else have a favourite holiday?

Amerantin said:

but I couldn’t go away for weeks and leave my poor wee cat.

Your cat is very lucky to have you.

I decided I wanted to walk it a few years ago - I’ve seen so many films and documentaries about it and I love walking - but I couldn’t go away for weeks and leave my poor wee cat.

I’ve traveled via Southampton airport dozens of times for work. I like it because it’s small and straightforward but it’s horrific if you’re flying at a busy time such as the early evening. Many times I have struggled to even find somewhere to sit.

Luna said:

What has been your favourite holiday Debbie? 

Good question. 

I will give it some thought and reply when I am back on my PC where I can see better.

If you or anyone else would like to reply (to your question) that would be great  

What has been your favourite holiday Debbie? 

I used to go on holiday with my mum and dad when I was little. I can't really remember the holidays that well but I remember we always had a nice time.

We used to go for mini travels as well. They were fun usually to local areas.

They were nice times.

I’ve always had to travel quite a lot for work so I’ve gotten used to it - all over Europe and North America. However, most of my adult life I didn’t go on holidays because I didn’t have anyone to go with, but back in 2013 I decided I was missing out on too much and went on my first solo holiday.

Since then I’ve been all over Spain and Portugal and the Canaries by myself on numerous solo holidays. 

I love the weather and negotiating new languages and I like walking and running in the sunshine. But eating alone on holiday is a nightmare and wandering around by yourself when everyone else is in couples, families or groups of friends is very alienating.

I decided this year that I won’t go away by myself again.

The travelling part is quite easy though - I sort of dissociate during and do everything on autopilot. Get a window seat on the plane, put my noise cancelling headphones on and watch a movie.

As I've posted a couple of times recently about travelling, I thought I'd just bring this thread back up.

Copied from another thread:

I have only been to northern Spain.

I stayed with my niece when she was living in Zaragoza and also my friend took me by boat and car from Portsmouth to Bilbao.

We then drove to Guernica and explored some of the coast by day.

I also saw the reproduction of Picasso's painting of Guernica - wonderful but very affecting.

The place that abides in my memory is San Juan de Gaztelugatxe:

Uhane no, I haven't been to Compostela de Santiago.

Have you?

Sadly I no longer think I'm up to walking the Camino de Santiago

I know I’d mentioned something about this before but travelling solo, I’d watched a lot of travel videos for both train travel and air travel and even if it means paying a bit extra, it’s always better to travel first class or business class where possible - most train stations and airports have first class lounges if travelling on a first class ticket and it’s perfect for us with autism - if we have disabled ID and if we present this at the time of booking we can (and should) get a free upgrade (which I’d love to see this being made a legal requirement will all train companies and airlines) I personally find travelling very stressful as it is and having seen a lot of videos of first class air travel in particular, ones that stand out for me is the British Airways Concorde Lounge at London Heathrow, the first class lounges offered by Singapore Airlines and Emirates and many of the lounges offered by train operating companies in the U.K. - first class carraiges of U.K. trains are generally quieter and the business class/first class cabins of many aircraft are also way quieter - the Concorde Room at Heathrow has direct aircraft access via its own gate and is so classy , I could easily imagine celebs like Kylie Minogue going through there on her way to Melbourne via Singapore or Dubai (Kylie is known to sleep on such long haul flights, as she always travels at least at Business Class, if not First Class) 

Debbie said:

I think I get less stressed by travelling in the UK, with knowing I can get home quickly if required.

It can take much longer to get about in the UK than when overseas - I remember visiting family in Scotland when getting a call that our house had been broken into - it took over 12 hours to drive back to Milton Keynes because of traffic when it takes less time to fly from where I live now in Brazil.

I approached travelling with a confrontational approach when I was younger, challenging myself to face my fears and prove they had no hold over me, so my first overseas holiday at 20 was to Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong back in the 1990s. Some beach holiday time in Malaysia, exotic but safe city break in Singapore then the madness of old Hong Kong (pre China take over) where there was almost no English spoken.

I survived and conquered my fears and since then worked for banks that sent me all around Europe and South/North America, used the cheap flights in the 2000s to travel all round Europe for peanuts and later visited other far flung places like Bali (6 trips there as we found a factory to make leather goods for my wifes fashion design business), Japan (5 trips as we love the place) and many more places in Brazil.

Later in the year we are planning another trip to Japan then on to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, all to go off the beaten track. That should be quite a challange.

I guess the tackling my fears and anxiety head on is paying off.

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