Summer Road Trippin

When I was a kid, all vacations were road trips, when we were lucky enough to have one. While there most certainly was excitement in the air to break out and go someplace I had never been before, one of the things that stands out in my mind is hearing one or both of my parents saying, “If I have to pull this car over….” I’m sure that a lot of you are either laughing or nodding your heads in agreement. But who wants that for their kids? I’m confident that if my parents were a little more prepared, things would have gone a whole lot smoother!

There are steps we can take that will help us all (parents and kids alike) keep happiness and excitement at the forefront of our “forever memories” when it comes to road trips.

Autism on the Road
Compound the usual stress of any road trip with the challenges of being a person who is averse to new experiences, having to eat foods that are not prepared in a specific way, and dealing with an erratic schedule that could (and usually does) change at any moment, and you can easily have a recipe for disaster!

One factor that can make or break a fabulous summer experience is predictability. You might think that a road trip is anything but predictable, but there are actually some pretty simple steps that you can take to help put everyone at ease and have a pretty dramatic effect.

10 Ways You Can Create Predictability:

1) Plot your journey on a map. I know it seems old-school, but I would print up an actual map, or purchase one from a local bookstore, or grab one from a highway rest stop (My son LOVES amusement park brochures and can spend HOURS studying them along the way). If you’re tech savvy, Google Maps, Roadtrippers and Geography Drive are great apps that offer tons of information. As you pass through certain towns or landmarks, check them off and feel that sense of accomplishment 😊

2) Determine your destination and plan activities ahead of time. Share info you find online with the kids while still at home. Most touristy places these days have all kinds of videos, pictures, and descriptions on their websites. Pre-planning creates familiarity. With the help of Google Maps, you can even find where the closest McDonalds is to your destination, just in case you need a quick and fabulous reinforcer (for both you and the kids).

3) Download photos off the internet and use them to create social stories of where you’ll be staying and what you’ll be doing at each destination. Hotel websites will list their amenities; these can be incorporated into your schedule. Ex: Pool times, breakfast, on-site activities, etc. By calling the hotel in advance, you can get their wifi code so that there’s no need to become Sherlock Holmes once you arrive.

4) If you’re staying in something like an Airbnb or Vrbo home, those apps usually have a LOT of pictures of each home. Don’t forget to read the reviews and ask questions. Especially if you’re not used to having a backyard pool, make sure that there is pool fencing and door alarms. Use this information in a social story to lessen anxiety.

5) For kids on special diets, or who restrict what they are willing to eat, it’s oftentimes easier to stay at a place where you can make your own food. Ask if there are cooking facilities in order to keep food/meals as close to the same as usual. If a child is following a special diet, eating in a restaurant can be difficult. My son was/is gluten free so we always made sure to have his food on hand. Sometimes small towns don’t have the variety of GF foods as some of the more metropolitan areas.

6) Encourage your kids to bring things from home that anchor them. When my kids were little, one would have a few Hot Wheels cars, while the other had some of his favorite books (which he read over and over again, and not just during vacation). These days, he doesn’t leave home without his MP3 player (Yes, he STILL has an MP3 player) with his favorite song list of again the same songs over and over again. This brings him a sense of calm because no matter what is going on around him, he KNOWS that the next song on the list will ALWAYS be the same.

7) As you plan out your trip, think of ways to incorporate topics of high interest. Kids who love history are often overwhelmed (in a good way) by some of our national monuments. If they like M&Ms (like me) a visit to an M&M store can be priceless! If they love the water, a trip to a beach (ocean or lake) does a great job at breaking up a week of monotonous driving for the whole family. On that note, always be prepared for quick stops. Sitting in the backseat of a car for hours on end isn’t fun for anyone. Take advantage of those roadside rest stops and scenic views.

8) If your kids collect things, consider planning a scavenger hunt of sorts. For instance, if your son likes magnets, encourage him to find one new magnet at each destination. If your daughter likes stickers or figurines, same thing. In my home, we have a tradition where we find one new Christmas tree ornament on each trip. What started out as a mild interest is now serious business and loved by the whole family, and definitely something that my son looks forward to discovering.

9) When visiting extended family, keep visits short in duration and expectations reasonable. If your kids don’t often see Grandma and Grandpa, to expect them to be all kissy and huggy might create a huge disappointment. Be sure to let your relatives know that you love them, but that you won’t be forcing the kids to expand beyond what they’re comfortable doing. They will understand if they, just like your kids, are prepared in advance. We used to use the phrase, “Expect the unexpected” and it was super-helpful for everyone!

10) Not to sound alarming but, CREATE A SAFETY PLAN IN ADVANCE. All young kids wander from time to time, but kids with autism have a tendency to be very self-directed, which feels like elopement to the parent living through this heart and stomach-aching experience. Each morning when you get up and dressed, take a picture of your child so that you know (and can remember) what they are wearing, just in case you need to tell someone who’s there to help. Be sure the photo includes their shoes. If you know that they have a strong tendency to wander, tracking devices are a huge benefit. If they’re teens and adults who have their own phones, you can install Google Maps or Find My iPhone to keep tabs on their where-abouts without seeming overbearing. After all, we all want to have some sense of freedom every once in a while.

I hope that this list helps you plan your summer road trip in a way that’s safe, adventurous and enjoyable!

Happy Road Tripping!