- Welcome Message and select excerpts of our first year blog
- Our New Blog
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- Travel Advice
- Guidelines for travel agents
- Flying-all you need to know before you book your next plane ticket>
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- Car Travel
- Traveling by bus...in style
- Hotels-Creating the ideal autistic friendly hotel room>
- Packing -101>
- Ask away -Autistic Globetrotting Free advice service>
- Tid bits-travel advice from our readers in 100 words or less
- Autistic Travels' Golden Rules
- Guidelines for travel agents
- Autisticals-a personal view of autistic travel
- US 10 best in
- The 10 best of Boston
- The best 10 of Hilton Head,South Carolina
- The 10 best of New York
- The 10 best of Alaska
- The 10 best of Texas-San Antonio and Galveston
- The 10 best of Santa Fe and the surroundings
- The 10 best of Arizone-Grand Canyon
- The 10 best of Colonial Williamsburg,Jamestown and surroundinds
- The 10 best of Washington D.C.
- The 10 best of Las Vegas
- The 10 best of Boston
- International 10 best
- Mini autisticals- the darnest travel stories you'll hear
- The Sleeps-our biased and un biased hotel reviews
- The Eats-Tasty challenges from around the globe
- The Shops-what you can buy next
- Collector's Corner-How did these travel trinkets become a collection
- Recommended products
- Giveaways
- Monthly news roundup
- Interviews
- Q&A with Jackie Longino founder of Aspietravel
- Q&A with Tal managing director of ALUTEVA-autistic hotel in Israel
- Eva Bronstein-Greenwald-special needs travel agent and founder of We Belong
- Q&A with Trip it's
- Q&A with David Intercontinental Tel Aviv
- Keri Bowers- film producer of 'Normal people scare me'
- Jamie Grover-Autism on the seas
- Peter Shears
- Clive-guide dog extraordinaire
- John Brown of 'Devyn and Dad' -an inspirational adventure across the United States
- Rose Niehaus Olsen Morris inventor of the safety sleeper bed
- Annette White,counselor for Camp Autism
- Colin Brennan-Canada's new singing sensation
- Dennis Debbaudt-autism safety expert
- Gisela Sedlmayer- author of 'Talon'
- Q&A with Jackie Longino founder of Aspietravel
- Inspirational travel stories by our guest writers
- Danette Schott's-Revisiting family vacations
- Brian R. King-Meltdown at the airport
- Joy's visit to the Aquarium
- Denise Klipsic-An incredible encounter with Princess Tiana
- Tanya Savko- Hope on a river
- Tiffany Robison-Great Wolf Lodge
- Fiona Westner Ramsay -Making-room-for-autism-in-your-canoe
- Laura Shumacher-Traveling with autism: a true story
- Phyllis Fanzo Lombardi-s -Vacation Time with Joey
- Kristina Chew-18 Miles On the Bikes At the Beach
- Jeff Katz-Chicago
- Margaret Ann Franklin's visit to the Great Northern Carousel in Helena Montana
- Claire Sarcone-Chessington the aspie way
- Elaine Hall-Tips for summer vacation
- Steve LHeureux -Autism "Outings" need to be planned and appropriate
- Kelly Green-The Gardens of Gilroy
- Wolfie Blue-Tips I learnt by traveling with my family
- Gluten free Disney cruise experience
- Danette Schott's-Revisiting family vacations
- North,Central and South America-pictures,videos and AG's tips
- Arizona,The Grand Canyon
- Alaska Cruise-USA and Canada
- Florida,Orlando-Universal Studios-looking for Harry Potter
- Florida,Orlando-Macy's mini parade in Universal Studios
- Florida-Everglades Park ,Miami,Key West
- Hawaii's big island with a glimpse of Pearl Harbor
- Louisiana,New Orleans-French Quarter,Christmas Parade,Nanchez Steamboat
- Louisiana,New Orleans-in the footsteps of Katrina,Garden district
- Massachussetts-Boston ,New England Coastal towns of NH and Maine
- New York-NYC
- New Mexico-Santa Fe and Bandoliers National Park
- Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
- Texas-San Antonio and Galveston
- Canada-Niagara Falls,Montreal,Quebec,Toronto
- Caribbean-Bahamas- the Atlantis resort
- Caribbean-Castaway Cay-Disney's bahamian paradise
- Caribbean-Roatan,Honduras>
- Caribbean-Grand Caymans-Hell,Turtles,Wild Hens and Stingrays>
- Mexico-Cabo San Lucas(Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Puerta Vallarta (Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Acapulco and Manzanillo
- Mexico-Mazatlan(Mex Riviera)
- Mexico-Playa del Carmen's Xcaret eco park>
- Mexico-Tulum and XelHa Eco Park
- Yucatan,Mexico- Chichen Itza,Cozumel's Paradise Beach
- Arizona,The Grand Canyon
- Europe,Asia,Australia and New Zealand,Cruise ships-pictures,videos and AG's tips
- Australia-Sydney and Melbourne
- Austria-Salzburg
- Belgium-Antwerp ,Brussels
- Canary Islands-Lazarote
- Croatia-the walled town of Dubrovnik
