E41 | Why do I find holidaying so stressful? Travelling with AuDHD

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Welcome back to Dub Tif's Audi HD with late diagnosed sisters Ellie and Page. We were diagnosed late.

And we're here to educate.

She's back, baby. That's a familiar voice. How are you, Paige? She's back on the podcast after five weeks of not being on the podcast.

Yeah.

But actually seven weeks of not being here because we actually pre recorded the last two, the screening ones. So it's been seven weeks since we've actually recorded together. How's it going?

Uh I'm constipated and broke. But other than that I'm quite gwiz, very jet lagged right now for me. I think it's about one AM or two AM or something like that.

So you've been where?

Where have I been? I mostly spent a lot of my time in Pali with um my bestie. Um and I went to Spain, Barcelona. And Costa Brava, really sick. It was really nice. And where else did I go? I went to Brussels for a day. Wouldn't write home about it. I probably just didn't no, I probably didn't do it justice. I probably didn't do enough because it was only a day, so I shouldn't judge. Um, anything else did I do?

Very nice. Well, that kind of leads into today's topic, which we're going to talk about traveling as an ADHD or Audi HD or autistic person because You know when you're at school and everyone's like, Yeah, I'm gonna go on my OE and like everyone's like talking about travel and like everyone it's like a thing that you all do, right? Paige and I when we I haven't been on an OE, I would say, but I've been travelling and

I was overwhelmed so not this time round as such, but in the past. So overwhelmed.

Yeah. So we want to talk about our our experiences traveling, po like pre diagnosis, but then also post diagnosis and what we've changed about the way we travel. Because it might be helpful to you because we have implemented things ourselves to make it just a bit more manageable.'Cause travelling is great, but man, as someone with Audi H D I actually just quietly find it very

Stressful. It's stressful but it's confusing'cause I get excited about the novelty, but then like it's such a weird push and pull where I'm like, No, but I'm excited, but like I'm really stressed out.

Yeah, exactly right. And on social media it always appears that travel is the best thing ever.

the thing, it is so glorified, I will say. Like if you think about everyone just d posts their highlights. Obviously that's just Instagram in general. But yeah, it's like also all like the travel footage and stuff you see, like the amount of like presets or LUTs they put on that to make it look so much better and then you get there and you're like that's cool. I shouldn't but it's just like definitely a I think, glorified us at the world?

Yeah, like our yeah, and our expectations were sort of mismatched, I think, the first couple of times we went traveling. And look, we know we're coming from privileged. scenario here, the fact that we can even go traveling because I know it's expensive. Yeah. Um but I'm even talking about just a weekend away as well, like to like a little road trip an hour down the road. Even that I actually find fun, but stressful. Yeah.'Cause it's too many logistics to organise. Yeah.

But just going back to what you said about how like it's like the thing to do, it's like oh I'm traveling and like it was like what everyone was going to do, like or you know, a we or a big OE or like going on a what do you call it? A uh a fucking what do you call it? Like a top dick and I'm sure they're super fun. But I thought like, oh my god, I will love it then. Like everyone loves travelling. I wanna have the best time of my life.

Yeah. And then the reality of that is complete overwhelm.

Yeah.

Constipation, as you've just mentioned.

Definitely the first time I went travelling it was like honestly just so overwhelming. I I had little moments of fun. It's actually so quite sad to say because I spent a lot of money to do it. Yeah. But I learned the hard way that like or like how to not travel.

This is the thing, I think th some people travel that way and find it really fun and it's fine, but I think there's just certain ways that people who are neurodivergent need to travel.

Yeah, and I was treating myself like a neurotypical. So going, Oh my god, I'm gonna have so much fun Yeah and then so I treated myself like a neurotypical and then ended up just like actually looking back, I'm like, Oh my god, I actually did not have a very good time.

Yeah. And then the internalised ableism comes in too, where you're kinda going, Well, everyone else is dealing with this so like I should be why aren't I having fun? And then you get angry at yourself and so we just want to talk about travelling as an Audi H D.

