Autism & Travelling

Living with Autism - a column by The Autistic Journalist Tyler Ody. North Swindon resident Tyler Ody has been working for Swindon Link for the past three years. From the age of four Tyler has been diagnosed with Classic Autism. Here's his new monthly column.

Hey everybody, welcome back to Living With Autism - we are now on the eleventh instalment.

This month I am covering 'Traveling Abroad and Flying.'

With the Summer coming up, people are jet-setting off on their holidays, whether that may be going abroad or having a good old English trip.

I quite like going abroad but I do have some anxieties about the process.

Sometimes you have to wake up early which can cause distress to my routine and then I start to worry and ask questions about the day.

Airports can be a problem as they can get so busy, and going through security can make me feel uneasy.

Once I go through I am fine, but it can still take time and when I get on the plane I feel much calmer.

When coming back from the holiday, the airports abroad do not always have a routine and open one gate.

I remember when my family and I were coming back from Greece and their airport only had one gate open - let’s just say I wasn’t happy and people were pushing in.

The waiting process before getting on the plane can be a bit of a challenge - especially if you are waiting for hours and times and flights can get delayed.  

I quite like flying, but I know some people can get nervous and do not like flying. It can be quite daunting for some people because they might not like heights and worrying things can go wrong on the plane while in flight.

Some people may not like the whole process of the airport and flying because of the business and noise levels.

Also there can also be anxieties around covid due to the plane space, and even after the pandemic it can be a struggle for some people. I can understand why people might still feel worried about covid when travelling. 

Hope you all enjoy this column and I will be back next month.