TEN REASONS WHY

AUTISM TRAVEL IS IMPORTANT

Routine, familiarity, and schedules. Every time I talk to someone about why they don’t travel with their child with autism, I hear the same things. “He doesn’t like to travel.” “She gets so out of sorts when we travel.” “It is not good for his routine.” This is not going to be a feel-good article where I coddle you and tell you I understand. (I do understand, but the purpose of this article is to encourage autism travel. Therefore, I am just giving you the reasons why you need to travel!)

This is going to be an article where I encourage you to get out of your own comfort zone. I will give you reasons that I feel you must travel with your child with autism. There are reasons not to travel, but the benefits far outweigh the hardship.

#1 Reason to Travel with a child with autism

NEW EXPERIENCES OPEN UP NEW PATHWAYS

Both children and adults fear the unknown. Think about the first time you tried anything new. Even if you know you can do it, you still might get a few butterflies in your stomach. Our kiddos have so much more working against them, but every time you give them a new experience, it helps to build their own arsenal of weapons to use next time they are faced with a new experience. 

We didn’t have the luxury of staying home with Jack-Jack as he is the youngest of 5 children. There are 17 years between his oldest brother and him. This meant that the older kids were used to a certain lifestyle. and they didn’t just want to stop that because they had a younger brother who didn’t like certain things. Because of this Jack-Jack was taken along on adventures, and he developed a love of new things. Disney is one of those experiences, and Jack-Jack realizes we have to travel to get to Disney. So as much as he might have disliked sitting in the car, at a very young age he learned he had to sit in the car to get to Disney.

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Recently, I heard some statistics about autism and travel and they bothered my mama’s heart. 87% of parents with a child on the spectrum said that they do not take a vacation as a family. I have encountered some of you in my travels – The mom and dad who left one child home with a grandparent; the mom who travels with friends and her child stays home with dad or the family who never travels because their adult son doesn’t like to travel. I hear these stories, and my heart breaks. My own family has been guilty of this recently. I traveled out of the country. Jack-Jack has never flown, so we drive everywhere. I was not able to drive with Jack-Jack to my destination, so I went without him. This is something we intend to remedy soon! And this will be a new experience. 

Flying will be a scary experience for him, and it will be scary for me because I do not know how he will react. That fear of his reaction has literally prevented me from tackling the flying with him. But since I believe there is great power in experiences with autism children, I will schedule a flight and we will prepare to go. 

Reason #2 To Schedule Autism Travel 

LIFE IS NOT SCHEDULED

Once your child is out of school, most of life will not be scheduled. Very few jobs or households are run with such a tight schedule. The best thing for your child is to learn how unscheduled life really is. Jack-Jack wakes up every morning and wants to know what will happen today, but he had learned that most days, life doesn’t happen the way we schedule it. And he has learned to be okay with that.

When we travel to Walt Disney World he sees that new rides are built, old ones are retired, and sometimes rides are shut down for maintenance. Each trip to Disney is new and different from the last one. We don’t go to the same parks on each trip. We eat at different restaurants, and we see different shows and characters. This takes place all within his favorite place. On a trip where his favorite ride was shut down or the icon (Mickey’s hat) was missing, he didn’t like it, but he learned to accept change, and that you can’t control everything.

#3 Reasons to Travel with an Autistic Child

TRAVEL PROMOTES HANDS-ON LEARNING

Maybe your son or daughter spends many hours watching or reading about a particular subject. Imagine being able to show them that subject up close and personal. Travel allows that to happen. Jack-Jack loves Disney and the ocean. Being at the ocean, walking along the beach, and playing in the waves is calming and a great experience for him. Seeing photos of the ocean is never the same as experiencing the ocean. Seeing photos of Mickey Mouse is not the same as seeing Mickey face to face. Going to a museum where your child can see their favorite cars, trains, or other interests opens up a whole new world. 

