A Guide To Travel With Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Traveling, especially International Travel, is something that many people think is out of reach for individuals with Schizophrenia/Psychosis. Since December 2021, I have traveled to New York City, Iceland (twice), Norway, the United Kingdom, and Australia. I had not traveled on my own before this, and had not traveled Internationally since I was a small child. My trip to Iceland/Norway was entirely solo, my Iceland/UK trip had meetups with friends, and my NYC & Australia trips I traveled to alone but met friends at the destination. Through my experiences I have learned a lot about making travel more comfortable and accessible to a person with Schizophrenia/Psychosis (and co-morbidities!); here is my advice for Psychotic people and their families looking to travel.

Wheelchair/Disability Assistance At The Airport

After you book your flights, contact the airline(s) you will be using and request Wheelchair Assistance. Some airlines require you call them, others you fill out an online request form. Even if you do not have any mobility impairments, the wheelchair assistance gets you a guide around the airport and pre-boarding. I would not have been able to do any of my International trips without this, as I get Overwhelmed and Confused in airports and need the personal assistance. I also need the early boarding due to slowness from Psychomotor Issues and Schizophrenic Disorientation (Overstimulation causes this). When you check in at the airport, you tell the gate agent you or a member of your party has Wheelchair Service. At some airports, it is possible to request a Disability Escort rather than being put in a wheelchair, but usually you have to go in the chair (I have only gotten walking escorts in Australia). When you board the aircraft, it is helpful to speak with the greeting flight attendant and make sure there is a wheelchair waiting at the arrival gate. If the wheelchair is not at the arrival gate as expected, the flight attendants can help you get the wheelchair. I have had flight attendants wait 15+ minutes on a plane with me when a wheelchair was late helping me (shoutout to Icelandair! I love them #notsponsored).

Document Your Medications & Always Declare Them If Asked

Before traveling anywhere internationally, get documentation from your doctor of all your medications, prescription, over the counter, and supplements. Your Primary Care Doctor should be able to give you an official list. You need documentation for your regular over the counter medications and supplements because what is allowed without a prescription changes by country. For example, if you take lactase enzyme supplements (Lactaid brand name), these are not available over the counter in the United Kingdom, but prescription only. It is rare that you will ever be asked about your medications when clearing customs, but you should always have documentation when traveling abroad. Entering Australia is the only time I have ever been asked to declare medications; they are listed on the same part of the passenger card as pornography and firearms, believe it or not! That made me quite nervous, but I declared them properly, and once I clarified to the officer that I was declaring medication, I was sent right through without further inspection.

Prepare Your Medication For Plane Or Train Journeys

Get a daily pill case/divider with enough spaces for the amount of times you take your pills in a day. If your travels cross into multiple 24-hour time slots, bring multiple cases. Figuring out medication schedule shifts and the exact number of medication doses you will need can be difficult when long-haul flights are involved, especially if you are crossing the International Date Line. When I was going back from Canberra to DC, I missed a day’s worth of pills in my planning! Thankfully I was able to restock the pills at one of my layovers, which leads me to my next point…

Always Carry Medications In Your Carry-On

Avoid prescription or any necessary medication going in checked baggage if at all possible. Sometimes it may be unavoidable, but if this happens at least decant enough pills for the next 24-48 hours. My first trip to Europe I had to check my only suitcase for all the European carriers (I had intended for it to be a carry-on), and it had all my medication in it, and I was not happy about it. Thankfully, there is something to help these situations:

Luggage Can Be Priority Tagged If It Contains Medication Or Disability Supplies

When I landed for my layover in Frankfurt on my way to Oslo for my first European trip, my luggage had been carry-on for the United Airlines portion of my trip; however, when I got to my Lufthansa connection, I ended up having to gate-check the bag, and would have to check the bag for the Icelandair and Scandinavian Airlines flights that followed. The Lufthansa gate agents were very kind and helpful though, and taught me about Priority Tagging: if your checked bag contains prescription medications or other Disability supplies, you can get a Priority or First-Class-type tag on the luggage. I am not 100% clear on what this does, but I believe it helps keep the bag from being separated from your aircraft and puts your bag earlier in the baggage claim unloading. When you check your bag, just ask for this tagging to the check in or gate agent and they should be happy to do so, especially if you also have Wheelchair Service!

Plan Your Transportation Well

Make sure you know how you are getting to your hotel from the airport. Do not allow yourself to “just wing it” any part of your transportation, it is too stressful and confusing. Make sure you know the situation regarding taxis and have the money or preplan your public transit. I personally do not do well with public transit, it makes me Confused and I can find it triggering in other ways, so I have learned to stay in centrally located hotels where I can walk to most of the places that I want to go. If I do not, I will went up spending the price difference in taxis.

Use The Concierge/Help Desk

First, I highly recommend booking a hotel with a concierge. Second, I recommend using that concierge if you have any questions or concerns. They can do so much to help you and are eager to do so. Whether it is an issue with your room, needing something brought to your room, needing something (such as a taxis) booked, or advice about the area—they can help you! The Help/Welcome Desk at museums and transportation hubs can also do a lot to help you. My day trip Oxford was saved by man at the Customer Service desk at Paddington Station, and the reception at the National Museum of Iceland called a taxis for me when I suddenly came down with a Migraine.

Plan Around Limitations

Expect that you will need more rest time than a non-Disabled person, especially from sensory burdens. Consider that you might run into unexpected triggers, and build time into your tour schedule for rest. What I usually do is have a couple of things that are “Absolute” plans, and then a lot of other things that are “Maybes” that I take and fill in the days with as my energy and sensory load allows. Always leave one or two days (depending on the length of the trip) as a general rest day.

Pack Sensory Friendly

In addition to considering the climate of where you are going, pack your most sensory-friendly outfits. You do not want to be digging through your suitcase with nothing to wear because everything is “Pretty” but you are having Tactile Hallucinations and cannot stand any of those fabrics right now!

So, those are my general tips for traveling with Schizophrenia/Psychosis. Remember, not everyone has the same impairments and every situation is different, so take what works for you & leave what does not. I hope that you find them helpful. Let me know your thoughts on the Instagram post for this blog!

I Look Forward To Reading Your Comments On The Instagram Post For This Essay! @PsychosisPsositivity