Vacationing vs Traveling

Are you going on a vacation or will you be traveling? Some people don’t think there is a difference but I guess there is. Usually when people think of a vacation they imagine sitting on a beach at an all-inclusive resort with a drink in one hand and vegging for the next 5 to 6 days. Traveling may require a little more work on the “traveler’s” part. Most of our trips would probably fall into the traveling category, since I often end up preparing meals for Hunter. I have come a very long way from warming leftover French fries with the hotel blow dryer… just know that when a 6 year old with autism wants hot French fries at 2 am you figure out a way. I have discovered a blow dryer can reanimate those limp fries with a quickness! Okay not to golden crispy glory but well enough to avert a meltdown from my kiddo. My methods are a bit more “sophisticated” now.

I tend to seek out hotel rooms that have at minimum of a refrigerator. A mini suit with a mini-kitchen or full kitchen is golden! There is usually a grocery store near buy, but I am no stranger to packing one suitcase chock full of non-perishables! My checked bag often gets a little extra scrutiny but hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do… I am also no stranger to packing small appliances my room may lack…no judgement!!

While we are on the TSA topic, I do experience quite a bite of inconsistency in what they choose to single out and it often varies by airport. Anytime I travel through Long Beach (LGB) they treat my unopened bag of basmati rice as though it is an extremely toxic substance. I often have rice and the rice cooker in my carry on bag. Depending on the trip, I don’t always check a bag and I have become quite a master at packing. I will highlight packing in a future blog (something to look forward to, yippee!). Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO) are always concerned about my rice cooker and couldn’t care less about the rice itself, again very inconsistent.

The key thing to remember is, you can pack a few things that will make transition into the hotel room easier for you offspring. There may be a few annoyances but the challenges make it more interesting. And I only take appliances on trips within the US. There are different voltage requirements in other countries and I don’t want to burn the building down!

Another strategy is getting a vacation rental home/apartment which usually has most of what you need to feel right at home. I will admit it is sometimes more unnerving and I worry that my kiddo may break something but we have actually faired quite well with most of our rentals. In terms of cost, my family often travel together and we split the cost of the vacation rental. I highly recommend traveling in groups if you can, depending on where you are planning to go. It’s good to have extra people around for support in the event of a meltdown.

The bottom line is, you can leave home without necessarily leaving “home” behind. You can recreate many of the comforts to help your child on the spectrum adapt to the new environment. If you are just starting on you travel adventures, I recommend you visit the same place for a while… maybe a short local trip to test the waters. We started small and have slowly begun to stretch our wings! I will now leave you with a view of one of my “makeshift” kitchens!!