Yeah, yeah, I guess I have implemented some things, but one big thing which I'll get to is the reason why it's not so overwhelming.

Beautiful. Um now but it's been a few weeks since I've re we've really given love to our um Reddit community. Uh you can join our private Reddit community by clicking the link in our link tree. Request to join and then uh double pronged, as I've said. Um, anyway, people are constantly like every day posting in here and

That is such a rip off man. So what are the responses? Any good advice?

a couple of people who have replied, um, but people are just basically saying like I feel you, um and uh someone's recommended creating which for you've been starting to use Paige.

Aw, yeah.

about creatine.

Sorry, just the way you say it. Is that I say creative?

Oh no.

Creating. No, it's I mean.

I'm not sure.

I say creatine.

What do I say? Creating.

Yeah, and it just really annoyed me. Okay. It's fine, it's fine. I knew what you meant. You've been I've been trying cre creatine and I will

Just laughing at you thinking about how to say it.

Um, I honestly have m uh noticed a huge difference with like my mental clarity, I think, and tiredness. It helps with my tiredness. Um uh what else? Oh Yeah, so I've also noticed with my cycle it helps my mood swings, I think a little bit. Um

Like is it because it's helping with muscle Strength, muscle, what is it helping with, do you know?

It's something to do with like fuel for the brain. I'm pretty sure. Yeah.

Yeah.

Also, fact check this, but I saw this online, but there's a study somewhere out there in the big wide world. that um they they did a study with people who uh were sleep deprived by like forty hours or whatever, I don't know the exact ins and outs. They took one thing of creatine and then it like wiped all of their like sleep deprivation like problems. Interesting. Um definitely fact check that. But it helps with the

Yeah.

Yeah, no, it gives you apparently it gives like your brain the fuel it needs to get through that day with like, you know and I have noticed a difference. Look, I noticed a difference when I went travelling because I Look, I was really scared to take a big bottle of white powder with me and I looked it up and it said like no as long as it's in like its like original like packaging it should be fine but I was like, I just don't want to risk that.

Like

Yeah it's literally yeah. So I didn't take it with me but then two weeks into my travel of not taking it, I honestly noticed uh it was probably a week. It was actually probably a week and I noticed a difference and then I went and bought some creatine and started taking it again and then I I swear I noticed the difference in taking it.

Interesting. Okay, so how's the brain and'cause is muscle strength I know you've talked about this I think muscle strength and all that is really important for ADHD is in particular. Is that right? Or is that for stopping dementia? Have I mixed my

I think you've mixed your facts up, but it's probably kind of related anyway, because like don't people with ADHD more likely to get dementia and Alzheimer's anyway? Fact check that one.

I think there's correlations.

Correlations. So yeah, I think it would help.

Yeah. Right. So that was one of the pieces of advice pieces of advice for perimenopause. Obviously Paige and I can't speak to perimenopause, um, because we haven't got there yet.

We'll catch you in ten years and let you know how we go.

Shit.

But I'm...

We haven't sp experienced it. However, we've watched our mum go through it and like for ten years mum um and again we don't know if she's neurodivergent, she's not diagnosed, but we suspect, uh, that it, you know, runs in the old genes there. Um She had really horrible a really horrible time with perimenopause, but no one knew what it was for ten years until she did her own research. And I think we might have mentioned this before.

going to affect you poorly, I think, perimenopause, especially if it ADHD. It's again like we talk about the estrogen helps with the dopamine regulation. As soon as the estrogen drops and you have less of it, the dopamine drops even further. And so yeah, it makes sense that you've got brain fog.

Oh my god, I just think about what I'm like in that like really shitty week of my loot. I'm like if that's gonna be my life day in and day out for perimenopause

And you got kids.

Like in me in me. Sorry, no, that's crazy to say sorry, I didn't mean that. It's awful. It's awful. It really upsets me. Like I think there's more like research obviously happening now. But it's too little too frickin' light, man. Like I look at our mums and our grandmothers and further and I'm just like, You poor mother ifers like You just had to like raw dog life and get gas lit for it and put into like institutions because people thought that like women were crazy.

