This year’s summer vacation can’t come soon enough for many families. The last 12 months have been emotionally draining for all of us. The chance to rest and a bit of a reset is something we all deserve. That said, plenty of states have still not yet fully reopened. Many traditional vacation options, such as summer camps, may not entirely run this summer. But that doesn’t mean that vacations are on hold.
How to Plan for An Unpredictable Summer Vacation
For example, places like Orlando are full of fun attractions that have changed to stay open. Your summer vacation can be great, though. It just requires you to plan a little extra. Another excellent option for a vacation is to head to beautiful Montage Los Cabos.
So with this in mind, families need to prepare for an unpredictable and perhaps slightly different summer vacation this year. For families of children with autism, some extra trip planning to help prepare your child and planning to ensure an autism-friendly experience can help make all the difference.
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Dealing with Friends and Extended Family
Summer vacation is the perfect opportunity to reconnect for those who have been socially distanced and unable to meet with friends and family throughout most of the pandemic. This is especially the case if you’re planning a camping trip or other type of COVID-safe vacation.
However, for a child with autism, suddenly being exposed to many people outside of your immediate family can be overwhelming. But not only this, accommodating friends and family also mean subtle changes to social norms, expectations, and traditions. If your family stays in a tight bubble for large parts of the pandemic, this will be even more challenging for your child.
Therefore, plan and have some “ground rules” to ensure this doesn’t become overwhelming.
This could include:
- Creating a schedule and sharing it: Decide what you’ll be doing when, such as meal times and activities, and let your friends and family know in advance. Peer pressure to do things, even from the best of intentions, can be difficult for anyone to manage, so setting expectations with your vacation guests before you arrive will help prevent this.
- Providing some pointers: Okay, so close family such as your mom or sister probably won’t need to be reminded of the basics, but friends or extended family could benefit from this. Ahead of time, provide some information on the types of food your child likes, some of their interests, and how best to engage with them.
Keeping to a Routine
Keeping a routine when you have a kid with autism is essential. This is why utilizing route planners like the one Route4Me offers is not optional but essential. And during pre-COVID times, you could plan the routine into a vacation with some effort. However, the problem we have to deal with now is managing the unexpected, such as closed attractions, restaurants being complete due to capacity limits, or lines being much longer than usual due to biosecurity measures.
Even the most carefully laid you can scupper plans if you are waiting in line for hours to enter your favorite attraction.
Some ways to plan for this:
- Avoid any attractions that draw big crowds: Rather than take the risk, it may be best to write off visiting big attractions such as theme parks in 2021. While many of these attractions now provide excellent autism-friendly facilities, extended wait times and other disruptions to regular service could be a reality this summer.
- Self-catering versus all-inclusive: Again, factoring in biosecurity measures and social distancing needs, vacationers at all-inclusive resorts may experience longer wait times and differing meal times this year. Therefore, self-catering is a much safer option for families of children with autism, as this way, you can ensure set meal times.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try Something New.
Keeping to a routine shouldn’t mean avoiding trying new things. As summer 2021 will still be far from average, now could be an ideal opportunity to try something your family might not usually consider.
The obvious choice here is to use the great outdoors this year. If your family enjoys going to DisneyWorld, consider a camping trip as an alternative for your summer vacation in 2021.
Of course, I’m not saying you should jump straight in at the deep end! For example, you could consider hiring a pre-pitched “glamping” tent when camping. These often come with a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom facilities.
This could also be an excellent opportunity to gently introduce your child to some new activities. This could be anything from fishing to kite flying to painting. If you’re avoiding more traditional attractions this year, you’ll need to think outside the box.
Whatever you choose this year, remember to stay patient, set your expectations accordingly and enjoy yourself. We’ve all earned this summer vacation in 2021 and deserve to plan a break with our loved ones. And who knows, perhaps you’ll discover new activities that your family loves doing, which you would never have tried pre-COVID!