In a couple of days’ time, my partner and I are flying to Madeira.
We love travelling. The languages, the wildlife, the history, the sights, the culture, the food, the landscapes. There’s so much to enjoy; so much to enrich the mind. Over the past ten years we’ve enjoyed many adventures: from Ghana to Costa Rica to China.
But there’s one thing about travelling I dislike. One thing that is an enemy of dyspraxia: airports.
Airports are typically large and busy places where people are stressed, distracted and in a rush. An all-round uncomfortable environment for a dyspraxic person.
The element that stands out, however, is security.
I find airport security so stressful.
I was 21 when 9/11 happened. A momentous day for anyone old enough to remember it. So I get the security issues. I’m perfectly happy to play along.
But why does the process have to be so inconsistent?
We’re lucky enough to fly several times a year. What never ceases to amaze me is how many different versions of what is essentially the same process manage to simultaneously exist.
Take fluids.
What quantity is allowed?
Do the fluids have to be in a plastic bag, or can they simply be placed within your luggage?
If they do need to be in a plastic bag, where are the plastic bags?
The visual-spatial and processing demands of navigating airport security probably seem simple to most people. But I find them really stressful – especially at some of the bigger airports, such as Gatwick.
And then there’s the pressure.
People are queuing behind you. You’re trying to work out what you're supposed to do. You’re conscious that you're holding everyone else up. You're trying to remember whether your tablet needs to come out, whether your liquids need to come out, whether your shoes, belt and jacket need to come off…
And the rules may have been completely different at the last airport you went through.
As a dyspraxic traveller, one of the biggest gifts you can receive is to be in calm, patient company. My partner, for example, has those qualities in abundance. I’m very lucky.
If you’re dyspraxic and about to travel with someone you haven’t travelled with before, I’d strongly recommend explaining how airports can affect those of us with DCD, asking them to exercise a little patience on the big day. (And maybe explain the key symptoms of dyspraxia to them if they’re not already well-versed.)
Giving us dyspraxics a little extra time to go about our business can make all the difference.
Remember that what’s straightforward for most people can be genuinely stress-inducing hard work for someone with dyspraxia.
And if you're the person travelling with us, perhaps don't interpret a moment of confusion or hesitation as incompetence. Sometimes we're just trying to work out which version of the bloody rules applies today.
Happy holidays!
P.S. When I’m home, I’ll write a companion piece describing how dyspraxia affects me when I’m travelling, and in the immediate aftermath.
