For Autistic Adults with Travel Anxiety: How to Make Your Next Trip as Stress-Free as Possible
An autistic therapist shares ways to regulate your nervous system, manage sensory overload, and accommodate your needs, so you can actually enjoy the journey.
What is travel anxiety?
Travel anxiety refers to intense feelings of worry, fear, or dread about a journey…
whether it’s by plane, train, car, or boat
whether it’s for pleasure, work, or another reason
whether you’re leaving for a weekend or a few months
and whether you’re going someplace familiar or completely new to you.
Travel anxiety can show up in different ways, including:
physical symptoms – like a racing heart, body tension, or nausea
mental spirals of “what ifs” about things going wrong
irritability or restlessness, making it hard to relax even when you’re trying to unwind before or during your trip
avoidance behaviors, such as putting off booking a trip or canceling plans
changes in appetite, either eating more or less than usual
difficulty concentrating on other tasks because your mind keeps drifting back to travel worries
An important note is that travel anxiety can occur even if you’re excited about the trip; even if you love to travel. Nervousness and excitement – and all other feelings – can co-exist.
How does travel anxiety impact autistic adults?
While anyone can experience travel anxiety, the experience may be particularly intense for autistic individuals, due to our unique processing style and sensory needs.
Let’s break it down.
Disruption of routines
Many autistic people rely on routines to feel a sense of consistency and safety – eating the same “safe foods” every day, brushing your teeth at the same time every day, going to bed at the same time every day, and so on.
Meanwhile, travel disrupts established routines – sleep schedules, meal times, daily activities, and familiar sensory inputs.
The difficulty of transitions
Autistic folks tend to struggle with transitions, and travel is filled with transitions – moving from one environment to another, changing modes of transport, flying across time zones, packing and unpacking, and shifting between different activities.
Though autistic people may enjoy many aspects of travel, the sheer volume of transitions can, at best, demand significant extra energy; at worst, it can feel overwhelming and induce meltdowns.
Sensory overload
Travel is a sensory-rich experience – for better or for worse. We’re talking loud airports, crowded vehicles, and a constant stream of sensory input in cities and tourist attractions. (Or conversely, the deep quiet and calm of nature.)
Many autistic people experience sensory sensitivities – a limited capacity to tolerate loud sounds, bright lights, and uncomfortable textures, compared to non-autistic people – so certain environments can quickly become overstimulating and distressing.
Bottom-up processing style
Many autistic individuals have a “bottom-up” processing style, meaning we tend to take in details first and then work toward understanding the full context. Our inner monologue might sound like: I see a flashing green light, people are walking around me, and the car sounds have gotten quieter (DETAILS)… oh, it’s time to cross the street right now (FULL CONTEXT).
Travel requires us to process the details of a new environment, culture, language, and/or social setting – and piece together these details to understand the full context, as quickly as possible. It’s quite the task!
Due to our thorough processing style (and potentially slower processing speeds, compared to non-autistic folks), we may experience travel as both an exciting adventure and a significant challenge.
Uncertainty & unknowns
Autistic brains prefer certainty over vague unknowns. It helps us feel safe to know what’s happening, what just happened, what will or might happen in the future, and what we can do about it. And travel often bumps up against our need for certainty, because so much about travel is inherently uncertain.
Flights get delayed, the hotel room ends up being way less comfortable than the online reviews suggested, and you get lost on the way to your dinner reservation and arrive 30 minutes late. It can be stressful to navigate these unexpected changes and unknowns during travel.
Here are 5 tips to overcome travel anxiety, from an autistic therapist & traveler.
(1) Identify what YOU need from this trip.
Let go of expectations of what your trip “should” be. It doesn’t have to look like the photos you see on Instagram, and you don’t have to do 5 different activities a day if you only have interest or capacity for 1 (or none!).
Whether you’re traveling for leisure, work, a significant life event, or another reason, make your experience what YOU need it to be, to whatever extent possible.
Maybe you need:
Peace, quiet, and rest
Space to heal & grieve
Novel experiences to stimulate your senses
Genuine connection & quality time, with yourself or others
A sense of accomplishment or personal growth; intentionally exploring outside your comfort zone
A deep dive into a special interest, whether it’s a type of art, cuisine, architecture, ecosystem, or way of living
A solo experience to unmask & connect with yourself
A group experience to connect with community
See if you can summarize your ideal trip into a few key words, like:
Cozy & comfortable
Novel & exciting
Gentle & relaxing
Beautiful sights & great food
(2) Make a clear plan.
Once you’ve identified your needs, the next step in easing travel anxiety is to make a clear plan. This can be the fun part!
Planning helps you build excitement for your trip, and it prepares your nervous system for the logistics, sensory experiences, and new environments you’ll be navigating.
Remember, some things might not go exactly to plan, and that’s okay. The point of planning isn’t to create a rigid, inflexible itinerary; it’s to create a structure within which your travel experience can unfold as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.
To make a clear plan, you might:
Research key information about lodging, modes of transportation, meal options, and available accommodations. For example, does your hotel have quiet hours? Can a restaurant accommodate your dietary needs? Where’s the nearest quiet cafe or bookstore where you can drop in for a sensory break if needed?