I have friends who say their child spoke their first word in Disney or spoke their first sentence. In our own life, Jack-Jack makes major strides in some area every time we come home from a trip. This is enough proof for me that travel opens up a world that was previously locked. However, this did not happen the first time these families traveled. In fact, autism families have stories of traveling that make you wonder if it is worth it, but I also have stories of trips with my neurotypical children that were less than “magical.”

Reason #4 to Travel

IT PROMOTES SELF-CONFIDENCE

There are many things your child may be scared to try. Travel opens up the door for developing self-confidence. Jack-Jack would not go on certain rides at Walt Disney World. We started with gentler versions of coasters like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Eventually, he wanted to try out the larger rides. This only occurred after many years of gently coaxing him. When went on Space Mountain, he loved it. This encouraged him to go on Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest. 

The really funny thing is, he will not ride coasters at other theme parks because he can see the coaster part. Most of Disney’s coasters are hidden behind theming. But we are able to use the reasoning, you were scared, you rode and aren’t scared anymore, to encourage him to try new things. 

Reason #5 Why Autism Travel is Important

A CHILD WHO TRAVELS WITH FAMILY WHO LOVES  HIM AND WISHES THE BEST FOR HIM IS BETTER THAN ANY THERAPY IN THE WORLD

When children on the spectrum travel with their families, they know they are loved and cared for. You are with them the entire time. Traveling is great therapy. It helps to develop skills and knowledge, helps to adapt to changes, and gives them a different outlook, all within the context of loving relationships. There is no better therapy than love and security.

Reason #6 

TRAVELING WITH A CHILD WITH AUTISM DEVELOPS A STRONG CONNECTION

You are it. There is no one else to call, to help with the meltdown, to give you advice. You develop a strong connection when you are the one that is dealing with everything 24/7 for a week or more. This helps your child see you in a different light too. Your child learns you have their back. You are the strong person they can to turn to when you are the only one for them to turn to. 

Reason #7 

TRAVEL HELPS MAKE CONNECTIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE

When we visit Walt Disney World, there are a few people that we make it a point to visit. For instance, Chef Ken at The Plaza Restaurant and Brittany at The Wave are just two of the people that we have met and continue to visit. Jack-Jack realizes you can have a connection with someone that doesn’t live near you, and you can make friends wherever you go. In fact, most the places we visit, we “make friends” with someone. These connections with random people help open the world to him. 

Reason #8 to Travel

EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT

When we meet people from different backgrounds and lifestyles, eat at different restaurants, try new food, we give our children different experiences. In fact, different opens up a whole new world. Even a stop at a gas station can expose your child to new snacks. Different opens up a conversation outside of the common world we become accustomed to. The welcome center that has the hand dryer connected to the water faucet is exciting to try. Additionally, the glossy pamphlets that show the attractions in the surrounding area can be used to spark an interest that you don’t know exists. 

REASON #9

CULTURAL EXPERIENCES THAT CAN’T BE REPLICATED

Art museums, science centers, a rocket launch, seals laying on the rocks, an unexpected festival, unique playground equipment – we cannot get all of these experiences in our hometown. From visiting the Statue of Liberty (which was a fiasco and will be a future blog post), walking through a Japanese Garden, eating at an Irish Pub, or walking through Colonial Williamsburg all immerse your child in experiences that are enriching and introduce new cultures even within the United States.

Reason #10

NO ONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

I get it. It is embarrassing for your child to have a meltdown in public. You are just trying to get out of the grocery store or church without anyone realizing that your child is the one causing the hysteria. When you travel, no one knows you. Additionally, there are certain places (like Walt Disney World) where children melting down happen every moment of the day. The escape that vacations provide is good for you and good for your child. 

If you are thinking of taking a vacation, but that thought it is overwhelming, please PLEASE reach out to me. I am not a travel agent. Furthermore, I don’t have a professional relationship with any, but I can put you in touch with people who can help plan your trip. My desire is to get as many autism families traveling as I can. For a list of Certified Autism Destinations, VISIT HERE!

One thing you can do to prepare to travel is dining out on a regular basis. This gets your child accustomed to new places at home!

For tips to travel to Walt Disney World with autism, visit Here!