Flying alone as an aspie.

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Hi there.. in april I will be flying to baltimore maryland.. by myself.. does anyone have any tips? I'm very nervous. It's my first time flying since 6th grade and first time by myself..
should I say something to a flight attendant?
a service dog is still in the works.. but of course I will not be able to get one before next month (very long process) and insurance decided to decline my request for a weighted blanket..


Any tips? Please? I want to do this I'll just need help getting through it.. thank you..

I have quite a bit of experience flying by myself lately. I used to hate it and I used to be terrified of it. Mostly because I'm really scared of flying but also because I'm on my own, surrounded by loads of people and noise etc. Though I still don't like it it's gotten a bit better lately.

My advice is to get to the airport early. That way you can have a look around, figure out where to go, where your gate is, where to drop off your luggage, where security is (etc) without having to stress too much. Also, bring earphones so you can shut out noise as much as possible. Personally I always try to sit as far to the front of the airplane as possible. That way I see the flight attendants/cabin crew during take-off which always makes me a bit calmer for some reason. If you're scared or worried about something, don't hesitate to ask the cabin crew about it. They're there to help you. Same goes for staff at the airport. They're there to help you so if you need directions or if you're unsure about something, ask them. I know that can be difficult though, depending on how comfortable you are with talking to strangers/initiate conversation. I personally prefer figuring out things on my own so, like I said, I always arrive at the airport early.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: One of the worst things (at least in my opinion) is that there will be loads of people everywhere. I'm still not sure how to handle that. I usually try to bring something that makes me calmer. For me that's my Rubik's cube or a red soft "stress ball" (it's not really a stress ball but I'm not sure how to explain it in English). Perhaps you could bring something which makes you calm to help you when you start feeling a bit anxious?

- Only bring a backpack with the stuff u need. Otherwise you have to go to luggage retrieval and be in a very stressful situation.

- In the time slot just after takeoff and just before landing, you can change seats with other passengers.

- Ask the flight attendant if there are seats available to sit alone if you have social anxiety/phobias. Tell the attendant that you have social anxiety/phobias and they will probably help you.

- Bring headphones to reduce or eliminate the chattering of other passengers. And there are screaming children onboard at times, and parents have no empathy towards other people or even understand that it is a problem.

- Try getting a seat near a window so you can look out and not see that you are sitting just a few inches from other people. It calms me a lot.

- If you have germophobia, do not eat/drink a couple of hours before the flight and you do not have to visit the bathroom.

- If you are security concious and a flight geek like me, get the radio frequencies of the tower you are heading to and runway alignments so an emergency landing will be simpler

Good luck.

Just be prepared. Get there early, get a map of the airport beforehand and make sure to comply with the rules (liquids, luggage limits). If you're prepared and are following the rules things will go smoothly. The staff at the airport are generally useless so don't expect much help (hence the map) but the flight crews are good.

I'd recommend having someone take you there to check in and get to security because that's the chaotic and confusing part - a lot of people do this anyway. After security you just go to the gate and wait. It's pretty quiet then too.

Flying is easy because you just sit there. Before the flight you can choose a seat and vegetarian option which might help you.

You should tell the crew if you think any medical condition could be a problem during the flight. They don't want you to get hurt or to scare other people so it's better to tell them beforehand, even if nothing happens. It's probably best just to tell the flight attendants before you board.

Last year I flew over 20 times by myself all around the world and I only had one problem and the crew were great. Remember that everyone's in the same boat and a lot of people don't like the crowds, security and flying.

I am at work so for the time my replies might short and might not answer everything.
i am not buying the tickets. Do i need to tell the person about my disabilities? He is sort of going to be my employer (he is a photographer, i model) so i feel kinda awkward just telling him everything off the bat. But i dont know how seating on a plane works (like how to make sure i am near the front and possibly alone.
i will have to do baggage claims...about speaking to flight attendants..do i tell them my disabilities? I never know if i am being awkward when talking about things ..

You have given helpful suggestions, thank u.

