When Rebecca Hallett was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in her early 30s, it brought relief after years of questioning her everyday thoughts and behaviours.
It also inspired the 35-year-old travel writer to help others who say being neurodiverse can make holidays much more challenging – so much so that she has released a first-of-its-kind handbook in collaboration with Rough Guides.
In Travelling With ADHD, Hallett offers practical strategies for overcoming common travel challenges, detailed destination guides covering food, transport, accommodation, currency, crime, ADHD-friendly itineraries and more.
She tells the Daily Mail: ‘We tend to be really curious and interested in a lot of things, which can make travelling super exciting and rewarding, but also make it very hard to plan and pick what you’re going to do…’
From packing and navigating the airport to arriving in a new country, every stage of the journey is broken down in the book and presented in a way that supports people who experience patterns of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity – all hallmark traits of the neurodevelopmental condition.
Rebecca Hallett (pictured in Japan) is the author of a new guidebook called Travelling With ADHD, in collaboration with Rough Guides
The book could hardly be more timely. Rebecca acknowledges that her diagnosis is far from unique – especially in the UK.
An estimated 2.5 million people in the UK are thought to have ADHD, though only about one in nine has received a formal diagnosis.
While the condition affects approximately 5 per cent of children, it is also estimated to affect between 3 and 4 per cent of adults – and, with as many as 500,000 people across England currently waiting for NHS assessments, that figure is likely to increase.
It is this growing need that led Rebecca to create what she hopes will become the ultimate travel companion for people with ADHD.
Yet the guide is equally valuable for people who may not have the condition themselves.
She said: ‘I’ve been quite careful to try to present [the book] in such a way that people who have a child, or are going to travel with a friend who has it, can learn from it.
‘There is a crossover with lots of other forms of neurodivergence and experiences that neurotypical people have, just as individuals.
‘Airports can be very noisy, with random smells, random sounds, and a lot of people bumping into you…’
While much of the book focuses on individual destinations, the rest is divided into three core sections.
‘Before You Go’ focuses on getting everything in place ahead of a trip; ‘During Your Trip’ covers navigating travel itself; and ‘Back Home’ offers advice on settling back into your regular routine afterwards.
Rebecca, who has explored dozens of destinations around the globe, was diagnosed with ADHD in her early thirties
Rebecca’s top tips for navigating the packing process is physical note-taking and Post-It notes as a reminder to throw in specific items
In the opening section, Rebecca helps travellers decide where to go and how to get there, plan itineraries, manage bookings and administrative tasks, and pack effectively.
For many people with ADHD, packing can be a nightmare task that is often left until the last minute, while important items can easily be forgotten amid the scramble to remember everything.
Rebecca’s solution? Physical lists, Post-it notes – and leaving everything in the middle of the bathroom floor.
She explained: ‘Digital note-taking is almost entirely pointless… if my phone’s screen is off, the note doesn’t exist to me.
‘One thing I have found useful is putting a sticky note on top of the suitcase. Even if I have [the item] on me at home, and I think of it, I’ll be like, “Oh, okay, just quickly put it right on there”.
‘And, depending on how much stuff is lying around your house, put stuff you need in the middle of the bathroom floor.
‘If I’m brushing my teeth, and I spot a moisturiser I want to bring, I will put it on the floor or throw it towards the front door – you have to pass that as soon as you leave your house.’
When it comes to setting off on a trip, whether navigating airports and transfers, keeping occupied on a flight, or finding your way around a new city, people with ADHD can face a fresh set of challenges – or ‘curveballs’, Rebecca notes.
Pictured: Rebecca during a recent visit to Iceland’s blue lagoon
She said: ‘I think airports are kind of a nightmare because you need to take every box and do everything right, and then they can kind of throw curve balls at you whenever they want.
‘You need to have your passport, you need to have your visa in advance, you need to make sure the right things are in your hand luggage and hold luggage, then there’s the fear of missing flights and trains…’
Luckily, Rebecca’s handbook shows travellers how to seek help at transport hubs, manage time and sensory stimulation, cope with disrupted routines, stay within budget and choose suitable accommodation on arrival.
However, the author says ADHD can also bring strengths that challenge common stereotypes.
She noted: ‘I think there’s this sort of misunderstanding that people with ADHD are completely disorganised, whereas quite a lot of us will tell you we can put our work plan together, organise our desk all day, our work will be beautiful and colour coded.
Rebecca described feeling particularly overwhelmed in densely-populated cities like New York City and Johannesburg
‘Planning a trip is a great use of that sort strength. I often find when I’m on a trip that I’ll notice a lot of things people don’t notice, partly because of not being able to decide when my attention goes.
‘I’m taking everything in, and that can lead to really fun situations of noticing something down an alleyway that looks interesting, or smelling a local dish we need to try.’
But even the best-planned trips have challenges, particularly when it comes to crowds, queues and safety concerns – things that are well beyond the control of any traveller.
But for neurodivergent adventurers, visiting densely populated cities in the likes of Japan, India and Brazil – all featured in the book’s 20 bespoke itineraries – can feel particularly overwhelming.
Rebecca noted: ‘There is no country or city that is perfect for people with ADHD – or terrible people with ADHD.
Rebecca’s advice to travellers who might be anxious about navigating a new destination abroad is to ‘start off small’ at home with a stay at a hotel or beach spot
‘I think it is about how you travel and what you personally are interested in. A lot of people are surprised, as someone with ADHD, that I love Japan so much because it has so many layers of politeness and organised hierarchy.’
Two places that were particularly daunting at times for Rebecca was New York City and Johannesburg.
She said: ‘With New York, it was just constant sensory input – so many people, such huge buildings, so many car horns all the time.
‘With Johannesburg, there were so many moments of like supreme peace and quietness, like being out in the safari park, but everything was so different that again I was constantly activated all the time. I got back and I was exhausted.
‘It’s also really one of those places where I didn’t have the context to know what is a stereotype that I shouldn’t pay much mind to, and what is actually reasonable safety advice.’
In the handbook, the 35-year-old travel writer offers ADHD-friendly itineraries, practical strategies for overcoming common travel challenges, and detailed destination guides
When it comes to safety, Rebecca believes some traditional travel advice is outdated, particularly for women travelling alone with ADHD.
She said: ‘When we make blanket statements like “women shouldn’t travel alone”, we’re denying people incredible experiences.
‘I was often told women should always be on high alert, and I always thought “I can’t do that” because my attention is going to go where it’s going to go.
‘Am I going to get attacked or mugged because I’m looking at an interesting sign and not paying attention to this terrible person?’
For travellers who might feel nervous about heading abroad or navigating a new country, Rebecca advises to ‘start off small’ – whether it’s organising a stay at a retreat in the UK, or heading to Cornwall for a beach trip.
Finally, she addresses the misconception that ADHD is simply a trend, arguing that neurodivergence is a normal variation rather than a flaw.
She said: ‘I think ADHD and autism and the forms of neurodivergence are normal difference.
‘I don’t think there’s something wrong. If you have ADHD, if you have autism, it’s not that there’s something wrong with your brain, there’s something different with your brain.
‘It might feel overwhelming to people to suddenly see these labels used, but I actually think a lot of us in the creative industries probably are neurodivergent.
‘Some of the most creative people are intensely focused on one thing and that’s what makes them exceptional. You can’t tell me Leonardo da Vinci was neurotypical, right?’
Rough Guides Travel Edit: Travelling with ADHD is available to buy now.
