When I travelled to Tokyo last year, I experienced my first long-haul flight in quite a few years. As an autistic person with sensory sensitivities, I’ve learned that having the right strategies in place can make a big difference, so I wanted to share my autistic long haul flight tips to help make the journey feel more manageable.
Pre-Travel Checklist for Long Haul Flights
If you’re anything like me, the lead-up to the flight causes me so much planning stress that I’m already exhausted and wired before I even get on the plane. My brain is going in a million different directions, trying to make sure that I have everything that I need.
I created myself a checklist of the things I would need to pack for the flight itself to make myself more comfortable and have broken it down below:
Comfort Objects for Long Haul Flights
For neurodivergent people, it’s super important to help our nervous system experience the feeling of safety when in unfamiliar situations. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that my cuddly toys, Panda and Bunny, are my number one comfort objects. They travel everywhere with me and were first on my list to add to my hand luggage.
I had such a lovely surprise encounter with a member of the cabin crew on our outbound flight. She saw Panda and told me how cute she thought he was and told me that her and her husband take their cuddly toys travelling with them too. That was a lovely little boost to my in-flight experience.
Stimming Items for Travel
I like carrying crystals with me to rub the smooth surface and help me feel more grounded and present. For you it might be something completely different to help you create a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar situation.
Safe and Familiar Snacks for Flying
I’m not a fan of texture, taste or smell surprises, particularly when trapped on a plane. My hand luggage was packed with lots of my favourite snacks, with familiar smells and predictable textures to help keep me regulated during the flight. I’m glad I did because one of the meals I was given was a very slimy and smelly fish dish I didn’t even want to try. I peeled back the foil lid, took one look, pulled a face and proceeded to put the lid back on.
Sensory Tools for Long Haul Flights
Top of my packing list were noise cancelling headphones, Loop Quiet earplugs and my silk eye mask for sleeping. One thing that I didn’t own at the time but would pack in the future is my weighted lap pad. It is a bit heavy but I think it would have made a big difference in helping me feel more settled and grounded.
Downloading Content Before Your Flight
I made sure I downloaded enough meditations, music and TV onto my phone and books onto my Kindle so that I had a selection of things I like to choose from. My dad travelled to Tokyo as well and his in-flight entertainment was broken so he had nothing the whole flight. It made me very grateful that I had prepared for that particular scenario. Plus, I don’t like to rely on content that someone else has curated.
Useful Travel Accessories for Comfort
I had my travel fan in case I overheated, portable charger for my devices, charging cables and even a stand for my phone to sit on whilst watching content on my phone.
Comfortable Clothing and Toiletries for Flying
I made sure I had multiple comfy clothing options and toiletries to freshen up with as needed throughout the flight.
How to Prepare for a Long Haul Flight as an Autistic Person
Before the flight, there are a couple of things that can be requested or booked if needed that can help reduce the in-flight overwhelm.
Choosing Suitable In-Flight Meals
If you have certain dietary requirements or just prefer plain foods, there are a number of meals that you can request prior to flying. I requested the gluten-free meal and just hoped that I could eat most of it with my other intolerances. Fortunately, most of the food that I was given was pretty safe for me to eat.
Requesting Special Assistance at the Airport
You can request and pre-book special assistance at the airport if you are autistic. It’s not something that I have requested before, but I would do it if I was travelling solo. I think that the special assistance options can vary from airline and airport, but one of the things that you can request is to board the plane first so that you know where you are sitting, giving you time to settle in before other people get on the plane. I know that some airports also offer a sensory room that you can pre-book too. One of my friends who is also autistic has tried both and really rates them.
Is Business Class Worth It for Sensory Needs?
If you can afford it, I would recommend flying business class. This wasn’t an option for me and I was in economy. I was dreaming of an upgrade! Being able to have a flat bed on a flight for me would be a game-changer. I really struggle being in an upright sitting position for the whole time.
Choosing the Right Seat for Comfort
For me, securing an aisle seat is crucial. It helps me feel less trapped and also gives me the freedom to move and access the toilet whenever I need it. I get super anxious when having to ask a stranger to move. I refused to pay extra to select my seat, so I made sure that I checked in at the earliest opportunity to get access to an aisle seat on both of my flights.
Breaking Up Travel with an Overnight Stay
On our outward flight, we decided to stay in a hotel close to the airport the night before, to try and reduce the stress on the day of the flight. The hotel came with parking included and it actually worked out the same price as if we had just paid for a week of parking on its own.
Unfortunately the car park was full when we arrived and we had a nerve-racking time trying to find a space. Egg (that’s my husband) had only recently passed his driving test, so I took the lead in finding a space.
I ended up parking on a corner on double red lines, which is illegal in the UK. Parking in an illegal spot went completely against my instinct of feeling the need to stick to the rules. There were many other cars parked in similar locations. We checked at the hotel front desk whether it was ok, and luckily it was.
Researching Airlines for Comfort
I booked our outward flight with Japan Airlines because I had read online that their economy is a bit more spacious than other airlines. It didn’t disappoint. The seats were slightly wider and we had a bit more legroom than our return flight with British Airways.
My Experience Flying Long Haul as an Autistic Person
Even with my meticulous planning, the flight experience wasn’t all smooth sailing for me.
Sleep Struggles
A big thing that I struggled with was sleeping on the flight. I know it’s quite a common experience for most people. When you’re sitting in an upright position, even with the chair reclined to its maximum, it just isn’t an ideal napping position! I remember thinking, “I wish I had my weighted blanket with me”. If only I had known that a weighted lap pad existed. I think it would have been a game changer.
Solitaire Hyper-Focusing
I love playing solitaire and I got hyper-focused on playing it for hours during both my flights. I think it was not the best idea because it kept my brain active and didn’t help me wind down to sleep. Next time, I’m going to avoid the games section of the in-flight entertainment!
Needing Movement During the Flight
My body kept wanting to move, so I regularly got up and started moving around in the aisle. I was doing some gentle stretches and shaking my body out. I ignored people staring at me and kept doing it to help my body get the movement that it needed.
Managing Other Passengers and Sensory Triggers
One thing I couldn’t control was the people around me. On my return journey, I had a person with exceptionally long legs sat behind me. They kept kicking my seat and it made me feel really overwhelmed and frustrated. I know that they couldn’t help the length of their legs but I couldn’t understand why they didn’t get one of the seats with extra leg room.
Final Thoughts on Long Haul Flights as an Autistic Person
On the whole, I prepared as much as I could to make the flights as manageable as possible. I was kind to myself and had mentally prepared myself that things might not go as planned. I knew that it was likely I wouldn’t feel the best after flying such a long distance.
Long-haul flights are not easy for my nervous system, and I know they never will be.
But with the right preparation, self-compassion, and familiar comforts, they can become manageable instead of overwhelming.
And for me, the experience waiting on the other side made every moment of discomfort worth it.
If This Resonated, You Might Also Like
- Autistic Travel in Tokyo: My Sensory-Friendly Experience
- My Comfort Objects as an Autistic Adult: Why I Still Carry My Cuddly Toys
- Supporting Myself Through Overstimulation as an Autistic Person: What Works for Me
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Much love,
Rachael xx
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