I am at work so for the time my replies might short and might not answer everything.
i am not buying the tickets. Do i need to tell the person about my disabilities? He is sort of going to be my employer (he is a photographer, i model) so i feel kinda awkward just telling him everything off the bat. But i dont know how seating on a plane works (like how to make sure i am near the front and possibly alone.
i will have to do baggage claims...about speaking to flight attendants..do i tell them my disabilities? I never know if i am being awkward when talking about things ..

You have given helpful suggestions, thank u.

Flying by yourself is pretty easy. Just bring something to read while listening to music, nobody will bother you. Do a bit of research on the airport and your destinations before hand, so hopefully you will not need to ask for help. Being awkward is not a problem at all, such people are everywhere. I remember during my first flight I sat next to a stiff man who never said a word or even glanced at me once (no I was not ugly). It was a 10 hour flight and the only word he ever said was "coffee" and "Vancouver" (his destination). Plus many people who travel are nervous because the reason they travel are often stressful (important meetings, interviews, funerals or weddings, big change in life...etc.). You probably won't stand out at all.

make sure to bring entertainment that will last double the length of the flight. I once had to sit on the runway for 3 hours leaving ohair to la x

So far no one has menioned air-pressure drop in the cabin. It is lowered in order to preserve the integrity of the hull of the plane. I've heard of earplugs specifically made for flight use but never tried them. Without them the key is to keep swallowing so that the pressure can compensate in your ears during ascending and descending. I took sour-candies in my mouth to help it, about 20 pcs should be enough.

As for getting sense of orientation, I just followed the signs, they were really informative, I didn't need a map.

Lots of good advice here, especially using headphones. If you have a special interest take something relevant to this so you can lose yourself in the interest. One thing I have always had an issue with when flying is that for some reason I can never tell what the cabin crew are asking me. 'Do you want a drink?' I can understand as they will have a drinks trolley, but when it gets to asking what is available I have to ask several times. I think it is because of the noise and difficulty reading people's faces. Do not worry as they are really helpful and used to dealing with people who are unsure.
The other thing is that these days you can book and choose seats on line. If you have a booking reference number you can usually go into the booking and see the aircraft layout on line and choose a seat that suits you. I prefer to sit in the aisle as I feel trapped near the window. You can also check in on line so you do not need to negotiate the check in desks but again this depends on whether you have your reference number when someone else has made the booking.
You ask about whether to tell people you have AS. This really depends on how it affects you. As I have only just found out about having AS, it has never been an issue although I once has a 'meltdown' when I was told I couldn't sit next to my husband on a transatlantic flight! They just though I was a stroppy customer and managed to find 2 seats together. I do travel alone often but then I am prepared for it.
Hope you have a good trip.

I must be weird because I love flying. I especially like it if I'm going somewhere I've never been.

I have flown a couple times on my own when I went to Spokane to be with my parents for the weekend. It wasn't bad. I only brought a bag with and I didn't even need to check it on because I didn't need many stuff. Then on the way back, I brought back a bunch of stuff in a suitcase my parents brought me and I had to pay a 25 dollar fee because it was too heavy. I just arrived early is all at both airports. The flight there was very short, less than forty minutes.

Only thing I hate about flying now is the small space in the seats and the extra fees. I miss the old days where flying was a lot easier. Plus I was little so I had more room and you could take more on the plane with you back then.

What I would bring with me as an adult is video games to play or music or your laptop if you like doing anything on it. You can bring ear plugs too if you like.

Gum! I need to bring chewing gum for the air pressure, thank you for reminding me about that!
Well, I am diagnosed as bipolar type two and now aspergers is now strongly suspected as well, I also get panic attacks sometimes. My bipolar disorder is stable though I still cycle a bit (I'm a rapid cycler, but I only get hypomania, not actual mania) it's more the aspergers side that I'm worried about I guess.
I don't really know how to bring it up to people though.


it's kinda silly but I'm nervous about not having someone available to give me squeezes/presses. simple things like a hand squeeze can really make a difference.. I hope I can somehow sit near a flight attendant or something? even if it was just for take off.

One of my friends freaked out the first time he flew, he jumped out of his seat when he realized they were going to take off and was like LET ME OUT I DON:T WANT TO DO THIS!" and they walked him up to first class and let him sit there while they were taking off as to be away from other riders.