Disclosure: This is a contributed post
We all like to plan ahead for the future. We want to fill our future schedules with plenty of fun activities, days out and getaways to look forward to. Now, holidays and getaways in particular require a much higher level of preparation and planning all round. If you have children with autism, you might need to put even more time and effort into organising things and heading away. But all in all, your efforts will prove more than worth it for the great time that you and your family will experience together. Here are just a few areas that you might want to focus on to get everything moving in the right direction.
Choosing a Location
Location can be key to having a great getaway. It can make or break your time. Here are a few locations that you might want to take into consideration.
Staying Close to Home
You don’t necessarily have to go far to have a great getaway with your little one. If they prefer staying close to home, it’s important to remember that there are probably a number of perfect places to stop that really aren’t too long a journey away. Look into nearby holiday home rentals that can provide a change of location without throwing your family into a completely new and potentially overwhelming environment.
The Great Barrier Reef
If you do like the sound of going on an all out holiday, why not consider a wonderfully sensory experience like The Great Barrier Reef. This reef is one of the world’s most popular natural attractions and ranks pretty highly in a lot of people’s bucket lists. Believe it or not, it’s so large that it’s visible from space. Now, this is a popular tourist attraction, but don’t worry too much about crowds. Seeing as this is the world’s largest natural reef, there are plenty of quieter parts you can visit and have a great experience without being overwhelmed with a large number of other tourists surrounding your family. Once you get there, you’ll find that the reef provides a home to an astounding variety of sea life. This includes corals, one thousand five hundred species of marine fish, six species of turtles, and thirty species of whales and dolphins. Your kids don’t even have to go beneath the water to appreciate all of the natural wildlife that lives there. A number of glass bottom boat tours operate, giving a glimpse to the colours, movements and beautiful movements beneath the waves. If your children do want to get in, the warm waters average a temperature between 22 and 44 degrees Celsius. This can be extremely comforting and relaxing.
Disney
Disneyland tends to be most kids’ dream. They want to meet all of their favourite characters, whether that’s Mickey and Minnie, Woody and Buzz or any of the other wonderful toys, people and creatures they’ve come to love in their favourite films. Now, Disneyland can get extremely busy throughout the year, no matter which you intend to visit. This may sound less than ideal for children with autism who may prefer to avoid crowds. However, this doesn’t mean that Disney is necessarily not an option. For some children, fast track passes can be a great option. They allow you to skip the queues and gain quick and easy access to rides or attractions. If this still might not work, you can still contact Disney about your trip in advance of arriving and they will do their utmost to make special arrangements to make your little ones’ experience as enjoyable as possible for them. You might also want to consider private meetings with your childrens’ favourite characters. In many resorts, you can arrange breakfast or other meals with the characters.
Specialist Resorts
When many people go on holiday, they stay in all-inclusive resorts where their kids can splash about in pools, get involved in activities and games and have a great time. If your child feels overwhelmed in these situations, however, you may feel that you can’t benefit from the convenience of all-inclusive resorts in the same way that many other parents can. The good news is that there is ever increasing demand for getaways that are tailored to suit the needs and preferences of families with children who have autism. A good example is family farm getaways. These see you spend some quality time together in a rural location where your little ones can enjoy petting farmyard animals and getting involved in a number of other enjoyable activities.
Choosing Accommodation
Choosing accommodation that caters to your family’s needs and makes your little ones feel as comfortable as possible can be a little complex. Generally speaking, it’s best to choose a holiday home rental, apartment, HDB or other similarly homely environment to make everything feel as stable and like home as possible. These are also great in that they can reduce the cost of your stay. If you’re able to cook your own meals each night, you’ll save a lot more money than if you were going out for meals on a regular basis. It can also make mealtimes easier with less problems arising due to outside influences.
Preparing for Transport
Travelling for long periods of time can be a dull or stressful experience for any child. Where possible, contact your transport provider before heading away to let them know about any specific needs or requirements your family might have. For example, your child might prefer or need to sit in a particular seat. You may also want to invest in ear defenders to help block out excess levels of noise that may occur during transport.
These, of course, are just a few areas you might want to focus on when you start planning your family getaway. Hopefully, they will make to help the planning process and the holiday itself feel a little more easy and straightforward!
Kelly is a mother of two – her son H and daughter Tink. H is home educated, Tink is autistic. Kelly is a self-employed Virtual Assistant… Life is busy!
