Sensory- Friendly Travel Tips that we Live by
As a mom of three kids, ages 1 to 9 years, traveling and outings take some finesse to pull off. While outings can be exciting and enriching for the family, it can be a struggle for my autistic son and ADHD daughter.
The unknown environment can present an overwhelming attack of his senses. My son's super-powers, as he refers to them, are sensitivity to smell, sounds, and textures. As many autistic people can probably agree these superpowers can be a blessing to enjoying senses that others cannot. However, they can also cause outings and trips to be unbearable if not auccomodated for.
I would like to share some strategies that make outings more enjoyable for everyone in the family.
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Plan Ahead
This step is crucial to help a sensory sensitive person feel supported and enjoy their time. Many destinations, such as theme parks, have sensory-friendly accommodations readily available.
Hotels frequently offer quieter rooms with alternative texture linens.
Theme parks, zoos and children’s museums are great for offering low sensory rooms to aide in decompressing when we need a break from it all.
Legoland does a wonderful job of posting signs throughout their park that identify specific senses that will be engaged and at what severity using a number scale for their attractions. They also offer hero passes for special needs individuals, that prevent waiting in long lines to ride on rides.
Photo: Image of a Sensory Guide Sign at a Legoland Florida attraction.
Create a Visual Schedule, Print a Map, or Review the Site for Pictures
While going to theme parks, beaches, and parks is constantly on our agenda, I still make a point to mentally prepare my son for the trip ahead. Mentally preparing for the transitions and abnormal schedule is crucial for my son, as well as my daughter and I who have ADHD.
For theme parks, I will print a map and discuss the sounds or smells that we may encounter. I also provide a schedule that he can interpret, so he can anticipate and plan how long the outing will last for. Lastly, my son truly likes to see pictures of the location prior to arriving. This helps him to develop a concrete sense of where we are going and reduces his anxiety of what he may encounter.
Photo: My kids at Zoo Tampa.
Bring Sensory Comfort Items and Food
Bring Comfort items- for my son it is his blanket or a Lego build for stimming
Wear comfortable clothes and/or wear layers as the weather can be unpredictable when traveling.
Bring sensory friendly food that they prefer. This will bring some comfort while in unfamiliar territory. We prefer to bring a cooler backpack
Some locations are more strict than others, when it comes to bringing in food. ZooTampa and Legoland are very easy going with this. However, Disney World and SeaWorld are more strict. We notify these locations in advance of the need for specific food items due to disability, and they have steps in place to allow them.
I hope that these simple tips and tricks will help. My goal is to share and learn. If you have any input you would like to share, or tips that work, please share them with me.
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