Tips For Traveling with ADHD | 5 Products You Need
What is like traveling with ADHD? After being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) later in life, I quickly learned that travel can be one of the best ways to keep my mind focused and engaged. This is especially true of new places and traveling abroad. The constant flow of novelty pumps the mind with excitement and fascination.
However, it is essential to plan your trip correctly in order to get the most out of it. ADHD travels with you wherever you go and one must plan for good days and bad. From packing the appropriate medication, scheduling activities, utilizing technology, learning when to wing it and more, there are several key factors when preparing for a stress-free journey.
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Here’s some tip for maximizing your next trip.
What to Plan for When Traveling with ADHD
Medication
Remember to pack enough medication for the entire trip, plus a few days extra, just in case. Carry your medicine in your handbag or carry-on with your prescription visible, along with any related documents.
ADHD meds have a different connotation in much of the world, especially in Asia, where stimulates are banned in several countries.
Medication travel tips
- Make sure the label on the medication bottle identifies the person who has been prescribed the medication.
- Always carry medications in their original containers, listing both brand and generic names.
- Keep medications with you in a carry-on bag or purse. All adults should carry their own medication. An adult caring for a child can carry the child’s medication along with the child’s travel paperwork.
- Keep information about your diagnosis or medications to yourself to reduce the risk of theft while traveling.
- Make sure you have enough medication to cover your entire trip. If you will need your medication refilled, discuss this with your doctor ahead of time. Look for a pharmacy near your hotel, Airbnb, or hostel that can refill your prescription if needed.
MORE ADHD TRAVEL TIPS
Break up the Journey: Long flights or drives can prove taxing on the ADHD brain. Breaks can help. Consider planning a stopover or stayover to break up the journey. This also gives you a new location to hyper focus on for a short time.
Plan Relaxation Ahead: Plan in advance for accommodations, transportation to and from the airport, or dietary restrictions. Make sure you book accommodations with relaxing your brain in mind.
Use Technology: Utilize phone apps to help manage schedules, flights, meditation, accommodation, or even medication timers. Share the intense burden of organization with the robots!
What NOT To Do when Traveling with ADHD
Earn Winging It
What do I mean by that? While an impromptu holiday may seem like a good idea, it can create a stressful environment. Try to book your itinerary in advance to manage anxiety.
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Once the framework of a good trip is there, then you can follow your whims knowing the big stuff won’t stress you out.
Don’t Leave Things to Chance
Plan for contingencies and always consider the unexpected. Educate yourself on the destination and know what to look out for.
Don’t Ignore Hygiene
Remembering basic hygiene such as washing of hands and carrying hand sanitizer may sound like common sense but are essential for staying healthy on the go. Bring Zinc.
Don’t Overwhelm Yourself
While traveling can offer new experiences, try to spread your activities over your trip instead of cramming everything into one day. Thats a recipe for disappointment and guilt tripping yourself.
5 Essential Products for Travelers with ADHD
Anxiety Reduction Kit
This kit includes items such as essential oils, calming gummies, and stress balls to help manage anxiety during traveling.
Supplements such as Recess , Ashwagandha , Magnesium each have fantastic benefits for us with ADHD
Fidget Toys work, even for adults, even for travelers.
The Fube Infinity Cube is portable and a great way to keep your hands busy and your mind focused during long flights or drives.
The Right Headphones
I bring two pairs, my regular Apple Airbuds for walking in public and noise cancelers for the plane and train.
People with ADHD love Noise-canceling Headphones: These headphones reduce the extra noise and enable the user to focus on the task at hand, whether it be reading, sleeping, or entertainment.
We love the Sony link buds which are highly adjustable through the Sony app.
We cannot stress how important it is for your spine to have ample neck support.
Not only will a good neck pillow help you find comfortable positions to rest. A good neck pillow will allow you to relax and nit hyper focus on being uncomfortable.
We love the Cabeau Evolution S3, its a straight ahead, supportive memory foam pillow that folds up fro easy storage, but there are many our there to try.
A portable charger is an essential item for those with ADHD, as it allows us to keep mobile devices running and charged, which can be critical when needing to reference travel plans and keep our brains satiated.
The iWALK charger is a great device for its size, walkability and magnetic capability.
Traveling with ADHD is an entirely adjustive process, and it takes proper planning and preparation to have an enjoyable experience.