Summer is the most popular season for travel and it’s easy to understand why. Days are longer, school is out, and so many beautiful places in the world are just waiting to be explored.
73% of Americans say they have summer travel plans this year which marks a significant bounceback from just 52% in 2021. Before you pack your bags and hit the road though, it’s important to take some time to plan and prepare for each family member’s unique needs.
Traveling to a new place can be unnerving for anyone, so special care should be taken to make sure everyone in the group is comfortable and prepared. For families that have children who are on the autism spectrum, this becomes especially important to guarantee that the travel is not only a safe but fun experience.
In following just a few simple steps, future travels become much more accessible and the road throughout far easier to manage.
1. Plan a reasonable pace for children with autism.
The pace of travel can substantially vary depending on group size and member needs. While an individual adult might be able to cover a large amount of ground without breaks comfortably, the same pace would be a struggle for others. It’s vital to find that ideal pace that works for everyone in the family.
Once you know the main destinations you plan to visit, take some time to consider how you can break up the longest sections of travel. Every few hours of travel ideally should have at least one planned stop, even if it’s only for ten to fifteen minutes.
Creating this time and space regularly for children with special needs helps make the transition times seem less monotonous and frustrating. If there happen to be any interesting stops along the way, the necessity of taking breaks then becomes a fun addition to the trip.
Regardless of where you stop, getting outside of the car for a quick walk and bathroom break is a healthy method to alleviate tension for children with autism. A well-planned pace with frequent breaks also drastically reduces the likelihood of behavioral problems.
However, sometimes long flights and stretches of road are simply unavoidable. When this happens, it’s crucial to have the right supplies on hand to meet the circumstances.
2. Pack the right special needs supplies.
Whether you are flying or driving, families simply do not have access to the full range of supplies, toys, and tools that they enjoy at home. This means the packing portion of the travel preparation is key, both in what you choose to bring and how easily you can access it.
Sensory tools like headphones and iPads can help pass the long hours of transit in peace, and familiar items like weighted blankets make getting rest far more likely. Ensure these types of items make it into a bag that stays close and are not packed so deeply that accessing them quickly is difficult.
Snacks are another great addition to any travel pack. Having a child’s favorite food on hand can be quite helpful between major meals, and these familiar snacks can have a calming effect as a small reminder of home. While liquids are more difficult to travel safely with, most brands these days offer smaller, travel-sized packaging for their products for just this purpose.
Every child has unique needs and favorite items, and paying attention to both in the preparation stage will make the execution much easier. Of course, no physical item can substitute clear and effective communication, another crucial step for safe travel for children with autism.
3. Communicate with your child about what to expect.
For families who have a child with autism, creating and managing expectations is an essential tool that helps travel proceed smoothly.
Speak with your child before a trip about where they are going and what will be different from their normal routine. This creates a powerful mental framework for them that can help ease feelings of uncertainty. Parents can even create visual schedules with their children to help illustrate their itinerary with maps and other visually engaging materials that lay out the days and weeks ahead.
Once the schedule has been outlined and communicated, then it’s time to ask your child if they have any questions or concerns. By getting at the root of their potential fears, parents can then acknowledge and reduce them. Throughout the trip itself, periodic check-ins are an effective way to gauge how things are going and if anything needs to be adjusted.
With enough communication, even longer trips become manageable for children with special needs. Once you feel like you have the right pace, supplies, and information provided, all that’s left to do is test the waters.
4. Do a travel trial run.
Once you have all the major pieces in place, it can be helpful for families to do a small-scale trial run to see how their plan holds up.
A shorter trip of a few hours or one day can provide critical feedback in terms of how long children are comfortable in transit, what they enjoyed, and what items would have been helpful to have on hand. Ask your child after the trial run what they thought about the experience and how they feel about going on a longer one in the future. These answers will help parents understand the child’s perspective regarding travel conditions.
By being proactive and gaining this information before actually embarking on a longer trip, families still have time to incorporate what they learned into their longer travel plan.
Once you have planned, packed, and communicated with your child, then it’s just a matter of putting it all into practice before you officially hit the road for the main trip.
Whether you plan to fly or drive for your next big trip, there are countless resources available to help ensure safe travel for children with autism. By combining the right advice with your knowledge of your child’s special needs, a travel plan can be created that’s sure to result in happy memories made for all.