Oh yeah that's an acronym, yeah.

Yeah. These women are talking about their experiences in the field and stuff. Uh in the in the like doctor in clinical whatever field. And a uh W double was called a whiny woman and and so these women had these ex th these experiences earlier on in their careers of like these men, doctors, going, Oh, don't worry, she's just a W W and they're like, Sorry, what does that mean?'Cause they're new and he's like, Oh, it's a whiny woman.

No, that's really, really f crazy that that would call us whining women and like they make marking us as hysterical back in the day as well. And really we're dealing with hormones and those hormones produce life. So why are we not given more compassion?

Oh yeah, they don't they didn't put women in trials until nineteen ninety three, like scientific research because we're apparently we're too complicated. And we like ruin the results because it's too complicated. I'm like, wait, what? So you just don't put us in there'cause we're too complicated.

It's hilarious, isn't it?

It is hilarious. Usually guys go and listen to this podcast. It's actually very educational. Yeah. So I I I for the first like ten minutes of listening to it, I was so triggered. I got so angry. And I turned it off. I was like, I just can't listen to this because I'm getting so angry about all these things and I was like, no page, just

And I think if if there's things that make you angry but then you get the education to back it up, then you can then spread your your your learning.

Like I'm doing right now.

Exactly right. Exactly right. Um I think there's a there's another couple of posts in here actually about perimenopause and Audi HD and a few people are saying that they didn't get their diagnosis of autism until perimenopause. Ja.

It's more outward because like the ability to deal with it is just like even less ex

Exactly. The masking goes. Like as soon as you have kids or hyperi menopause, I feel like it just gets harder to mask.

Mask, yeah. Um well I think about like yeah, like the during that luteal phase. If I had like even my cats get overstimulating to me, I'm like, Oh my god, I'll piss off. If people talk to me, I'm like, if off, like imagine just being like that.

I know. And so just I just w don't have a lot of advice on on the old pyramidopause because I haven't experienced it, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone and like I think it really does affect neurodivergent brains more. And don't let doctors gaslight you or label you as a WW or make you feel stupid for your feelings because they are legitimately real and it

Hundred percent light.

We we are here for everyone and um we aim to get in the future more experts on about things like dys dyspraxia, dyslexia, um Yeah I guess other specified neurodevelopmental disorder. We should talk to a psychiatrist about that. So we will end up having more information about other neurodeveldevelopmental disorders, not just Audi HD, but of course, as you know, this podcast is our experience and Experience as audio.

H D. Yeah, and obviously a way to connect with like you don't like you said, don't necessarily have to be autistic. You might just relate to us in some ways and have tendencies like us. Exactly. Um and find like a comfortability, is that the word? In And just listening and hanging out with us. So it's like you don't have to

Yeah. You don't have to fully relate to everything, but you might relate to some things.

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Um all right. So the old trevel. Should we jump into some old treble chat? Um Shall we talk about you, Paige, obviously,'cause you've just come back from travel. Do you want to talk us through the first time you ever went travelling? And then what was overwhelming about that? And then tell us how this time went and what you might have implemented.

Uh, last time we went together, it would have been like four or five years ago maybe. Um, and I went away for six weeks. Um I did like a tour around Greece. So like with a group of people. I was like, yeah, that's what you do. Like, let's give it a gore. And I also had a couple of friends on the tour, so I did know a couple of people, um, which I was very comfortable with. So that was good, but um Okay, how do I wrap this up? Like how do I um so

This is pre-diagnosis and you ended up at the quietest.

Wait, yeah, I was. No, uh so I had been uh medicated for ADHD at this point, but didn't know I was autistic. You know, ADHD can get me through things with my excitability and like the novelty of things. But because I was medicated for that, like

Yeah, not enough time at all.

