Travel/New Places

i thought of combining this blog with the public transport one but felt it best to do this on its own because as dyspraxics newplaces and new situations can be quite daunting and not just the travelling part of it although that can have a large impact.

as i said travel can be large part of some difficulties when going to new places because of short term memory and sense of direction as well as spatial awareness which can make it diffcult travelling not just too a certain place but possibly even exploring new areas however new technology such as phones satnav etc. make it a lot easier and the internet something like google maps street view is something that has helped me alot as you can sometimes see 'markers' on street view things like signs, a certain building etc. that you then recognise to reassure yourself or use as refernce points when travelling.i actually used google street view to plan most of the cycle i did almost 2 years ago (streetviewed over 2000 miles)

something that isnt noticed that much i find is that you become a bit more aware of your self when in new situations and have to focus a bit more on things very simple such as sometimes even walkingso that you dont walk into something or someone whereas when you are somehwere you know you ont really have to think about certiain things as much

Public Transport

Public transport buses, trains etc. can be quite daunting for some people whether neurodiverse or not especially if travelling somehwere new or on your own. if its a journey that you know you will be doing regularly like a new school or workplace it gets a lot easier and becomes a part of your routine although if its a one off journey you may not be that comfortable and there might be bits of the journey that you dont know like where to go to get from train to bus or how to get to the next platform for me when im at train stations i dont know i often doubt myself and start thinking am i in the right on the right platform and in some cases is the next train the one i want to get on or not. when i first went to my high school i had to get a train and then a bus i found the train quite easy because it was a short journey i got on at the 1st stop and got off at the last but when it came to the bus i had no idea which bus went anywear near my school and i remmebr that there were two peoplein the same school uniform in front of me and when i got on the bus i just said the same things as them hoping it was the right place as this became a regular journey i got used to it and eventually i started to cycle or walk the bus part of the journey. sometimes not very often i travel to london by train which i can find a little bit awkward as some of the station are very big and quite busy and i can struggle to find my way around them and sometime si find myself looking around trying to work out where i am and where i need to be and more often than not i end up asking someone where the platform is hoping its fairly simple.
some useful tips are if you have a smart phone then you should be able to check times etc. if youre unsure and sometimes whether there are delays or you could have a small pocket size notepad and write down all the times and what platforms and any direction if needed.