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AIBU?

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Original poster

To take my non verbal autistic son on holiday on my own?

28 replies

StrawberryCo · 07/04/2025 14:31

Am I absolutely crazy to even consider it?!
My son is (apologies for the term) low functioning semi-verbal (many singular words) He’s nearly 9, large for his age and more like a very big 2 year old!

I would absolutely love him to have a proper sunny holiday abroad. He loves his food, loves the water, beaches etc. Unfortunately DH has always been dead against taking him abroad as he thinks it would be a disaster.

I feel sad that he’s likely never going to have a proper holiday unless he goes with official carers.

I believe he would be fine if it’s planned meticulously. Am I mad for considering taking him alone? It would be difficult but not impossible.

Currently we take him on little caravan holidays or Butlins etc.

Obviously wouldn’t want to get into difficulties abroad with my son. Thanks for reading! I want him to experience everything that other children his age experience (with adaptions)

OP posts:
Wakeywake · 07/04/2025 15:03

Depends on his behaviour and what he can cope with? SIL takes her non-verbal autistic son on holiday abroad every year mostly by herself (my brother is useless), she knows his triggers and how to manage him. My nephew is 13 this year.

TheSandgroper · 07/04/2025 14:54

You know your son. Think through every step. Will he manage each step? Will he manage so many different steps all at once? What happens if he decides he has done enough and won’t do any more? Have a back up plan. If it goes wrong, you still have to get him home.

You have posted in AIBU. You may get more nuanced answers if you posted in https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_needs_chat

Just a thought. Do you have a network of others in your situation? Could you club together to choose suitable accommodation somewhere and to book a private flight from a smaller airport like Shoreham over one of the bigger ones. (You don’t say what your finances are like).

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Kpo58 · 07/04/2025 14:45

I personally wouldn't as getting there via plane sounds like a nightmare. There are plenty of beautiful sandy beaches in the UK which are just as good as the ones abroad.