Family vacations always create a lifetime worth of memories, but also bring with
them more than a fair amount of stress. Sure, it’s always great to reconnect with your
family and spend time with the kids away from the worries of your everyday life. But
your best laid plans can go horribly wrong, and even under ideal circumstances you’re
going to do battle with grumpy and hungry kids, traffic, and unexpected changes in your
itinerary. Now if you are traveling with a special needs child, you’ve got another level of
worry to manage. There’s no reason why you and your special needs kids can’t have the
same kind of fantastic trip that other families enjoy, as long as you do the proper amount
of planning. Here are five of the top tips to help you travel with your special needs
child.

First of all, make sure you seriously research your chosen destination. You don’t
necessarily have to have every minute of the trip laid out, but if you’re not at least
aware of the possible pitfalls, you could end up dealing with something unexpected
that really ruins things. The key is handling all of the preparation without making your
child feel awkward or different. Reach out to all of the companies assisting you with
travel, the hotels you will stay with, and any other aspects of your trip to insure they
are prepared to handle any of your child’s special requirements. That way any medical,
physical or dietary needs will be covered, and you can rest easy and actually enjoy your
trip. But pull together a list of top contacts, so you know where all the pharmacies are
around your destination, and be clear before you leave that all of your chosen spots are
accessible for your child if he or she has any physical limitations.

Whether you are traveling by plane, car, train or horseback, chances are there will
be a moment when your child’s patience wanes. Since you would probably prefer to
arrive at [Read more…]