Special Needs and Solo Travel

As a parent, you are always leery of letting your children go out into the world alone. Imagine doing that with a child with special needs.

Well…that is exactly what we did. We encouraged our son on the spectrum to take a trip on his very own. At no point was this pressure. He wanted to do it!

I worked with him planning the trip, so he knew exactly what to expect when he arrived. He had his tickets, luggage, itinerary, transportation plans, hotel reservation and park tickets.

He wanted to go to Universal Studios on his own. We had gone together when he was younger, but he needed and wanted to do something on his own.

We spoke on the phone every day after he left. He had access to me at all times. Surprisingly, he only called me to tell me what an awesome time he was having.

At the end of his 5 day trip, he was so proud and full of confidence…as were we.

It is hard to not worry. It is hard to let go. But, the real treasure is seeing your child stretch and succeed.