Can we all come together as a community and agree that traveling with children is an extreme sport. Now imagine traveling with a neurodivergent child, one thing about ASD is that you can't tell by looking at someone, so it is easy for people to judge you as a parent if your child is having a meltdown on the plane or at the airport. Kindness goes a long way.
As a family of four, this vacation was a milestone for us, marking the beginning of many more adventures to come. It was a time for bonding, laughter, and creating lasting memories that we will always look back on with fondness. Despite the busyness of life that followed our return, the moments we shared in Cancun will always hold a special place in our hearts.
On this blog post I will be sharing all I did to prepare for our family vacation to Cancun, Mexico in the hopes of helping someone who might need it.
For years, the idea of not being able to control every aspect of the travel experience for my son created a sense of stress and uncertainty. The fear of how he would cope with different environments, routines, and stimuli made me hesitant to plan any trips. Our last family vacation dates to 2018 when my son was just a toddler, and since then, the thought of embarking on another journey together felt overwhelming.
I am good at planning. So, I decided to approach our vacation the same way. By breaking down the tasks into manageable components.I was able to plan our vacation with little stress. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I encourage you to utilize this plan as a reference or template. Feel free to adapt and customize it to suit your specific needs and circumstances.
First things first, give yourself enough time to plan. In my case, our timeline was a year. I contacted our travel agent and told her about my plan. We decided on Mexico because it was the shortest travel time internationally (we wanted to start small) and it was in the same time zone as Texas.
After the destination was situated, the next thing I did was to purchase our flight. I chose a mid-morning flight that way the kids are awake and not too tired. Also, the flight time would be during my little one’s nap time. After you purchase your ticket, you should contact the airline and have DPNA (Disabled person needing assistance) code added to your child’s ticket. This code is to alert the ticketing and gate agent that your child might need assistance when they get to the airport or plane. In our case we flew American airlines, the ticketing agent was helpful but the gate agent; not so much. I don’t have experience with other airlines yet, but when I do, I will give an update.
The next step is to start preparing for your vacation, get everything your child would typically use at home. Going on vacation is different environment so you want to make sure you can make it as familiar for your child as possible. I took my son’s favorite stuffed toy with us, and I explained everything to him the best way he could understand.
One thing that really helped us at the airport was TSA cares. A week before our flight I contacted TSA cares via their website and completed a form that allowed me to specify my son's condition and that he will need help going through the secuirty check point at the airport. If you don't want to fill the form. You can wait 72 before your flight and call TSA cares. I find the form to be easier. I got a response in 24 hours, and a call the day befor our flight to iron out the details of our flight.
The TSA rep I spoke to was very helpful. She also called on the mornig of our flight and instructed us to go to a specific gate where an agent was waiting for us to help my son throuhg the security check point. They ensured my son was safe and comfortable.
We strategically chose our seats on the 3x3 seater airplane. The kids and I sat in row 22 seats A, B, and C, while Dad sat in the adjacent row 22 seat D. This arrangement was convenient, close to the bathroom and with no row behind us. My older son had the window seat. Equipped with activity books, as electronics were off-limits during the flight to avoid any potential meltdowns due to unreliable in-flight internet. I packed a lot of snacks and foods for the kids. For some reason they ate a lot on the 2 hour flight, who am I to stop them when it kept them occupied...LOL It was a good flight experience over all.
We upgraded our return flight to business class, that was a better experience since the kids has more space to spread out...lol. Based on this new observation, we might be flying business going foward ( This will take planing, budgeting, and saving of course)
With our hearts full of gratitude and our spirits lifted, we eagerly anticipate many more vacations that lies ahead. We are already dreaming of new destinations to explore, new experiences to savor, and new memories to create.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me here.
Until next time, remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
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