Not enough time in each place. I just literally felt like I was constantly moving. I was constantly like packing up my suitcase, lugging that around train stations, trying to get to places on time, like

And when you've got executive function issues, even managing one suitcase is so overwhelming because you you worry constantly, like I'm constantly checking my pockets for everything. Yeah. Just constant The yeah, the executive function, um the change of routine. I'm just gonna list a few things.

Please

Audi HD is and neurodivision people sometimes really struggle with traveling. You've got your change in routines, everything's different to what you know. That's that first of all, continue in its mouth. Then obviously the time zones and stuff too. Um so your anxieties just increase already. Yeah. Then there's sensory overload. There's different smells in the plane. There's different noises in the plane.

You're sticky, you haven't been out sh been out a shower. Well, that's the worst part.

The th the part of like not being able to shower and just be close to again we sound very privileged'cause like we're in the food.

But for real, the sensory thing bro, like when you can't shower and you've on a plane and you're close to all these people and I'm hot and I'm bothered, it is just the worst feeling. Like I it w it makes my breathing all out of whack. Like I

It's so good.

I hyperventilate, my ticks are so bad, like

Oh the transitions, you're constantly transitioning from one state to another state to another state, like just constantly, and that's just hard on you. Um you've got the old burnout, like just just from having to interact with different people, different languages.

Yeah.

It's for me, a lot of it is a sense for overload and the lack of sleep, which then like compounds later where you just you're tired and It's just really tough. And I think a lot another thing that is so hard about the travel side is that when you've got a hidden dis hidden disability like Audi H D Everyone else appears to be like managing fine. Yeah. So you have this internalized ableism of like, well, everyone else is dealing with this, so they um they must all be overwhelmed like that.

They still be feeling this and they seem fine, so I must just be an idiot.

And then you just burn yourself out further because you're trying to keep up with this like um this ideal travel vibe which is not really made for us. Yeah. Um so yeah, those those are like the for me. the most stressful things are managing and tracking my s my baggage and just my suitcase and stuff. I'm constantly anxious that I've left something behind because of ADHD. Um and then the sensory experience of just everything. The crowding like just

Yeah, because you're going, travel's meant to be fun. Like I thought like everyone loves travel. Like why am I not enjoying this like I should be?

Yeah, but it really is like not that fun. And to me, what I like doing, the main thing I like doing is when I go travel.

It's eating.

That's all I like doing is going and trying even the convenience store stuff. Like different cuisines. I love that's dopamine seeking. Like I love eating the food. Yeah. And that's kind of it. Like when I go to LA and stay with my friends, I just stay on their couch and just like eat like overeat some stuff.

I know, so I'm the same. So like people be like, Oh my god, you're in Europe. So what have you done? Have you gone and done this? Have you seen the blah blah blah? Have you seen this? And I'm like, No, I haven't really. I've just been going to cafes and like eating like mean food. Yeah. And they're like, Wait, what? Like you're in like Paris or you're in blah blah blah and I'm like, I

I think the thing is with like those big um like monuments and stuff, if we don't know the meaning behind them, which we don't, we don't know the research

Yeah, I mean yes, but in saying that actually going to some of I did go to oh, I always say it wrong, probably gonna get Montmart, I think. It's in Paris. Anyway, it's beautiful. Actually, that's one spot that I loved. It's like a cute little village kind of it's just like a really cute town. And there's um the sacred heart. Oh, I need to get it right. I shouldn't but it's like this huge church and that was

If you just want to sit in your hotel room and eat food.

Like I just wanna go down to a a cafe or like an like a restaurant and just like eat yummy food and sit there and like and like the vibe of it. Like you feel like you're in a different country.

Yeah, it's a reminder that your travel is your travel and you can do travel however you want to do your travel. So this last time that you went, you you changed a few things. Do you wanna go through like what accommodations have you put in for yourself?

So actually I hadn't quite finished.

I gotta get gone.

No, that's fine. No, but I go off on tangents, don't I? So you gotta just keep the ball rolling. But um uh so yeah, I guess I made the mistake of like or'cause I did a bit of my own travel before that this Greek tour. Mm-hmm.

Mutant you or you couldn't talk.

