Traveling

Those who have Asperger's experience a wide range of symptoms and behaviors that can affect the quality of their travel experiences. Many people with Asperger's take in every little bit of stimuli that their surroundings emit. So when an environment isn't familiar, it can be too overwhelming to handle. My boyfriend, David, has Asperger's and is a college student who will graduate from Hunter College in New York City. To get to school, he takes the Staten Island Rail Road, the ferry, and then the subway. Upon asking him about the first time he ever took the subway on his own, he described his experience as "hectic, confusing, and stressful." He also feared getting lost, and this worried him greatly. During the few times where he relied on others to get him to where he needed to be, his sense of inadequacy was heightened. David vowed to travel independently on the subways and buses to all the parts of the city no matter how scary that seemed, and no matter how lost he would get. Gathering up the courage to go up to complete strangers to ask them if he was on the right path to his destination, even if that meant doing so every other block along the way, is something David learned how to do. Doing this helps keep his sense of direction in check. For many people with Asperger's, going up to the locals to interact with is also a challenge, as they are not generally very sociable or willing to talk to strangers. One of the difficulties those with Asperger's face while traveling on the subway, the bus, or a train, is over-stimulation. They become hypersensitive to all the sounds around them and feel very uncomfortable being around many people at once. Dealing with such inescapable anxiety on a daily basis can be very stressful and overwhelming, but there are ways in which one with Asperger's can cope with this anxiety. Reading a book or magazine, texting, playing with a handheld game, and listening to music are a few of several activities that someone with Asperger's often engages in, in situations like this. David has learned how to deal with over-stimulation whenever he travels to college, but he still gets bothered by the people he encounters, and honestly I can't blame him. I would get mad too if I had to deal with rude people on a daily basis, but it's definitely harder for him. When I asked him what helps him cope with the stimuli, he said, "paying attention to the rythmic pattern in music, specifically psychedelic trance, helps calm my nerves because I am able to concentrate on counting beats instead of the situation." In order for one's aspirations to be realized, a person needs to take Asperger's by the horns and try to take control. Having Asperger's is just an obstacle. The key to overcoming obstacles is having a desire which is stronger than the reality of the obstacles.