Aspies On Plane

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Any tips on keeping calm. I get stressed about being on time and I hate the lines and cramped conditions. I am travelling with my boyfriend and I don't want to stress him out.

is it the plane or the airport? this may not be feasable for you as you're with your bf, but you can see if your airport has a "travel for people with autism" help thingy. Perhaps they can give you a hand. I have no idea what the amenities are, or anything, but maybe they'd give you a quiet place to wait or something. You can always invest in earplugs or bring an mp3 player or something.

You could learn a relaxation technique. There's tons, just google. You could take a meditative approach and stay in the moment, anchoring yourself in the pleasantness of air travel and the fact that whatever you fear is not occurring in each present. You could try your doctor or other drug dispensing services for a mild tranquillizer. Have you ever seen the A-Team?

You know what I thought when I saw this thread? Aspies on a plane -> asps on a plane = asps are a kind of snake -> snakes on a plane. I thought it might be pop satire.

I hate airports but once I'm inside a plane, I'm fine.

Hehe, I also had "snakes on a plane" pop into my head.

About all I can think of is make sure it's a window or aisle seat (as opposed to the ones where you have people on both sides. If it were me, I'd prefer the window on one side of me, and someone familiar and safe on the other. And trying to remember to go to the bathroom before you get on the plane (I guess depending on how long the flight is).

And when possible I try to arrange to depart & arrive from smaller airports. I.e. instead of LAX, "John Wayne"/Orange county airport.

I just try to make sure that I have a lot of distractions. I like to carry an iPod with a few movies and some music, then I put on my headphones and I'm okay. Just let your bf know why you are doing it; otherwise, he might think that you are ignoring him.

For me, being on the plane is much much worse than being in the airport. I only ever fly back to see my folks and that is a 17 hr. journey. I think it's hell.

I used to get lots of panic attacks on planes til I figured out why I was panicking. It's cuz of being enclosed in a small space with a bunch of other people. I feel trapped. I get the same feeling on crowded trains if I have to be on them for too long.

Now what I do is either put on an eyemask and headphones or cover my head with a blanket and watch the lil TV on the back of the chair. It creates a sort of bubble where you don't have to see anyone else and you feel like you are in your own world. I know people probably think I'm a weirdo! But do what you gotta do.

Leave a few hours early before take off. You never know how busy or packed the place will be.

I don't know any way of avoiding lines or crowds.