Yeah, it was just awful and I was sitting there going, You Like idiot. You're like an adult. You're a twenty eight year old, twenty seven year old, like adult right now, like having a cry. Like, are you five years old? Like, you know, like gaslighting myself. And we had to Yeah, anyway, so So weird. And so we went on this like boat.

Being on the right medication.

medication. I think this is the other thing that like neurotypicals don't understand is that like people

Is that because you're in like a country, like a new country and you're traveling, it's like, oh my God, what have you got to complain about? You're in a new country. This should be so exciting. Like Why don't you wanna go down the street to the Eiffel Tower and like do this and eat a big baguette or whatever it is, you know? And when your brain is not Like for example, when I was on that boat.

Be accommodated for and helped and happy in your brain. Yeah. Like it's just you could be anywhere and it's just it's not all good.

Like your needs are not being met. That's as simple as what it as simple as it is kind of. Like on that yacht that day, there was some need that wasn't being met. It was either not enough rest, it was it was probably all of the above, but not enough rest. Sensory overload, like all sorts of stuff was going on there. Your needs were not being met. And so you could be in the Mediterranean jumping off a yacht. But it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

It's a need. Like you need your need you need your needs met.

Yeah, and so I think like just like on that like just don't make yeah, you could be anywhere yet you're allowed to feel what you're allowed to feel and don't make anyone feel like make you think that like but you're in you're in Spain and we should be having fun. It's like That's just actually it's actually irrelevant and you just feel gaslit.

And it's internalised ableism as well, in a way. Because you just think

Why aren't you enjoying yourself? We're in like the most amazing city in the world. We're doing this, we're doing that.

No, and it makes everything worse actually when you you made you were made to feel guilty and like you're not appreciating it and stuff like that. But really there's a need not being met. Once that need's met, you probably would have had a great time swimming around that ocean. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It just made me realize that now, seeing it now, I was looking at that that trip in hindsight versus this one recently and I'm like, yeah, like I was doing this these things that like people would have perceived to be so cool. Yeah, I was actually very unhappy inside and very stressed out. And now that I'm semi fixed, not fixed, but you know, like go medication.

Yeah.

Like I actually enjoyed it more. Yeah. I was like, Oh, okay. So I I kinda get how travelling can be a bit more exciting now and I do enjoy it.

Yeah, that's great advice. My biggest one I reckon for travel is one of the things I find really stressful is living out of a suitcase and having my stuff just everywhere. It just overwhelms me. I like knowing where my stuff is. Even if it's a mess in home, I still know where my stuff is.

Yeah.

As soon as it's a suitcase, it's just it's a new suitcase of new things. How do I set this up? I used to find that really, really stressful. But

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Paige actually got me onto these and I I can't say how much this has helped me to be honest in terms of my brain cleanliness and tidiness. But if you can afford it, um I've bought those little

Yeah.

So I've got my undies in one and then I've got my leggings in another one and everything is segmented.

It's compartmentalized everything so in your brain you know exactly where it is. Sorry.

No, it's right, no, exactly. That's exactly right. And it sounds so simple, and I never would have thought to buy these, but when Paige gave me hers to try, I honestly my stress was So much less. I even had a couple in my backpack. So one had like my passport, blah blah blah. And then the other one had like my headphones and my technology and stuff like that. So that everything is categorized instead of it just being a big mess.

This is the thing, what I was saying, you're such a privilege, but then tell tell us more.

I've been wanting to do this since I was eight years old and go to a massive grommet. But as soon as I got there it was a new country, the altitude was really high, so it was harder to get oxygen. It was boiling hot.

And there was no shade, eh?

So overwhelmed. And I actually wasn't drinking either because I just had my wisdom teeth out so I couldn't have any alcohol. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, but To be honest, I think if I had alcohol that day, that sounds so I wouldn't yeah, I wouldn't have been as overwhelmed because I would have been able to just numb it.

Which we're not condoning, but yeah, I'm sure you get it.

