Adult with Autism | Autism & Solo Travel (An Autistic Abroad) | 84

As a South African currently on holiday traveling through Europe I absolutely loved this video. Watched it with my (non-autistic) husband in our hotel room in Hamburg and it was so good to see that someone out there shares my anxieties over travel. I love traveling and enjoy seeing new places and we do it quite often but it comes at quite a high price on my mental wellbeing. I stress over the smallest, most insignificant things! And obviously the bigger the cultural, language and general differences there are the bigger the stress. Had a mini meltdown last week in a Dutch supermarket after a week of intense travel when I couldn't find any of my safe foods and everything just became too much... Still traveling but the anxieties becoming less and less after every destination safely reached. Will definitely not be doing any solo international travel soon though. Need a safety buffer (aka husband) by my side 😅 Such an awesome idea for a video. Keep up the good work, always looking forward to the next one!

I'm really happy that you had yourself this experience.. it teaches us a lot about ourselves. I recently went on a motorcycle trip for 8 days with a tour company,,we drove 8 days from Nevada , Arizona and Utah and back seeing national parks. I kept telling myself that you got this, no worries go with the flow. It's adventure and adversity. I am diagnosed ADHD and getting an ASD assessment now at age 57. That trip was eye opening for me, about my strengths and weaknesses. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of you too. ❤

Thanks Paul, I feel like I have been on holiday without even leaving my living room, ( the best kind of holiday for me 😂 )

I totally get escapeism! I moved seven years ago and it was just a big relive to be able to go outsinde with knowing that i will not meet anybody i know. I love that feeling, it is so calming! I hate traveling so i avoid to go outside meeting someone new so i can be anonymous forever ;)

New title! Autistic guy goes to Spain to by a McDonalds 😆 i guess the "take away" 😆 excuse the pun is research! research! research ! and boy are we good at that. educational entertaining and inspiring you are real trooper and have really upped your game with this one. always great content. keep up the good work Paul 🍻

All my life I have found the things that other people find easy and take for granted really difficult and anxiety provoking but the stuff other people find hard, I really enjoy. For example, writing an essay on a specialist subject is no problem but trying to drive somewhere i have never been and park is a major issue that I have learnt over the years to manage by first trying to get out of it and secondly by having to plan in detail and if possible, get a 'normal' person to come with me on a practice run. Paul you are an autism hero for doing this trip, even though it caused you anxiety and you had to do a lot of research, you still had the balls to do it; much respect.

Your dry sense of humor is the best. The airport cue of ppl. Yes!! Why. In. The. World…Would I want to get on first so I can just sit there smooshed in between ppl longer??? Do ppl think that someone is gonna take their seat? Also, once they show their ticket they still walk very fast down the hallway just to WAIT to get on the plane! Like, what’s the rush?? Nothing is happening down there. Surely you’ve been down that hallway before and you know it’s a painstakingly slow process as ppl take their sweet time getting settled instead of quickly taking their seat by getting the hell out of the way by stepping out of the aisle so others can pass. No thank you. I’ll wait till all the idiots go through their mindless ramblings while I breath fresher air for 15 more minutes and not stand in a line while I roll my eyes constantly. Then the deplaning. WTH? Sit down. Then why does every row have to empty first? Why not let the first seats that are already standing and ready go first if you do not have children? Rant over lol. EVERYTHING you say is EXACTLY what I go through.

Me and my 17 year old autistic son went to Spain last October for the first time 'on our own'. I'm undiagnosed autistic. My son coped with the travelling much better than I did. We almost missed our flight back home from Malaga airport, absolutely terrifying. My son was calm, i thought I was having a heart attack, I was that stressed. All that said, we'd had an amazing holiday. We did everything at our own pace and there were 2 nights where we didn't even leave the hotel room. It was great, it really was. But the travelling was just horrendous for me. When I've travelled before, it's been with other people who dealt with everything for me. We are going again this year, but with my eldest son and his partner. I'm dreading it. Well, the travelling anyway. I've told them that after that I'm not travelling abroad again, unless I miraculously become better at travelling. I'm just going to stay travelling in the UK in my car with my dog. Thanks for your video. I've subscribed 😊

Thanks for taking us on your vacation, Paul! Put some aloe vera on your sunburn. :-) I've only traveled abroad with a tour group. The good part is literally everything is taken care of for you. Everything is structured and scheduled so you know exactly where you're going and what you're doing at any time. Your flights and hotels are booked for you, your tour tickets are purchased for you, your restaurants are reserved for you, etc. The bad part of being in a tour group is it can be hard to find alone time. I've found myself 'running away' during the few periods of free time. Lol! I am fine taking smaller trips by myself, like going to local bed and breakfasts near hiking trails. I also research everything ahead of time - local tour spots, operating hours, fees, restaurants, directions. Everything is investigated and planned out within an inch of its life, because that's how I function. Lol

