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Turning Travel Anxiety into Travel Confidence
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Growing up undiagnosed autistic, I used to think of myself as an anxious traveller.

You know the type - the one having a meltdown in the middle of an airport because their gate had changed for the third time, or holding back tears on a train platform because they’d just tripped and spilled coffee all over their suitcase. That was me.

After my diagnosis, however, I realised my ability to cope in these unfamiliar environments was heavily influenced by the sensory overwhelm I experienced there.

Now, with 16 countries on 3 different continents - and countless ‘character-building’ experiences - under my belt, I know that if I can get a handle on my sensory sensitivities, my anxiety threshold is much higher. I’ve learnt how to tolerate travel instead of dreading it and, most importantly, how to actually enjoy my destination when I get there.

So, let me share three of the game-changing strategies that have transformed the way I travel - hopefully, they’ll do the same for you too.

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Why travel feels different when you’re neurodivergent

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Sensory sensitivities are a real headache (pun intended!) for many neurodivergent people, and we become all the more susceptible to them when we’re pushed outside of our comfort zones.

Bright fluorescent lighting glaring overhead. Overlapping tannoy announcements jostling for airtime. The myriad of scents from competing perfumes and colognes lingering in duty free.

Ask any neurodivergent person and I can guarantee that’s pretty close to their definition of hell.

By necessity, we must leave behind our familiar routines and home environment in order to travel. However, through trial and error, I’ve found ways to bring a bit of my
comfort zone with me on my trips, and this has been the secret to many successful holidays over the past few years.

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1. Plan in some quiet time
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During my day-to-day I have to prioritise quiet time within my schedule, because otherwise I get overwhelmed easily. This could look like not playing music on my commute to and from work, or wearing ear defenders on an evening whilst I read my favourite cosy mystery novels.

This principle of scheduling in quiet moments is one I now use when travelling as well. My partner and I might arrive early to the airport, grab a coffee and then head over to the quiet seating zone to decompress before a flight. On arriving in a new location, I often give myself permission to have a nap in the hotel before going out to explore.

Travel is not a race and it doesn’t need to be fast-paced. Building in those non-negotiable breaks has made a huge difference to how well I’m able to handle sensory challenges.

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2. Pack your sensory holy grails
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Every neurodivergent traveller’s sensory survival kit will look a bit different. However, by sharing mine with you below, I hope you’ll get some ideas for where to start with building your own.

Calmer® - never mind for travel, I don’t even leave the house in the morning without these in. I’ve worn Calmer® all day, every day since 2021 and I couldn’t recommend a product more highly for reducing noise related stress (without blocking sound). For especially loud environments such as airports and train stations, I add the Calmer® Filters. They offer up to -15 dB attenuation, reducing the volume of the chaos around me.

Sunglasses - when I first started wearing sunglasses indoors I felt incredibly self-conscious, but not anymore. This is now another non-negotiable for me in places
like airports, where the lights are always on even when the sun is shining. Avoiding overwhelm by wearing sunglasses inside is so worth the occasional passing worry that someone might judge me for it; I really recommend giving it a try if you too are overly sensitive to light.

Fidgets - as with sunglasses, I’m no longer self-conscious about using fidgets in public, and I never travel without a couple in my bag. Also known as ‘stim toys’, fidgets can take many forms, from discreet handheld objects to multicoloured Pop It trays. Once you’ve found which works best for you, fidgets will do wonders for soothing any anxiety and keeping you grounded in a busy environment.

Noise-cancelling headphones - for when you need more noise cancellation than Calmer® Filters can provide, make sure you also have a pair of noise-cancelling headphones in your survival kit. I usually bring these out once I’m on the plane or train itself, to enter a blissful bubble of silence for the rest of my journey. Whilst not noise-cancelling, I can also recommend the new Calmer® Earphones for a balanced, calmer sound experience. To me, the sound quality is so soft that they make me feel like I’m listening to my music through a blanket, which I love.

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3. Communicate your needs to others
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We’re approaching the 10-year anniversary of the instantly recognisable Sunflower Lanyard in 2026, so it would be remiss of me not to mention it on this list! Wearing one whilst travelling shares that you have a hidden disability without you having to say anything, letting staff members know that you might need extra help, understanding, or a bit more time.

Some people may prefer not to disclose that they have a hidden disability in this way, but I’ve only ever had positive experiences when wearing my lanyard. I’d certainly suggest others give the scheme a try if they haven’t already, because it’s recognised in airports and other transport hubs across the world: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Latin America, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, the UAE and the USA.

The fastest way to get the right support as a neurodivergent traveller is to ask for it, which is why learning to communicate my support needs in a way that neurotypical people understand has played an important role in helping me to manage overwhelm. More often than not, others do want to help - sometimes, they just need to know how.
Travel should be about broadening your horizons, not wearing down your senses. With a bit of planning, the right sensory tools and the confidence to communicate your needs, you can learn to tolerate travel and, perhaps, to even enjoy it.