- Denmark-Copenhagen
- France-Normandy's D day beaches>
- France- Cannes,Nice,Eze
- France-Paris
- Finland,Helsinki
- Germany-Munich,Dachau
- Germany-Romantic Road
- Ireland-Dublin
- Ireland -Cork,Blarney,Kinsale>
- N. Ireland-Belfast>
- N. Ireland's Giant Causeway
- N.Ireland-Carrick -a -Rede-rope bridge>
- Italy-Venice,Pompeii,Rome
- Italy-Florence,Messina and Taoramina
- Israel-Jerusalem>
- Israel-Masada and the Dead Sea>
- Israel-Tel Aviv>
- Morocco-Casablanca
- New Zealand-Rotarua
- New Zealand-Fjord Park,Dunedin,Christchurch
- New Zealand - Auckland and sheep farm
- The Netherlands-Amsterdam,Delft,The Hague,Rotterdam,Madurodam
- Sweden-Stockholm and the Archipelago
- Russia-St Petersburg's Palaces
- Scotland-Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh
- Scotland-Edinburgh>
- Scotland-Inverness>
- Scotland-Loch Lommond,Luss,Sottish sheep show>
- Spain-Barcelona
- Spain-Cadiz and Seville
- Spain-The Alhambra Palace,view of Malaga
- Tasmania-Hobart
- UK-Liverpool and the Beatles>
- UK-London>
- UK-Stonehenge,Bath,Warwick Castle,Stratford on Avon,Oxford
- UK-Guernsey>
- Carnival -Legend
- Aboard the Carnival Legend
- Carnival -Ecstasy
- Carnival- Fascination
- Carnival Spirit
- Celebrity-Century
- Crown Princess>
- Sapphire Princess
- Royal Caribbean-Brilliance of the Seas
- Royal Caribbean-Mariner of the Seas (parades)
- Royal Caribbean- Mariner of the Seas
- Australia-Sydney and Melbourne
- Monthly guest's -Travel videos and pictures
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Traveling with autism: a true story-by Laura Shumaker
It was the Saturday morning after Christmas, and the two different alarms that I had set the night before for 4:30am went off as they should, starting the long day ahead on a jittery note.
I would be flying Matthew, who has autism, back from our home near San Francisco to his special school in rural Pennsylvania, about an hour west of the city.
Matthew is high functioning but socially awkward, and since it wasn't wise for him to travel alone, my husband and I took turns flying him to and from school.
I was on edge not only because it had been an exhausting visit with way too much family togetherness, but because Matthew did not like to fly with me.
"I don't see other regular men my age sitting with their mothers" he told the flight attendant earnestly as he took his seat in 17C. I took mine in,19B where I could keep my eye on him, just in case. In the "special needs" community, we call this shadowing, and while I was an expert, it was still a little unnerving. Still, we'd had success with this arrangement on past flights. Matthew enjoyed looking at his page worn atlas and an old high school yearbook while listening to music on his portable CD Player.
I watched anxiously as the plane filled up. It seemed at first that there would be a space between Matthew and the aisle seat, (ideal) but then a harried woman got on the plane at the last minute and sat next to him.
Please, God. Let her be nice.
As soon as I was able, I got up to make sure all was well. Matthew was looking out the window peacefully with his head phones on.
"Hi Matthew," I said, and he waved awkwardly. The woman sitting next to him looked at me suspiciously, the corners of her mouth drooping down from years of scowling.
Shortly after I sat down, she rang the call button. I watched as she talked to the flight attendant, gesturing to me and shaking her head. I got up to investigate.
"Are you his mother?" the woman asked. "Because if you are his mother, I don't see why I should have to sit next to him. You should have to sit next to him."
She stood up and jerked her purse from the overhead bin. I was well practiced in keeping my cool during such misunderstandings, but the sight of her looking so desperate to get away from my son enraged me like never before.
"Is he bothering you?" I asked, feeling all at once like I couldn't breathe.
"Not really, but... "
"I know he's a little different," I whispered hoarsely, tears suddenly flowing out of control, “but he's 21, and he want to be independent."
Fellow passengers glared incredulously at the woman and one from 10a insisted on switching with her. He was sociology major from Bucknell who looked at Matthew's atlas with great interest and humor while I took deep breaths in an attempt to stop crying.
The remainder of the flight was eerily quiet, as if everyone knew that something very sad had transpired. Everyone seated around me smiled at me sympathetically—the nicer they were, the more my tears flowed.
*****
"I'm sorry for the mix-up," the woman said to me later at baggage claim, "I just figured you would want to sit next to your son."
