Travel Tips

Summary

This week Alison is joined by Reen, Moira and Maha to discuss Travel Tips. How do we manage our anxiety and stress when making a long journey? How do we prepare to deal with scrutiny from other travelers?

 

Topics

00:00 - This Life, the chronicles of Autism moms podcast, series 1 episode 16 – Travel Tips.

01:20 – In the past what was the most stressful part of the journey?

02:30 – Do you think it helps that we are frequent travelers?
04:10 – Traveling is made easier these days by having identification cards that show Autism as a hidden disability that can allow you to avoid stressful situations like long queues and busy noisy areas.
05:30 – Have you experienced scrutiny from other travelers over any behaviors from your child and how have you managed it?
08:30 – A friend of the podcast carries a pack of cards with her that details her son's condition which happens to be Fragile X and what behaviors may or may not occur. She gives these out to the people around them on the plane to make them aware and hopefully more understanding instead of possibly annoyed at any disruptions. An example of which will be available at the bottom of these show notes for you to print out.
10:00 – What about the other end of the journey when you arrive at your destination?
11:00 – Reen recounts a stressful story of traveling alone with two toddlers?

14:30 – What were the must-do preparations for the holiday?

16:50 – Kids clubs are not for everyone!

20:00 – Covid and the lack of travel for 2 years brought about some anxiety on the first trip.

21:00 – Top Tips for travel:

1. Build a social story book for your child to prepare them for an upcoming trip showing them pictures of destinations and things they can do when they are there.
2. A step up from the social story as your children get older is to involve them in planning the trip and have them research the location and things they can do.
3. Make sure you have the snack they like to each packed and airplane food doesn’t cater to the average child.
4. Prepare an information card about your child to hand out to people sitting around you as you feel appropriate. 

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To learn more about traveling with kids on the spectrum, watch Learn Autism's video: Managing Transitions.

To learn more about Autism, visit: www.learnautism.com

To watch this podcast, visit our YouTube Channel.

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