Traveling with Conditions

Janet, I don't know of any online or print resources for travelling with people suffering from mental conditions. Are you planning to travel with more than one individual who has these conditions? What ages? The best place to start would probably be to speak with your family Physician or the mental health specialist who is dealing with the individuals involved. There are such a wide variety of conditions that it's just about impossible to suggest any "methods" for making travel easier, as the methods would likely have to be tailored somewhat for each condition and each individual. One point to clarify is that shoulder seasons can also be hot, busy, crowded, tiring and stressful. Hopefully someone in the group here will be able to suggest some ideas.

Talk to the person's therapist.

Unless there are some psychiatrists or mental health experts contributing to this forum who specialize in "how to travel with people with mental conditions", I doubt anyone here can offer anything but good wishes, unfortunately.

Could you be more specific about what sort of conditions you are referring to?

I have some experience in this area, and I can tell you that each case is unique, and I think the only advice you should take is that from whatever mental health professional is treating the patient and knows them well. Even then, there are no guarantees. Human behavior, perhaps especially in the case of people with mental conditions, is hard to predict.

Janet your question is far too vague .. I realize being specific may feel like breaking confidentality but frankly no one here can help with any answers without any more information then you have given.
I do have some specific ideas that worked for us travelling with our son who has some issues.. but since his issues may be nothing like the ones you may have to deal with I have no idea if they would be any help to you at all. Your post seems to say you would be travelling with more then one person with issues.. frankly in my opinion not a good idea. So many things are different and can create stress and anxiety that I think one on one companionship is best. I also hope you are talking about a close friend or relative because there is not a hope in hades I would organize and take a group of people with mental health issues on a foreign vacation.. and I have some experience in smaller settings. Be cautious in your ambitions.

As a psychiatrist, I agree with the other replies. You need to provide specific information about the "mental conditions" you are dealing with. Just to give one example, "fear of flying" is not one thing. I've had people who feared the moment of closing the door; people who feared take off and/or landing, but were fine in the air; people who feared turbulence (so their worst anxiety was mid-flight, but take off and landing were OK); people who were fine in an aisle seat, but not a window or middle where they felt "trapped"; people who needed the window seat (without a view, they felt "trapped"); people who were fine in large planes but not commuter jets; people who were very afraid of airport security, but were fine on the plane itself. And that's not a complete list of the variations. Then, there's the matter of intensity; when I say they were "not fine," does that mean just uncomfortable, or were they unable to fly without meds, or unable to fly at all? As you can see, how you make air travel easier would vary tremendously in each of these scenarios. And that's just one piece of what you were talking about.

Janet, To add to my earlier post, travelling with several individuals suffering from different mental conditions (ie: OCD, Bi-polar disorders, Schizophrenia or whatever) could be very challenging, as you'd have to tailor a solution for each person. I'm not a Psychiatrist, but I do know from dealing with patients suffering mental issues that a change of environment can be "unsettling" for some of them. Add to that the different languages, different foods, etc. and I suspect they could be well out of their "comfort zone". A bit of further information would be helpful, although as mentioned earlier the best source of information will be the medical professionals that are dealing with the people that you plan on travelling with. Cheers!

Depending on the person and their specific issue, you may need to stay in one place longer than a few nights. In the individuals I know who may fit this criteria, there is an adjustment period to a new area, and changing hotels every 2-3-4 days might be too much. Closer to a week per stop helps them feel more comfortable. These individuals also benefit from an apart-hotel (hotel with kitchen) because they feel like it is more their space and because the kitchen means you can prepare more familiar foods. Obviously this may be irrelevant for the people you have in mind, but it's something to consider.

Janet, every condition I can think of has some type of organization that can give you information. Chances are they've gotten this kind of question before.

Thanks for the posts and advice.
-I meant 2 people not a big group or anything. Janet