Stephen Gaiber: The Autistic Traveler Introduction

         Greetings, everybody! My name is Stephen Gaiber and I am known as "The Autistic Traveler!" Every week I am going to write a blog of a particular place that I have visited, the highlights, and what I recommend from that particular place to YOU the reader. 

      One of my major passions is traveling. I have traveled all around the world including to China, Europe, Thailand, Mexico, Israel, and Australia as well as 10 out of the 50 states. In this blog, I am going to talk about my struggles with autism, my successes, and my motivation for travel. I am hoping to encourage those who have autism to achieve their goals and be successful, too!

   

    Where do I begin to tell you about my struggles with autism? I was diagnosed at 3 years old with Asperger's Syndrome. Some of my challenges growing up included being like my peers with social skills, paying attention, talking to women and paying attention. I, however, have been successful at getting my driver's license, graduating CSU Northridge in 4 years, being independent, and holding a full-time job at Trader Joe's. I am hoping the more you read and get to know me, the more I can inspire you to take my story as hope for yourself or someone you know with autism.

     The purpose of this blog is to give you an introduction about my travels. I have traveled around the globe from a very young age and my favorite trips were my overseas trips such as China, Europe, Hong Kong, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, as well as cruises to the Caribbean. Throughout my blogs, I am hoping to give YOU the courage to travel independently. If I can travel on my own, so can you! For those who have autism and/or are interested in learning about how to travel on their own, the best advice I could give someone is to realize that if you want to feel alive, you must do something everyday that scares you!  This includes going to places you've never been, meeting unfamiliar people, tasting new foods, etc. You may surprise yourself!

  

  I hope to explore more places with you and give you the inside scoop of what you can do when you visit a particular place. I am hoping that by telling you all about my struggles and my advice, you can feel inspired to overcome your challenges whether you're on the spectrum or not. I'm Stephen Gaiber: The Autistic Traveler, and I look forward to seeing you in A Whole New World! Please click on the link below to see my introduction video! 

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnsrqSWWmCU&t=6s