Interview (Autistic Adult - Travel experience)

Participant: Female, 25–34

Question

What does independence mean to you?

Participant

“To have the ability to do, go and see whatever I choose, relying solely on myself for decisions, funding etc.”

Reflection

Independence here is strongly connected to freedom, choice and self-reliance. Financial independence is also mentioned, showing that access to travel is affected by more than the physical journey itself.

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

“I hated planning and had anxiety around travel days and would constantly check train times etc and plan ahead travel wise despite the fact planning overwhelmed me.”

Reflection

This reveals an interesting contradiction: planning reduces uncertainty, but the amount of planning required can itself become overwhelming. This could be important when considering whether design could simplify preparation rather than simply providing more information.

Question

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

Participant

“Only slightly, I didn’t need additional preparation emotionally. There were parts of travelling that I felt were unable to manage but that was mainly social exhaustion which other people never seemed to experience.”

Reflection

This introduces social exhaustion as a barrier. The participant can physically complete the journey but may experience additional fatigue that other travellers do not seem to experience.

Question

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

Participant

“When I’m there and present I enjoy it, but a big challenge is missing my home environment, overdoing it socially, drinking as a crutch for social situations and not always prioritising myself.”

Reflection

The challenge continues beyond the airport. Familiar environments, social pressure and self-regulation all affect the experience of travel. This reinforces that accessibility should consider the whole travel experience and recovery, not only getting from A to B.

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 actually have no idea.”

Reflection

This is still useful. Participants do not need to provide the design solution themselves. My role as a designer is to understand their experiences and identify opportunities from the wider patterns in the research.

Question

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

Participant

“I like to have snacks on me that I like incase I don’t want to go out to eat, I liked having my headphones on me. Using the Hostelworld app to meet people. And watching Instagram reels of things to do.”

Reflection

The participant already uses familiar food, sensory tools and digital platforms to make travel more manageable. Technology is therefore already part of their coping and planning process.

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

“I would say having an app that connects everything together eg travel plans (plane, train, bus etc) and hostels combined. Also an app that shows recommendations for things to do and places to eat that you could then add to a list to plan days.”

Reflection

This suggests that the problem may not be a complete lack of information, but that information is fragmented across different apps and services. A centralised system could potentially reduce the cognitive load involved in planning.

Question

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

Participant

“I would say wait times as I always get there early because I get anxious about being late. Which I guess is my own fault then. I don’t like security.”

Reflection

This highlights time anxiety, waiting and security. Arriving early helps reduce one source of anxiety but creates another barrier through longer waiting periods.

Question

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

Participant

“Mornings and the sun suck I'm a night flier. Sorry I fear this may be more rant/trauma dump than useful.”

Reflection

This response is useful because it highlights individual differences around time of day and sensory preference. It reinforces the importance of personalisation rather than assuming there is one ideal travel experience.

Overall Reflection

The strongest ideas within this interview are planning overload, social exhaustion, familiarity, waiting and fragmented information. The participant clearly wants independence but also demonstrates how much additional organisation can be required to make travel manageable.