Travelling with an autistic child

Hello steemians! I always loved travelling. Before I had a child, I traveled a lot and never with a travel agency, but with backpack on my back. On my journeys I met a lot of travellers with children. It was fantastic to see, how children love it and I was sure, I'll do it by the same way with my own child one day.

My daughter Baru was born and I have been wayting for the age when she will be able travel with me and my husband. But things didn't go well and we broke up with my husband when Baru was 1,5 yo.
Baru was a strange child i bit, but nothing extremely disturbing. She didn't talk at all – just her own language for herself. She was hyperactive – but a lot of children is. She didn't react for instructions and behaved like if she was deaf. She loved company of other people, but she didn't communicate with them. Just was using them like some friendly things around her. But she looked happy and I thought, she is just a bit „in her own universe“.

Happy, in her own universe...

After the farewell with my husband I decided visit my friends in Great Britain for a few weeks. Why not. It's not a long way from Czech by plane. I was sure we can handle it easily. But the journey there was a nightmare! I wasn't able keep my daughter sitting or be still. Even her favourite cartoons in my phone didn't work! She wanted explore everything and everyone in plane and I didn't let her. I had to take her to baby cerrier in my chest and she was yelling like a hell, scratching my chest and neck.
The short journey was exhousting… But we was there. For the few weeks there it wasn't so bad, we made a few trips and she was like normal Baru – in her own universe, but happy. And the way back was much better, so I thought she is still too little and she will get used to it.

First trip to England

A year later, my boyfriend invated me to go with him to Cameroon, help with Kedjom-Keku project. It looked like a totaly crazy idea, but I love crazy ideas like this one, so we decided to go. And again – the journey there was a nightmare! It was a really long journey for 2,5 yo girl. But she was trying to explore everything around her, she didn't let us sleep at all. It was two flights, African bus from Douala to Bamenda, taxi and finaly motorbike up to Bamenda Highlends. Two days of traveling and we were exhausted :). But we did it and finaly we were in Cameroon, in a beautiful and peaceful place. Baru was exploring everything around her, she had enough space, african children was excited to see a blondee girl and tried to communicate with her – but she didn't react to them very much. She was enjoying her own universe. But they were persistent and tried play with her everytime they saw her. And she started to play some games with them time to time. The three months there was wonderful. I promissed myself to come back soon.

Kids in Cameroon loved her and kept trying to communicate with her and help her.

But when we came back to Czech, Baru started attend a kindergarden and I had to attend my job. Teachers in the kindergarden were helpless with Baru. She didn't react to any instructions, didn't follow any program. So, I started visiting doctors and after a few months the result was an autism. I was devastated and terrified. What to do now? Autistic children hate changes, they need their own routines and we didn't have any routines at all! And what have I done to her? I took her in Africa!
I was sure, this is the end of our travelling… But then I realized she doesn't need so much routines like most of autistic children. We started with therapy and homeopathy treatment and I was thinking about how happy she was, up in the mountains. She didn't look stressed by all the travelling. And she started getting better - it was the homeopathy I believe. So, what if we can continue with travelling like before?

Well, menwhile I got pregnant with my boyfriend (didn't plan it at all) and my second daughter Lin is 3,5 months now. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I started to think about journey to Africa again. Yes, with both of my daughters. My boyfriend is in New Zeland for a few months and what do I do here during cold and depresive winter? But still, I was not sure about the traveling with Baru.

One day I found an interview with Josef Schovanec (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Schovanec) he is an adult autistic man, he didn't talk to his 7 years, but today he is a doctor of philosophi and he speak 10 languages. He travels a lot… In the interview, the moderator asked him, what he would recomend to other autistic people to understand the world around them and learn how world works. He said travelling, because people with an autism lives in „Autistan“. It's a different world and our world is foreign for them. But it's not obvious for people around them. And noone helps with ordenary things and routines, noone explain things which are obvious for others. But if you are in Japan, every japan person see, you are a foreigner. So, people are tolerant. They excuse your faux pas, If you don't behave properly and people are helpful with everything. So, if you are an autistic person, you have a chance to learn ordenary things which are aplicable everywhere. It's a relief - to be considered a foreigner. And I remember, how tolerant was African people with us and with Baru. So, I decided to go to Africa again. With my autistic Baru and very young Lin. And I'm not only one mother who is going. Check my earlier article and follow! https://steemit.com/travel/@pidala/three-mothers-with-six-children-going-to-africa

I know that, traveling is really not good for every Autistic. But for some it can be help how to understand world better. Or just the relief be considered a foreigners as they are :)

Wish us luck!