Once you decide where you are going to stay and how you are going to get there, then you can focus your efforts on preparing yourself and your family for the trip and change in routine.

Discuss the individual’s needs with the friends and family you are visiting. Let others know in advance how they can provide support by preparing special foods and make accommodations such as a quiet calm down area. Provide others with information about behavioral triggers and support strategies in advance. Your friends and family want you all to come for a visit and will probably do anything they can to make your stay successful. You should even consider bringing a baby sitter, respite care worker, or assistant on vacation to provide the caregiver a reprieve and the individual an option for opting out of a group activity.

It may be helpful to put up a monthly calendar and mark off and count down the days until vacation. If needed bring the calendar with you and mark off number of days in one place or on the trip, always having the return date indicated. Discuss the temperature, weather and activities and encourage the individual to select appropriate clothing.

In addition to the necessities such as medications and personal care items, you might want to pack a favorite blanket, pillow or security item such as a family photo to make a hotel room feel more like home. Pack entertainment items such as books, videos, games, MP3 players, personal DVD players, and Ipods. These items can make a long trip more enjoyable, prevent frustration during long lines, and provide decompression time.

Not knowing what to expect on vacation can be anxiety producing for some individuals. Discus the activities the individual will participate in and the wh’s of the trip: ex who you will visit, when you are going and the daily itinerary, what places and activities you will engage in, where you will sleep, and how you will make food choices. Encourage questions and talk about fears or concerns. Discuss travel arrangements ahead of time, types of transportation you will be using.

For some individuals, there is truly “no place like home” and being in new places can cause anxiety. Read books, watch movies and view internet videos & photos about the vacation destination. Try looking at internet photos of the hotel or if visiting friends and family, ask them to send/email pictures of their home. If spending several nights away from home on vacation, it might be helpful to try one night in a nearby hotel or plan an overnight at a friend’s house before attempting a longer vacation.

You also might want to consider doing some role play. Think about situations the individual is likely to encounter while on vacation (ex. waiting in lines, being crowded on a bus, ordering food at a restaurant, getting into a canoe, handling a bee sting). Rehearse activities that may need to be taught (ex. how to load onto a roller coaster, riding a horse, building a sand castle, going to a museum).

If the individual is going back to a place he/she has been before, make a photo book from last year’s photos. If the individual is going to a new environment, use the Web to find images. Include pictures of what means of transport the individual will be using (ex. train, plane,van), sleeping arrangements (hotel, tent, bunks) and all the activities the individual is likely to encounter. A picture or word schedule may be helpful to take to camp or on the trip. Add Velcro and attach pictures or words in order of the travel sequence. Add an empty envelope to add the “done” pictures when you have finished one of camp or vacation activities.

Part of the fun of travel is experiencing new things, taking the old boring routine and throwing it out the window, right? For some individuals with special needs, that’s not the fun of travel — that’s the horror of it. When routine is your touchstone, your way of making it safely through the world, having it removed can be less exciting than terrifying. There’s a degree to which routine disruption can’t be helped when you’re on the road. But to the degree that it can be, do so. Keep bedtimes and wake-up times as close to normal as possible, allowing for time changes. Keep a consistent schedule from day to day if you can — a trip routine — even if the specific activities change. Consider staying in a room with small kitchen so the individual doesn’t have to deal with restaurants first thing in the morning, and you can have an occasional at-home dinner or request/reserve a corner table at restaurants to avoid over-stimulation and improve concentration on eating.

Hopefully all of the hard work of planning and preparing will make your trip a success for everyone. Next week we start thinking about behavior challenges that may come with all the change in routine and how to navigate them.

*information provided by Helping Hand 2012 Special Needs Vacation guide.