Weekly Thoughts #10: Learning to be Spontaneous when Traveling as an Autistic Backpacker

After a long hiatus, I have decided to return to my ‘Weekly Thoughts’ series. Basically, this will be where all my random musings for all things autism and travel related will go. Whether it’ll truly return to a weekly format remains to be seen, but the name is sticking for now. Anyways, on to this week’s topic…

Sometimes the best plan is to have no plan – or at least not to over-plan. I know that this can be very difficult and can contribute to anxiety for some individuals in the community, who feel they need to plan down to every last detail when preparing for something. This was how I used to travel to begin with, before I learned that it just wasn’t working for me.  In beginning to let go of scrupulous planning routines, I really opened up a lot more possibilities for myself while traveling. I really don’t know what to expect next, and while that can be a scary thought for many, it does keep me grounded in the present rather than worrying about the future.

Of course, I need to emphasize here that I do lots of research upfront. This then allows me to be spontaneous once travelling. Research and planning are 2 distinct concepts that should not be conflated. In doing proper research beforehand, can you give yourself the opportunity to be prepared and take things as they come once you actually arrive at your destination.

Being spontaneous is somewhat of an advantage, I must admit. To be able to be flexible and open-ended with your travel generally means that, ideally, you have enough time to travel, preferably on an open-ticket. Admittedly, this just isn’t possible when you’re tied to a job in a certain location, or only have 2 or 3 days off for vacation. All the same, I personally witnessed many others take advantage of new possibilities with remote working which took precedence during the COVID pandemic.

As I have gotten older, I have adapted to new routines and unexpected situations far more easily than when I was much younger, and again, I can relate this back to putting yourself outside your comfort zone leads to personal development. The crucial factors being developing an understanding of where to draw the line in this to protect yourself both physically and mentally from harm – something that will ultimately differ greatly between individuals. At the risk of repetition, I will home in again on the point that knowing your trigger points and how best to minimize, avoid and/or manage them will benefit everyone in the long run. This is certainly true for travel, but can also be applied to a variety of everyday situations.

Keeping an open mind is key to me. Almost all my biggest disappointments in life have been at least in part due to me harbouring expectations of some kind. I’m not the biggest fan of clichéd sayings, but “if you expect nothing, you are never disappointed” rings true for me in most instances. As with any form of mindfulness, it is a process that might take some time to conquer. It certainly wasn’t something I learned overnight, but enough bitter disappointments in life combined with countless buoyant memories connected to spontaneous plans over the course of time seemed to create the perfect mixture for me.

When I think of all the crazy, wonderful and downright bizarre experiences I’ve personally had while traveling over the years, I can’t help but think of how much I would be missing out on had I not taken that leap of faith, and opened myself to the world’s wealth of possibilities that were located outwith my periphery.

Despite the common thought that autistic people hate any form of social interaction, social connections for me have been a central pillar of my travel experiences. I love meeting new people, and while I do have some social ineptness that might sometimes stand in the way, I thoroughly enjoy engaging with others from different countries and cultures on the road. We are all human, connected in some way, and there is a lot we can learn from each other by opening ourselves up to others, as well as focusing our energy on others that are open to learn and listen from ourselves.

I think, if anything, the wake of the pandemic has solidified spontaneous travel for me now. The constant changing of rules by each country (sometimes even at a more regional level) has made structured planning in advance more difficult. I quickly learned that planning something too far ahead and chances were that my plans might be forced to take a diversion, or worse, lose the money that I paid in advance.

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