Review visuals of maps to understand layouts and distances. Is your lodging within walking distance of places you’ll want to visit, or will you need to plan other modes of transportation? This might involve learning how to use the public transport system or downloading a rideshare app. If you’re flying in, how will you get from the airport to the city center?
Explore photos or videos of landscapes to familiarize yourself with the environment.
Look at images of your accommodation to reduce surprises upon arrival.
Read up on local customs and social norms. Understanding how people typically greet each other (do they shake hands, hug, kiss on the cheek, nod, or bow?), common dining etiquette, or general communication styles can significantly reduce social anxiety and help you feel more comfortable interacting with locals.
Strategically read reviews of places, restaurants, or experiences you’re considering. Don’t just look at the star rating; pay attention to comments about noise levels, crowd sizes, accessibility, or specific atmosphere details. This allows you to make informed decisions based on whether you imagine those experiences would genuinely be a good fit for your needs.
Plan for communication methods. Think about how you’ll navigate language barriers if applicable (e.g., translation apps, phrasebooks). Also, consider how you’ll stay connected with your support system back home, ensuring you have reliable ways to reach out if you feel overwhelmed.
(3) Anticipate & tend to your sensory needs.
Plan your packing list thoughtfully.
What clothes will be comfortable to wear and appropriate for the climate and culture of your destination? Just as important, do these clothes express your authentic style and how you want to be seen?
What comfort items or sensory tools will help you feel more regulated in overwhelming environments? This might include:
noise-canceling headphones
earplugs that fit discreetly in your ears (drawing less attention in public settings)
your favorite fidgets
a stuffed animal
a weighted pillow or blanket
a photo of your favorite person or animal
a deck of tarot cards that you can pull from in moments of anxiety
an object of deep personal significance
What foods and drinks will help you take care of your nervous system during your travels?
Maybe fizzy drinks help you feel awake and alert, while warm beverages calm your nerves.
Maybe crunchy chips and nuts keep you grounded; dark chocolate makes you happy; or an easy-to-eat fruit like an apple, orange, or banana is great pick-me-up on a long travel day.
What sensory-friendly activities or locations do you want to include in your itinerary?
Are there specific times of day that certain attractions are less crowded?
Where can you find peaceful parks or less-busy areas for a necessary break from stimulation?
(4) Give yourself time to rest & process during your travels.
As autistic individuals, we need ample time to process and “digest” our experiences – often more time than neurotypical individuals. And that’s perfectly okay.
While traveling, you might feel pressured to pack in as much activity as possible; to go, go, go non-stop and say “yes” to every experience – which leads to packed schedules and zero recovery time.
Be careful to not burn yourself out on your own vacation.
Set aside intentional time for rest & processing during each day of travel. This could be 30 minutes to journal in the mornings and evenings, or a quiet walk around the block after lunch to clear your head and reflect on how you’re feeling and how many “spoons” you have left for the rest of the day.
Don’t be afraid to say “no” or change plans to accommodate needs arising in the moment.
For instance, if you made dinner reservations for 9 PM but realize at 8 PM that you’d rather stay in and call it a night, listen to your needs. It’s not a “waste” to cancel on things you wouldn’t have enjoyed anyway, since your energy is your most precious resource.
(5) Create “padding” in your schedule, before & after travel.
Avoid an abrupt transition, like going straight from a Sunday night flight to a Monday morning at work. A truly stress-free travel experience includes making the ending of your trip, and the transition back to everyday life, as gentle on your nervous system as possible.
Give yourself a buffer of a few days (or more) to unpack, unwind, and slowly re-acclimate – at your pace.
IN SUMMARY…
Autistic adults may experience travel anxiety due to the various challenges that travel presents: disruption of routines, transitions, unexpected changes, uncertainty & unknowns, sensory overload, and the overwhelm of processing both the minute details & the full context of an unfamiliar environment.
For autistic adults with travel anxiety, here are tips to make your next trip as stress-free as possible:
Identify what you need & want from this travel experience.
Make a clear plan that accommodates your needs.
Remember that it’s okay if not everything goes to plan.
Pack items & clothing that will support your sensory comfort and nervous system regulation.
Give yourself time to rest & process during your travels. Don’t push yourself to do things that you don’t have the spoons for.
Create padding in your schedule. You might need a few days (or more) before & after your travel dates to rest & transition, without immediate pressure to “function” in everyday life.
Looking for an autistic therapist who can help you take care of your nervous system & navigate travel anxiety as an autistic adult?
Explore a Nervous System Healing Intensive (three 90-min sessions, using brain-body modalities (like Brainspotting and Internal Family Systems) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner. Available online worldwide.
Online Therapy in Colorado | Coaching Worldwide
Helping highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves.
About the Author
Liz Zhou is a neurodivergent therapist, coach, and speaker. She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, psychedelic integration) that are quicker & more effective than traditional talk therapy. Liz offers Nervous System Healing Intensives online worldwide.
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