"I know," I managed, too tired to think of a meaningful retort. "I'm just feeling really emotional."
I thought of the many reasons that the woman reacted the way she did to "the situation" on the plane. Perhaps she'd had a bad day, a bad childhood, a mean cat that scratched her as she left for the airport.
Or maybe she just thought it was weird that my I wouldn't sit with my clearly quirky son. Perhaps she, too, was worn out from the holidays, and she just didn't need 5 hours of awkward.
The good news is that the nice kid from Bucknell thought that Matthew was just great, and told me he couldn't wait to tell his roommates about the cool kid her met on the plane.
The even better news is that since Matthew's diagnosis, I've been fortunate to have met many, many more people like him, and just a few like the woman in 17B.
God Bless her.
Laura Shumaker is the author of A Regular Guy: Growing up with Autism, and a columnist for www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com. Her essays have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, East Bay Monthly, The Autism Advocate, on cnn.com and NPR Perspectives. Laura speaks regularly for schools and disability groups and lives in Lafayette, California with her husband, Peter, and her three sons
First published in SFGate.com City Brights Blog on Dec 14 2010.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/lshumaker/detail?entry_id=79088#ixzz18A4fyyDu
I would be flying Matthew, who has autism, back from our home near San Francisco to his special school in rural Pennsylvania, about an hour west of the city.
Matthew is high functioning but socially awkward, and since it wasn't wise for him to travel alone, my husband and I took turns flying him to and from school.
I was on edge not only because it had been an exhausting visit with way too much family togetherness, but because Matthew did not like to fly with me.
"I don't see other regular men my age sitting with their mothers" he told the flight attendant earnestly as he took his seat in 17C. I took mine in,19B where I could keep my eye on him, just in case. In the "special needs" community, we call this shadowing, and while I was an expert, it was still a little unnerving. Still, we'd had success with this arrangement on past flights. Matthew enjoyed looking at his page worn atlas and an old high school yearbook while listening to music on his portable CD Player.
I watched anxiously as the plane filled up. It seemed at first that there would be a space between Matthew and the aisle seat, (ideal) but then a harried woman got on the plane at the last minute and sat next to him.
Please, God. Let her be nice.
As soon as I was able, I got up to make sure all was well. Matthew was looking out the window peacefully with his head phones on.
"Hi Matthew," I said, and he waved awkwardly. The woman sitting next to him looked at me suspiciously, the corners of her mouth drooping down from years of scowling.
Shortly after I sat down, she rang the call button. I watched as she talked to the flight attendant, gesturing to me and shaking her head. I got up to investigate.
"Are you his mother?" the woman asked. "Because if you are his mother, I don't see why I should have to sit next to him. You should have to sit next to him."
She stood up and jerked her purse from the overhead bin. I was well practiced in keeping my cool during such misunderstandings, but the sight of her looking so desperate to get away from my son enraged me like never before.
"Is he bothering you?" I asked, feeling all at once like I couldn't breathe.
"Not really, but... "
"I know he's a little different," I whispered hoarsely, tears suddenly flowing out of control, “but he's 21, and he want to be independent."
Fellow passengers glared incredulously at the woman and one from 10a insisted on switching with her. He was sociology major from Bucknell who looked at Matthew's atlas with great interest and humor while I took deep breaths in an attempt to stop crying.
The remainder of the flight was eerily quiet, as if everyone knew that something very sad had transpired. Everyone seated around me smiled at me sympathetically—the nicer they were, the more my tears flowed.
*****
"I'm sorry for the mix-up," the woman said to me later at baggage claim, "I just figured you would want to sit next to your son."
"I know," I managed, too tired to think of a meaningful retort. "I'm just feeling really emotional."
I thought of the many reasons that the woman reacted the way she did to "the situation" on the plane. Perhaps she'd had a bad day, a bad childhood, a mean cat that scratched her as she left for the airport.
Or maybe she just thought it was weird that my I wouldn't sit with my clearly quirky son. Perhaps she, too, was worn out from the holidays, and she just didn't need 5 hours of awkward.
The good news is that the nice kid from Bucknell thought that Matthew was just great, and told me he couldn't wait to tell his roommates about the cool kid her met on the plane.
The even better news is that since Matthew's diagnosis, I've been fortunate to have met many, many more people like him, and just a few like the woman in 17B.
God Bless her.
Laura Shumaker is the author of A Regular Guy: Growing up with Autism, and a columnist for www.5minutesforspecialneeds.com. Her essays have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, East Bay Monthly, The Autism Advocate, on cnn.com and NPR Perspectives. Laura speaks regularly for schools and disability groups and lives in Lafayette, California with her husband, Peter, and her three sons
First published in SFGate.com City Brights Blog on Dec 14 2010.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/lshumaker/detail?entry_id=79088#ixzz18A4fyyDu