Really enjoyed that vicarious trip to Barcelona, it looked very much like one of mine - research the chuff out of it! I also thought I didn't like the idea of a room without windows, but I'm thinking I might ask for one next time!! 😅

I know exactly how it feels to solo travel as an autistic adult. I have done 2 solo train trips to your neck of the woods (manchester) to do uni courses and really enjoyed blending in with the crowds and just doing what I want on my time and schedule which was mostly museums. Loved it. I have done the same as you did the buses with the trams in Manchester. I didn't use them the first trip. I also researched the heck out of my trips. Where I was going to go, which way I was going, what time I was going to be there. Everything. I love planning trips but it drives my family crazy. You looked more relaxed at the end of the video and I'm glad you got to do everything you wanted to do.

Hi Paul! This is my first visit to your channel, and I enjoyed this video very much! Thank you, and I'll be checking out more videos. 😊

As someone who has recently been given an autism diagnosis and as someone who solo travels in UK often, I solo travelled to Iceland for the 1st time and I can relate to this video so much, especially the baggage specifications, I brought all new suitcases and bags and had screenshots of the dimensions with me to make sure they would be OK... found your channel through tiktok, thank you for sharing your experiences, it's really cool to relate to someone who knows and understands the quirks that come with autism

Awesome video, thank you for doing this! This is something that I kind of tried for the first time last year (if going to the next town over can be considered a vacation) and it was super refreshing to not be beholden to someone else’s itinerary and to be free to do whatever “boring” thing I want to do. It looks like it would be a lot of fun to do a real trip like this, and I like the idea of just going somewhere and being able to be like a background character without any expectations to live up to. Really good video, I appreciate the work you put into editing this, and I really like how quiet everything was overall. I liked how you showed the sight-seeing shots candidly and with no explanation because it felt like how I would normally view something in real life (quietly). Great job!

Gollee Paul, I really enjoyed this video for a variety of reasons, some kind of relating on each chapter, having travelled abroad, loss and grief of loved ones (I lost my son when he was 20), and how all these situations affect me as a neurodivergent autistic 67 year old female who only found out in the past couple years. I saw the expressions on your face, and feeling all that within myself as I also experienced those "weird" things encountered on travels. Actually I can encounter VERY strange stuff just going to East Texas Small Town Walmart!!! Yikes, it's nutso. I kinda have tunnel vision when I go in public, but I will interact if I feel "safe" enough to do so. I still cannot handle rude, mean, nasty, disrespectful people though :-( Life continues to be one day at a time for me and trying to manage progressing and keeping out of severe burnout. But some days I feel "OK" which is a reprieve. I don't know if I'm ever going to get to "travel" again, but I feel like I would like to do it again if I ever get the opportunity. You said so many things that made me smile too (like "almost swearing", which I do chronically, but I try to hold it down around my grandchildren.. lol).. BTW I like your Carhartt shirt, that's a staple of everyday clothing in East Texas lol... Also, I think you did a very good job of editing the video. Thank you Paul, your videos remain the most helpful to me on my journey. I wish you a Very Glad New Year and I'm glad you have decided to remain on YouTube. I like how you always end with "keep smiling"... bless you

Great video. Loved the pace and the detail. Well done you. And sending love in regards to the passing of your friend.

This is so recognizable. When I go on a holiday it is planned, planned and planned again. That way I know what to expect (or at least I think I do) as I know what I'll visit, when I'll visit it and when I'll have a rest day/time alone. But even then I'll get very anxious the week before leaving. My biggest friend in holidays are my earbuds, as they allow me to withdraw from public life while in full sight (next to managing the sensory input). No attempt to start chitchatting with me... (I call it shitchatting). The biggest problem after a holiday, however, is when you go back to the office and people expect you to tell them how your holiday was...

I’m 57 woman and have just been unofficially diagnosed with Autism, due to absolute burnout…………now I’m trying to find a way of getting official assessment, I need this for a number reasons. I’m currently living on the fringes, close to be homeless. All I need at the moment is a vehicle I can live in, as I cannot be fixed geographically anymore………..my masks are just dropping everyday Not sure how all this is going to unfold 🙃 Anyway, your videos have really informed and confirmed my inner knowing…………..btw, I’m a lot like you on many levels ♥️🔥

I've done solo and couple travel as an autistic adult and my ability to learn quickly, good sense of direction and commitment to planning has made all my trips really wonderful. My anxiety is more related to hopefully finding someone to interact with while I'm away.

🏆 Great Video. Very well done. Thank you.