(Let me preface this entry by saying I am in no way
endorsing anything I write about here for any particular child or any
commercial entity, these are just based on our travels with our child.)
Ok so travelling with children is tough. Traveling with a child
with allergies makes it a bit more difficult and a kid that is on the spectrum
adds another layer.
Sam is HIGHLY allergic to eggs and peanuts, tree nuts came
up on a blood test, sensitivities to gluten, dairy, strawberries, mangoes,
etc. The list is pretty long. The ones I
am most concerned with are the eggs and peanuts. I will discuss the allergies at a later date
because I could devote a whole blog to the amount of people who say to me “ do
these kids really have such bad allergies?” Yes, yes the do and if exposed he/she
could die so I do not mess around with it.
Sam is a pretty good traveler. We have never been on a plane with him though.
A couple of reasons why we haven’t flown with him are we never had the money in
the past to go on vacation and I am afraid to fly. The last plane trip I took was this summer
and I was taking Xanax for all my flying. Prior to this summer’s trip the last
time I flew was 8 years ago. Many moons
ago I travelled extensively for work and I took meds to cope but being
responsible for Sam and Dan needing to be responsible for us both kind of lends
itself to car trips. I am also nervous because what if Sam has a meltdown on a
plane, what do we do then?
We travel 4.5 hours to go to Dr. Udell 3-4 times a
year. It is by far our longest trip so
far. If I was to pick a hotel chain that
has been the best for us, it would be the Marriott chain. I figured out when we went in the spring to
Dr. Udell that the Townplace Suites have tiny ovens and full kitchens. This is
AMAZING for picky kids and kids with allergies. This Townplace in particular is
across the street from a strip mall with some food options and a Publix. The
Residence Inn had some suites that have ovens but they are more expensive and
there are limited suites that have ovens.
I remember from my days of travelling some of the extended suites hotels
have kitchen set ups.
Some of these packing tips are more relevant to people who
travel in cars rather than planes. I do not have to worry about how much my
suitcase weighs. I did find a great suitcase that we took to California this
summer by Lucas, it was light, fit a ton and had great wheels. ( the one I posted it not mine, I couldn't find a Lucas website. I got mine on sale at Dillard's for about $100)
Some things that make travelling easier for me I am adding below. I have a tendency to make lists and lose them. I have an app on my phone called Google Keep. This app allows me to have a running list of all
the things we may need for Sam and I can check it off right on my phone or laptop.
Having a toiletry bag ( this style is mine and I have had it since 2002, it has taken a beating and we use it for all three of us) already packed with our essentials in the linen closet. This is a bit of an investment in the
beginning but a lifesaver. On a blog or
pin I read it said to invest in throw away tooth brushes so you can leave them
in a hotel (amazon.com). I also save slivers of soap( for skin sensitive peeps),
a brush, small make-up remover, q-tips, travel deodorant, travel size
toothpaste, asking for samples of make-up and hair care products, at Sephora,
meds at Walmart( 81 cents), kids ibuprofen, a kid thermometer, sunscreen,
bandaids, all sizes of Ziploc bags (things always leak), etc. I can go into more detail
if someone would like. This bag was
taken out as recently as last night because with Hurricane Hermine we lost
power, and were going to stay at nana’s. The best thing was I knew how to find
it in the dark I did not have to search for things to bring, it was already
packed.
Lay out clothes for your child so he/she think they are
picking what they want to wear. This is great for them to have a choice but truth
is you have already picked out the clothes. Pack more clothes than you think
you will need. Someone may get sick at
Disney and puke all over the only sweatshirt you have for him. You may then need to go on a wild goose chase to search at the outlet malls for something for your 4 year old to
wear in the rain (true story!) Better to have too much than not enough. For the puke reason too quarters for washers and dryers ( some places have free laundry rooms for guests), and a laundry bag for all of your dirty items so you don't need to sort through clean and dirty when you come home. Good places to pick these up at target, bed bath and beyond, mone is from Old Navy from when I traveled.
Make sure to bring more than one pair of shoes, blisters happen, shoes break. Sam has gotten better with trying on shoes but it is not one of his favorite things to do so not predicting an issue will save you time and money.
Some other goodies are a portable DVD player
because Sam does not like to watch movies on the iPad and we have the cables
that plug into most tv’s so he can watch on the tv as well. Of course we still need the iPad and kindle, a suitcase
just for Sam to put his toys, a cooler, a backpack ( easier than a purse and
holds all of the electronics), a car blanket ( a blanket that is in
the trunk we keep just in case),food for special needs( most Publix have dry ice and strafoam coolers to keep frozen things frozen) snacks for daddy, mommy and Sammy, drinks, car cell
phone chargers ( these will work for some portable electronics as well.) I may
need to revise this but this is the bulk of it. A lot of stuff to schlep from
here to there but if we forget something we always have Waze to find the
closest Target or Wal-Mart.
Such great tips!! We've done Orlando when she was 4 months old and I felt like we packed the most random stuff! <3 NS
ReplyDeleteWell thanks Nicole. I am sure we will have many more trips but just trying to help others
DeleteGreat ideas Julie thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
Delete