When Thanksgiving Means Hitting the Road
For many families, Thanksgiving means travel—packing the car for a long drive or navigating airports and planes to reach relatives. For my daughter, who has autism, travel introduces layers of unpredictability, sensory challenges, and routine disruption that can turn the journey into the hardest part of Thanksgiving.
But with the right preparation and strategies, travel can be manageable. Here’s what we’ve learned from years of Thanksgiving road trips and flights.
Why Travel Is Hard for Kids on the Spectrum
Travel brings unique challenges:
- Unpredictability: Traffic delays, flight changes, unexpected stops—all disrupt the plan
- Sensory overload: Car noise, airplane engines, crowds at rest stops and airports
- Confinement: Being strapped in a car seat or airplane seat for hours
- Routine disruption: Different meal times, skipped naps, delayed bedtime
- Unfamiliar environments: Hotel rooms, relatives’ houses, public restrooms
- Loss of comfort items: Not having access to all their usual regulation tools
Car Travel: Strategies That Work
Create a Visual Travel Schedule
We make a visual timeline showing:
Pack a Sensory Travel Kit
We bring a bag specifically for regulation:
Schedule Strategic Breaks
We stop every 90 minutes, even if she doesn’t ask. These breaks include:
Prepare for “What If” Scenarios
We talk through potential disruptions beforehand:
Air Travel: Extra Layers of Complexity
Flying adds challenges beyond driving. Here’s how we manage:
Use Social Stories About Flying
Ezducate has social stories specifically about air travel: “Going Through Airport Security,” “What Happens on an Airplane,” “Takeoff and Landing.” We read these daily for a week before travel so she knows what to expect.
Request Accommodations
We contact the airline in advance to request:
Pre-boarding (many airlines allow families with autism to board early)
Notification about our daughter’s needs to flight attendants
Aisle seat for easier bathroom access and movement
Practice Airport Security
Security can be overwhelming—taking off shoes, going through the scanner, strangers touching bags. We role-play this at home so it’s not brand-new on travel day.
Bring Noise-Canceling Headphones
Airplane engine noise is intense. Noise-canceling headphones are non-negotiable. We also bring gum or chewables for ear pressure during takeoff and landing.
Pack Carry-On Essentials
All regulation tools, comfort items, and safe snacks go in the carry-on. We never check bags that contain things she needs to stay regulated.
Staying in Hotels: Making Unfamiliar Spaces Safe
- Bring familiar bedding. Her pillow and blanket from home make the hotel bed less foreign.
- Request a quiet room. We ask for rooms away from elevators, ice machines, and high-traffic areas.
- Recreate bedtime routines. We do the exact same bedtime routine we do at home—same order, same activities.
- Arrive before bedtime. We never arrive at a hotel late at night. She needs time to acclimate to the space before sleep.
- Use white noise or familiar sounds. Hotels are noisy. We bring a white noise machine or use a phone app to mask unfamiliar sounds.
Staying at Relatives’ Houses
This is often harder than hotels because there’s less control. We:
Request a private space for her. She needs a room or area where she can close the door and decompress.
Set up a familiar sleep environment. Her blanket, stuffed animal, white noise—we create as much consistency as possible.
Communicate her needs in advance. We tell relatives: “She’ll need quiet time each day. Here’s her schedule.”
Bring her own food. We don’t rely on relatives having safe foods available. We bring what she needs.
Plan an exit strategy. If staying with relatives becomes untenable, we’re prepared to book a hotel mid-trip.
Day of Travel: What Actually Helps
Start the day with her regular morning routine. Don’t rush it.
Build in buffer time. If the drive takes 4 hours, we plan for 6. Rushing creates stress.
Let her bring comfort items in the car/plane—stuffed animals, special blanket, favorite toy.
Stay calm if things go wrong. Our regulation helps her regulation.
Celebrate small wins. “You did great walking through the airport!” “You were so patient during that traffic jam!”
Ezducate Social Stories for Thanksgiving Travel
Ezducate’s travel-related social stories prepare children for the journey:
- “Taking a Long Car Trip”
- “Flying on an Airplane”
- “Going Through Airport Security”
- “Sleeping in a Different Place”
- “Staying at Grandma’s House”
- “What to Do When Travel Plans Change”
These stories use clear visuals and step-by-step explanations to reduce travel anxiety.
Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Traumatic
With preparation, accommodations, and realistic expectations, Thanksgiving travel can be manageable for families with children on the spectrum. It might not be relaxing, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare.
And remember: you can always choose not to travel. Staying home and celebrating Thanksgiving in your own space is a completely valid option. Your child’s wellbeing matters more than family obligations.
Prepare for Travel with Ezducate and EZRead
Ezducate
Ezducate provides social stories about travel, new environments, and changes in routine—essential preparation for Thanksgiving trips.
Subscribe at www.ezducate.ai to access travel social stories and visual supports.
EZRead
EZRead offers reading tools for children with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences.
Visit www.ezread.ai to start your free trial.
Make Thanksgiving travel easier with Ezducate’s social stories. Subscribe at www.ezducate.ai and visit www.ezread.ai for reading support.
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