Traveling with ADD and ADHD can be a huge challenge. Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that it isn’t easy. But with proper planning, there’s no reason why we cannot take an enjoyable vacation.
My wife and I just returned from an amazing trip that took us to London, England and Paris, France. We really enjoyed our time in both cities, but I think London just pips it as our favourite. We have started to make plans to return to England and see some other cities there. We want to see Manchester, York, and Liverpool (especially as we have heard about the cruises from liverpool that you can get which sound unbelievable!) Usually, even the shortest trips that take me out of my comfort zone can be stressful. So I’m sure you can imagine what traveling to Europe can do to one’s state-of-mind. But I was very much looking forward to seeing these two amazing places and spending some quality time with my wife, so I needed to strategize ways to minimize my stress level and manage my ADD/ADHD. Europe is also full of different tourist attractions, so I had to make sure I was ready to go there. Since we’ve been and experienced those places, we’re already planning our next visit to Europe. One of our friends actually recommended that we consider visiting Iceland. Apparently, there are lots of different things to see over there, especially if you love nature. Our friend said that there are so many different waterfalls over there that tourists need to see, specifically Svartifoss. She said that waterfall is so beautiful, so we’d need to see it. She sent over this website (https://www.carsiceland.com/post/iceland-waterfalls-svartifoss-black-waterfall) that explains all different things about that waterfall, and it is beautiful. Perhaps Iceland is on our travel list next time! Now that I’ve got some strategies to cope with my ADD/ADHD, there’s no reason we can’t travel again!
I found that there are two important things one must do while traveling. The first is to keep moving. Instead of using transportation, my wife and I walked throughout both cities. We wanted to see as much as possible and stayed at centrally located properties. Let’s just say we logged a lot of miles, but it was worth it. Not only did we see some amazing sites, but we learned so much more about the countries on our feet. If walking isn’t possible, find ways to stay active. Being active is key to being more focused. If you’re going to a country like Iceland, for example, you can check out an iceland travel guide to see where you can walk and sites you can visit to keep yourself moving as much as possible.
The second part is to take breaks. Do not try to cram everything in! We would see a site, take a short break, and continue on our way. Whether it was having a nice meal or returning to our hotel room, we found ways to break up our days. Like most people with ADD/ADHD, I can get drained trying to take in a bunch of information. By taking the time to charge my batteries, I was more focused and engaged.
The last thing to keep in mind are the extremely long flights. In my case, I like watching movies or winding down while listening to music. My advice for anyone (especially parents) is find something that the traveling person with ADD/ADHD will enjoy. Sitting still for that amount of time can be torture, but having things that one wants to do makes the flight much more manageable.
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