Autism and Vacations

This is a blog that I have been meaning to write for awhile. Just over a month ago, we returned from a 3 week trip to Utah. It was a sudden and unexpected trip. I was not sure how it would work since it involved a 16 hour car ride. Over all it ended up being a pretty smooth trip despite the stress we were under. Here's what we did:

The Car Ride

• Lots and lots of Lizzybug's favorite snacks.
• Bring comfort items (Liz has to have her "magic blanket")
• DVD Player, Tablet, etc.
• Be prepared for lots of potty breaks (I convinced Liz to wear a pull up and it was a good thing).

The Hotel

• Try to keep the bedtime routine as normal as possible.
• Bring a night light.
• Before bedtime, discuss the schedule for the following day.
• Talk to the hotel and see about the possibility of being on the ground floor and/or being away from others (we have a nosiy household and I wanted to prevent the kids from disrupting others).
• A room with a fridge and a microwave was a neccessity for us as Liz always has to have something to eat before bedtime.
• Liz has to know the time so we also made sure that she always had a view of the alarm clock.
• Unplug the phone; it makes the perfect toy!

The Day to Day

• Make sure that you pack plenty of breaks into a busy day. 
• Explain the day to them, and answer any questions or concerns that they may have. 
• Plan ahead. i,e, If you need to stop for lunch, know the location of autism friendly places to eat. 
• Take lots of pictures, and remember to not get discouraged. Make the moments count.