Yeah, exactly. I I actually was just like, huh, this is why people drink alcohol. No

Yeah, literally that.

was so overwhelmed and like there Sam even missed like he was a little bit like impatient with me at first because he's going like what the hell like you're in Mexico at a Grand Prix

This is and I'm not blaming Sammy for this, but this is exactly what I was saying, is like people going, Wait, you're in like why aren't you enjoying yourself? I'm

wet from my sweat, I can't breathe, I'm hot, like I'm so my own nervous system is so overwhelmed and I felt like I still had fun but and I still love it and I'm so it was one of the coolest days ever. However, at the same time and this is what I mean about two things can exist at once. I can be so bloody overwhelmed having like the worst time sensory-wise. But at the same time, I'm still really like happy that I'm here seeing my F1 drivers and like it was just

This is coming from someone who was Ellie a Formula One fan right from the age of eight. I know you mentioned that. But it's like again, like it's such a It's like parad paradox. Where it's like is it the word? Where you're just you're actually such a huge fan, you always have been, you you're having the worst time of your life. But you're enjoying it. But it's like

It was just a battle to have that fun. It was like I was having fun but I was also battling every minute going Okay, breathe. And also the other thing that was overwhelming there is they were um it was a grandstand without actual seats, but they were numbered. So you it was just a it was just concrete steps. So it meant that personal space wasn't really

I didn't take it. But like.

So please if you if you want to use it, please use it because it just it tells people that you might need help without you having to verbalize it. And I think it's a great initiative. Um and it can help you with things like it might they might let you bored first or bored last or whatever.

Okay, I'm not can sorry, had you finished? No, you hadn't finished

That's fine.

But this is why I am one of those people that 'Cause I don't n necessarily like to board first because like then you're just sitting on the plane, but then again also walking down the aisle and everyone all these faces are fucking staring at you. That's also not fun. But I'm one of those people that like and I shouldn't like condone this or like You know, but I d I realize now I think maybe why I do this.

Accommodate yourself.

Yeah, just quietly like I don't I don't um stand in the line with these bags all over my I just sit down and wait till the line's gone.

Fair enough. Yeah enough, fair enough. Um the other thing, noise cancelling headphones for me personally, but that's that just

Game changes.

like the number one. Like you just you just have to have those in, especially in a plane. Well in my opinion anyway.

Oh yeah, for sure.

My experience. Oh, and I think one of the most s stressful situations to ever occur on this earth is going through security at an airport.

Oh no, I hate it!

I hate that so much, especially when you have to get your laptop out and all your extra electronics and that is one of the most stressful things. I actually

Cotton ball.

Yeah, so I just dread that bit so much because you've got so many frickin' things and then there's people behind you who are like going quicker than you and you're like um so Just a moment for security. We we feel you on that. That is very overwhelming.

And also I mentioned to you A that like my PDA pathological ma demand avoidance like I I try to get my shit out fast enough before they can frickin' yell at me like laptop iPad Just it actually annoys me. I'm like, Yo You dickhead, like I know. I know, right? Nah,'cause they probably deal with people that don't do it and then they do have to get yelled at, but like

Totally. And I think the last lesson that we might leave you with today is always have a flat booked home A page.

Whoops.

Uh yeah, Paige hadn't booked her flight home, uh'cause she wanted a bit of flexibility.

Fair enough. Oh I see that's not all there's a point I was gonna say, but we'll come back to that. So like this this time round of travel, I was like, nah, I was way too rigid last time, had way too many plans. I'm just gonna like wing it. winged it a bit too hard for that one. Did not plan anything. Managed to still like book places so that wasn't an issue like in terms of hotels and like trains and stuff. So getting around was fine.

Yeah, maybe well it's a pretty good deal to be fair, but that was on a sale.

But it was it was on a sale and all the other flights were like three to four grand. I was like, Oh my god, I've completely royally if this up. Yeah, no, so I winged that a bit too hard.

I feel like you've you swung the other way this time. You've like gone from rigid to just like

I think if I have a good in between next time it'll be really good.

Yeah, always have a flight booked home and also check the laws for entering certain countries. Uh, because what else happened to you, Pod?

