do you find it hard to travel by yourself?

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This is hard for me to answer directly, as it depends on a few things. I couldn't accurately vote. I like to drive alone, no matter of distance. I do have a feeling of insecurity when it comes to being far away from familiar people or places ("refuges"), but I think my liking for going places overpowers that. I between Los Angeles and Dallas alone now & then, and I've driven on 1000-mile plus trips alone many times since age 17 or so. I don't like to stop at rest stops and motels though, so I try to plan the Dallas commutes with only one stop, and usually it will be in a parking lot for a few hours sleep at a busy 24-hr restaurant, etc. Gun in hand while I'm parked at those places (and I have proper firearms experience to do that, or I wouldn't).

I would be very afraid of leaving the country alone, but I don't know how much of that is Aspie, and how much of it is knowing the dangers to Americans elsewhere today.

Charles

Oh god, yes. Though for me it's because of the fear of change thing. I'm fine traveling by myself in the car, because I'm used to traveling by car. Ask me to get to NYC by train, though, and I'll panic. I've never done it before, and the thought of figuring out which train to take, buying a ticket, finding the station, being on time, and making connections, etc, is just overwhelming.

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I find it prohibitively hard. The choices are overwhelming. Where do I want to go? Where do I want to stay? What will I find to do? Where will I eat? Which airline? etc etc.

I would like to find some kind of package deal where everything's planned out, and yet not too touristy. Here's one site I've looked at: Classic Journeys. Do others have recommendations?

It seems fear of travel is not an Aspie thing, since many here have no problem with it. If you have a travel success story, could you post a walk-through of your planning process, any Web sites/tools you used? That might be helpful.

I think the easiest trip to take is a cruise. You can choose your shore excursions before you leave. All you can eat is included in the cost of the cruise, and there are a lot of restaurants on the ship. There is always something going on at sea to keep you entertained, or you can just relax. The schedule of the days activities are delivered to your cabin everyday. I like a cabin with a window, because I like to see the weather before I dress. Almost any travel agent can set up transportation to the cruise terminal, and make sure your baggage makes it both ways.
Things I do for a successful trip are:
I always make sure I have dollars for tipping. Pay porters a one to two dollars a bag depending on how busy it is. If it is busy and you flash a 5 or 10 at them, they will hurry over to help. If a porter is not available, I pay for a baggage cart as it makes me feel more secure when may baggage is in front of me. I also use the cart as a desk for my itinerary.
I carry an mp3 player to drown out the noise of the crowd. In the terminal I choose a seat that has a view of the hallway, or I sit against a wall. With the MP3 player, a book, and a comfortable location, I can relax until I make my connection.
I get a window seat because I sleep on airplanes. There is nothing to see, so I read until I am sleepy. I make sure I bring a sweatshirt with a hood, and a small blanket in my carry on. I use the sweatshirt as a pillow against the window, cover myself with the blanket, and fall asleep. Of course I have my MP3 player on all the time to get rid of airplane noise.
Bring extra money. It talks louder than anything else. Keep money separated into todays money and the trip fund. Todays money is easy to get to and the trip fund is harder to get at. Don't ever flash a stack bills. If you need to get extra, go to a stall in the restroom, or back to your cabin.

Just thinking about traveling very far alone fills me with anxiety. I've never done it, and I have no desire to.

I find it hard to travel alone by public transportation to a place I've never been to before.

I have on issues at all about traveling alone. I have traveled before many times.