Interview (Autistic Adult - Travel experience)

Participant: Female, 18–24

Question

What does independence mean to you?

Participant

“Making decisions.”

Reflection

This is a very direct definition of independence. For this participant, independence appears to be closely connected to having control over choices, rather than necessarily doing everything alone.

This is useful because it reinforces the idea that accessible travel should support autistic adults in making their own decisions throughout the journey.

Question

Can you tell me about an international trip you have taken? Were there any parts of planning or travelling that you found particularly difficult?

Participant

“Staying in a hotel, I need my own space.”

Reflection

This introduces personal space and accommodation as an important part of travel accessibility.

It shows that barriers do not only happen during the airport journey. Having a private and predictable space at the destination may also be important for regulation and recovery.

Question

Have any barriers affected your confidence, independence, or willingness to travel internationally?

Participant

“I worry about food in different countries.”

Reflection

Food appears to be a significant source of anxiety for this participant. This could relate to familiarity, predictability, sensory preferences or knowing what will be available.

I should be careful not to assume the reason without further evidence, but it does highlight food as a potential barrier to international travel that I had not been focusing on as strongly.

Question

What have been the biggest challenges you've experienced while travelling internationally?

Participant

“Food and long flights.”

Reflection

This reinforces food as a repeated concern and also identifies long flights as difficult.

This is useful because it reminds me that accessibility needs may continue beyond the airport itself. The flight experience can also involve long periods of waiting, restricted movement, unfamiliar food and limited personal space.

Question

If you could change one thing about international travel to make it better for autistic adults, what would it be and why?

Participant

“I would have easy access to English food.”

Reflection

This again highlights the importance of familiarity and predictability around food.

Although this may not directly relate to my possible airport app, it could still influence the wider project. For example, accessible travel information might include clearer information about food options before travelling or at the destination.

Question

What has helped make travelling easier or more enjoyable for you?

Participant

“My phone. I like to stay in my own space.”

Reflection

The participant identifies their phone as something that helps while travelling, although they do not explain exactly how they use it.

This is still interesting for my project because it suggests that a mobile device is already part of how this participant manages travel. It may support the idea of a digital intervention, but I would need more detail before drawing a stronger conclusion.

The need for personal space also appears again, making this a repeated theme within this interview.

Question

Imagine there were no limitations on cost or technology. If you could introduce one new service, system or support to improve independent international travel for autistic adults, what would it be and why?

Participant

“Being able to take food to every country so I could eat what I know.”

Reflection

This response strongly reinforces the participant’s need for familiar food and control over what they eat.

It also demonstrates why accessibility needs are highly individual. While other participants have focused on navigation, information or quiet spaces, this participant places food at the centre of their travel experience.

This supports the need for my design approach to avoid assuming that all autistic travellers require the same type of support.

Question

Which parts of the airport journey do you find most difficult, and what information or support would make them easier?

Participant

“I panic in security in case the alarms go off.”

Reflection

This is particularly relevant to my developing focus on airport security.

Unlike some previous responses, this participant identifies a very specific source of anxiety: the possibility of an alarm sounding during security.

This could involve both uncertainty and sensory anxiety. However, I should not assume exactly why the alarm is frightening without further questioning.

It adds another piece of primary evidence suggesting that airport security may be an important area for further investigation.

Question

Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences of international travel?

Participant

No response.

Reflection

There is nothing further to analyse from this question, but several clear themes have already emerged from the participant’s answers.

Overall Reflection

This interview differs from some of the previous responses because the strongest barriers are not primarily navigation or airport information.

The main themes are:

• Independence as making personal decisions
• Need for personal space
• Familiar food and predictability
• Difficulty with long flights
• Use of a phone while travelling
• Anxiety around airport security alarms

The repeated focus on food is particularly useful because it reminds me that autistic travel accessibility is highly individual. A solution designed only around airport navigation would not address every barrier experienced by autistic travellers.

At the same time, the participant’s anxiety around security adds to the emerging evidence that this stage of the airport journey can be particularly stressful.

This interview therefore supports two important directions in my project: the need for personalised support, and the need to continue investigating airport security as a possible key pressure point.