So I was actually meant to go to Dubai uh and see my lovely friends there, which I was very excited about. Um So I got up at four AM, um, said goodbye to my bestie and um Uber to the airport. Um fifty Euros, by the way, that's like a hundred N Z D to get to the airport. Went to go check into my flight, um and they're like sorry oh it's like five at this point I'm so naked.

That's just an annoying rule though to be honest. Like if your passport expires, it expires on the data.

I'm like why uh what's the point in having an expiry date if you're not gonna abide by it?

And also you don't you already had a flight booked out of Dubai anyway. So they could have seen that you were

I was leaving and also when I went to go book my flight back home to Auckland from Paris, like it gave me a n like a a warning saying like, um, your passport expires soon. Um, it you're okay for this trip, like you're all good, but n you know, make sure you and I was like, Why didn't my flight do that to me when I booked it? You know? Yeah. Anyway, so that was a bit of a gap.

Yeah, there's just some lessons there. Um don't wing it too hard. Get your flight home booked early. Um and just check the like, I don't blame you for the Dubai thing. That's pretty annoying. Um, but that's a good lesson if you're listening. If you go in Dubai, make sure that your passport is not in

Yeah, well that so some countries are six months. Like actually some quite a few can be. But I've actually looked it up and like most countries do actually have that rule in general, but it's usually three months.

Oh, yeah.

So like that apparently that rule actually exists for like a lot of countries in general, but like Dubai is just six months. Whoopsie.

What's the point of the experience? Yeah. Um yeah. Anyway, so those are our bits of advice that uh it's not a huge amount of advice, but they're definitely a couple of things that have we've we've learnt to do. Give yourself more time than you think.

Buffer time, buffer time.

Yeah. Have maybe comp um compartmentalized your bag literally with the bag. Um hidden disabilities lanyard if you want to. Um noise cancelling headphones if you can afford it are great. Also I just bought loop earplugs. They're a bit cheaper. They're not obviously headphones, but they're they're earplugs that are help help you with sensory um auditory stuff.

I think yeah, good good. I think as well, um I think this is why I like travelling alone, is because I hate relying on other people and I hate people relying on me. Like then going, Let's go do this, like we're in the let's go And so I don't wanna answer to anyone. I and so that's like a tip from me. Like if you're like me, like you probably don't want to travel with people. I way prefer travelling alone.

Hey, drop um in our Reddit, if you're in our Reddit, drop us your travel tips if you've got any. Like if you've if you've experienced stuff the hard way and you've implemented accommodations for yourself when you're traveling, let us know. Um share share the love, share the advice'cause um Uh it's really helpful th to know that we're not alone as well and just get a few more tips up our sli.

Yeah, also just like another tip sorry to add, like don't if you are travelling, don't let people gaslight you for feeling any sort of way that you are. Yeah. Your feelings are valid. Thank you very much.

Yes, amen. And that internalized ableism. It always creeps in. Yeah. Um, but you just travel the way you want to travel. And it's a

goes. And the conventional way is not the right way necessarily. Yeah. Like there's a reason why it's a conventional way. Doesn't that mean like it's just like it's like the way that I don't know what I'm saying.

There's no right.

Like the thing that we've been told that like, oh, that there's the right way to travel or like what Iran generally does. Like I gasolit myself.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The we let the voices um in our head g get too loud sometimes and now we've learnt the hard way. Um and yeah, just do what you want. Like if you just want to sit in your hotel room and order Uber Eats all day long.

definitely done that. Yeah.

That sounds amazing. All right, well it's lovely to have you back podge on the old potty.

Thank you. I'm happy to be back. Sorry I was gone for so long. And thank you to Ellie for carrying the load and and Bree and Sam for coming and also carrying the load.

We had to we had to find another episode, um, because uh Paige was meant to be home earlier than she was and of course the old flight deback will happen so

Sorry about that.

Sorry about that. Um But yes, have a great And um take care of yourselves and we'll see you next time.

Thank you so much.

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