Voyages of Discovery

I travelled round Europe by myself in October this year. The 5,000km round-trip by train was an opportunity to stretch myself and to put into practise everything I have learned since being diagnosed with Dyspraxia 5 years ago*, - the skills, habits and routines - and to learn new ones that I could bring back home with me. I even did a rehearsal run 2 weeks before, to nearby Warwick, to test it out.

What my Dyspraxia means to me

I can find myself boarding the bus trying to use my house keys to "pay" instead of using my bus pass

I can have two trains of thought at the same time, and conflate them both

I can lose my balance - co-ordination can be tricky and challenging

I have to work actively to participate and engage in conversations sometimes

These are some of the practical challenges that Dyspraxia brings with it. It wasn't easy, therefore, bringing together a solo trip by train covering 6 major European cities over 12 days, but I have spent the last 5 years since being diagnosed, working on improving my organisational and planning skills. 

Looking back on it, having completed my round-trip, this is how I achieved it: 

- Mapping everything out and then breaking it down - deciding which cities and the dates I was visiting, to get my framework in place. 

- Deciding what was important; what I needed to arrange first, and what could be left open

- I set the outline of my route, and spent hours researching and day-dreaming about my trip. I even took a day off work, and travelled away from Oxford to sit and plan it all out. 

I chose not to book train trips in advance, other than my return trip to mainland Europe, since I needed to be able to get to the continent and back. It was October, not high-season, so I could do that. I did research and confirm train times and connections in advance, which meant I knew I'd be able to get from one place to another. 

This stood me in good stead, because it turned out I had to reschedule my trip twice - the first time when I realised I hadn't allowed sufficient time to prepare everything. I did not feel ready, and wanted to be sure I was giving myself enough time to feel confident when I set out on my journey. 

The second time was after I had already purchased my rail pass, due to dental work. However, the knowledge that I was going travelling saw me through that and going on the trip became a reward as well as a goal to achieve.  

Looking back, it was the ultimate test - challenging my resources and abilities, because I travelled solo and had only myself to take care of and to depend on whilst I was out there. 

In a way that's true of everyday life, too, but being so far away from home - striking out, the furthest I've ever been by myself (1,600km from home when in Warsaw, my furthest point east), meant it felt more real. I could approach each day as a new city to explore, a new country to see, and a new language to learn. I would like to apply that here, to find something new to learn and appreciate in every day. 

The experience was immersive, and I made it my own - harnessing my strengths, understanding and planning for my challenges. I know now that what I discovered about myself whilst I was out there will stand me in good stead for future adventures and challenges. 

Lynn

* Read my original post here