What do you do with your otherness when you’re a world away?
Hey folks.
Sorry for the long pause – just got back from a weeklong stay in Paris, where I disconnected from work, social media, and the general fervor of life. A much needed anniversary trip for me and the missus, but it’s good to be back.
As I took this detour on The Life Autistic, I collected a lot of narratives along the way.
I’m looking through the travelogue from a different spectrum, the first time I’ve been wholly aboard after embracing my whole self.
The week sowed seeds for so many stories:
Why autistic people would have it good in French culture.
How to blend in as a more normal human.
Braving the need for eye contact.
Making a six-step plan for even the simplest conversations in French.
How I can’t navigate while walking with bags.
The autistic advantage of being a tourist.
Defiantly Unique, but blending in.
How you’ll find the best burger in Paris at Goku Asian Canteen.
Planning through lines and rivers.
And just . . . so much more.
As I share mine too, I’d love to hear of more of your autistic experiences abroad.
Despite all autistic signs to the contrary, I kinda enjoy travel. Weird, huh? I’m already a “foreigner” to most humans anyway. To learn more about autism from an autistic person’s perspective, follow & subscribe to The Life Autistic here and on YouTube — or follow the more whimsical, spontaneous, and amusing content on Twitter / Instagram. Thanks!
The Life Autistic 
In my brand of autism (we all have different experiences), traveling abroad is much more freeing (although air travel brings out the worst); I do not need to speak (mostly point or act engaged) and can take in an experience while being more or less anonymous. Do I have anxiety and fear having to communicate? Sure… but overall it’s a vacation from me and my anxiety.
As the years build, I’m finding it easier to get in that mode a little easier and look forward to it (especially if I build an itinerary and prep myself).
With all that, my wife has to prep herself to deal with me and reduce expectations I have on her too, lol.
I do enjoy the “freedom of anonymity” for sure!