What kind of family holidays work for you?

[flowwithit]

I read on here about Disneyland being good?Any other ideas or holidays that have worked well for you?
Dd is 13 and Ds is 11 dx AS and he is very anxious about lots of things.
We are having a problem finding successful holiday stuff to do together.

Can you share your best holidays please.

We are going to The Gower this year for a week. Staying in a cottage by the sea, on a castle estate. A bucket and spade-cation!
Last year we did Florida. DS4 ASD hated Disney, TDS1 AS loved it! But what all four if them loved was the week we spent on the Gulf Coast. So basically beach holidays win in this house!

The holidays we've been on:

Haven holidays in a static. DS has been going to this place (Primrose valley) once a year since he was 2. He enjoys it and we could be as busy or relaxed as we want.

Disneyland Paris - this was a bit of a gamble as when the local fair rolls into town DS goes on the same rides in the same order every year (the toddler rides despite being in 9-10 clothes now). He also freaks out when he sees dressed up characters nearby but loves Disney so I decided to risk it and he LOVED it. Went on all rides, even fast/high ones, met his favourite characters for pictures, I really was amazed.

Camping with a tent - DS loves camping as it's usually quiet, he loves the outdoors just pottering about, very low key and relaxed.

The one thing I do every single time we go away though is to print out lots of pictures of the mode of transport, the accommodation, the activities we will do, etc. I get a brochure, we watch clips on youtube, it's marked clearly on the calendar, a LOT or preparation goes into it. We also take home comforts with us... a few of his favourite DVDs if possible, a few toys he likes, a blanket, etc.

I am takng him on my own on a plane to holiday in Tunisia this year so am currently preparing him for that!

Successful:
Camping... The tent and your set up are the same regardless of where you go so it's very calming.
Lodges in scotland or cottages in Cornwall.
Not so successful: euro disney

We always go self catering. This seems to work as we can show DS pictures of where we are going before we get there. We choose very carefully to try and make it as comfortable for everyone as possible - so that means separate bedrooms and space in the mornings so that we don't all get woken up at the crack of dawn.

Obviously toys and books from home have to come with us - and favourite foods if going abroad.

Disney in Florida was good for us - but mainly because we stayed outside the park in a fantastic SC house.
We have had some other great hols in France, Sicily, Italy, UK......

Preparation is definitely the key.

A successful holiday for me is being at least 200 miles away from the rest of the family - as I plan to be this year.

In earlier (braver) years:

Static caravan - very successful especially if he had his own bedroom and we took a spare telly and his XBox. Last time the site upgraded us so he had a bedroom for sleeping in and a separate one for playing computer games in.

Cruise - quite successful as there was no noticebale 'travel' i.e. the ship moved but everything was the same to DS. Dark inside cabin good for hiding in to play compuet games.

Hotels - if all inclusive and he has his own card around his neck to be able to order drinks and ices. (Except when he came back from the bar saying his Coke tasted funny and when I sipped it I realised the barman had put a few shots of vodka in it . Barman was probably pissed off with DS's endless questions!

Nowadays - he flatly refuses to go anywhere and that suits me just fine.

Peculiar observation: In this country DS was too anxious to try anything / go to a shop on his own. Abroad, he would get up and wander off on his own to shops, pool etc. I mentioned this to another AS parent and their child was also 'braver' in a foreign country. I think i's because they realise that in Britain their own 'differences' are more apparent whereas abroad the locals think their difficulties are down to being in a foreign country, rather than caused by ASD, so they are treated differently and don't feel as anxious as they would in the UK. Very peculiar

DS is 13 and has ASD, it's a difficult age for family holidays as he sees many theme parks/attractions as childish, but lots of typical teen holidays involve group activities which he struggles with.

He enjoyed camping/caravan holidays when he was younger but prefers basic hotels now (Travelodge is surprisingly good as the rooms all look the same) as he needs privacy and lots of nagging to use the bathroom. I think the best holidays have been quite simple, staying in a town with good transport connections and having a few day trips organised to an attraction he's chosen, but also just relaxing in the hotel and watching TV.

Thanks all for your ideas I think a cottage somewhere sounds nice. Disney would be too difficult even though he likes rides I think he would hate the crowds and so it would not be a break for the rest of us.
We tried a caravan holiday last time but it was too small for him and not like a house.
I think we also need wifi for his netbook or else he is lost.
Good idea to print out photos ect to prepare him. Thanks again.

at Wetaugust 200 miles away! Enjoy!

aww a holiday .......... i can only dream, weve never really had a family holiday cause its harder for us to plan and find a sutable place that fits
DS1 (13yr) with ODD, CD. who has no intrest in anything what so ever,
DD1 (10yr) with severe SLI, where her language and learning levels are that ov a 5-6 yr old and trying to find things that she can do that not only suits her age but also her understanding levels,
and DD2 (7yr) and DS2 (6yr)- who luckly are both NT.

our other problem is that neither me or my husband drive to we have to rely on trains and busses with dont go down well with DS1 for he cant deal with busy places or lots of people. so i can sadly say we have never really attempted a family holiday

It's camping all the way for us. DS has more freedom there to wander around and me not get to panicky about where he is, what he's up to, or whether he's going to wander out in from of a bus! (he's usually with our other children and friends children though).

We usually choose a low key kind of site without big playgrounds and entertainment, and where you generally have a very large pitch with other tents not too close.

Would like to try for foreign land one, but finances will not stretch!!

Things that have worked well for us
Haven - DS loves it. We go to Primrose Valley every year too.
Center Parcs
Other caravan holidays as long as we have a pool, a beach and plenty of space to run around.

We went abroad last year and it was a massive expensive disaster. DH spent the whole holiday laying on the floor in our hotel room, or on the floor by the pool playing with his Ninky Nonk and trains. Hated the heat, hated the buffet, hated the pool.

I swore never to go abroad again. It will be UK holidays for us (which is fine by me!)

Holidays with as little travelling as possible work for us. Ds gets really anxious about going anywhere
Centre parcs always good because it's flexible
Taking a friend works well which is possible with center parcs
Airports are a nightmare - especially on the way home
Other holidaymakers were really, really horrible towards ds last year when we went to Majorca - put me right off going on that type of holiday again

Also the heat of going abroad isn't good as ds won't wear sun cream and only wears tracksuit bottoms and trainers - won't do shorts

For us, centre parcs super - we went abroad, never been to one here. Can't afford it now. When we could loved the cycling and outdoors and playground areas.
Euro Disney - really enjoyed the disney bit but the food was a nightmare as it was very very busy buffet style eating only realised on the last night we could have booked a table service place with our type of meal vouchers which would have been a lot less stressful. The exit pass system worked well except on a couple of rides.
Camping - as above it doesn't matter where you are it is always set up the same way with similar meals so that is calming. Downside is getting little ones to bed if still light or older children are still up and playing outside. Essential to have a play area and woodland or something to explore on site.

The very worst - static caravan in wales with an undiagnosed preschooler. Won't ever stay in one again. Or cottages - can't tell if they are too dark/cramped so sensory issues are a nightmare.

We have done centre parks before and that was ok. Took him to pool early though before it got too busy. Very expensive though. Going to look at cottage or lodges for this year.
My Ds would prefer to go to same place every year but I think its good to try and take him to new places even though sometimes its a challenge.

All inclusive resort with waterpark and lots of pools, whatever he wants to eat or not eat, lots of fizzy drinks and ice cream :) I agree with zzzz, I have a transformed boy.

4 days in a Caravan at a Park Resort in Essex this summer won't have the same pull I'm sure

We are away at the minute in a bungalow overlooking the sea. for a chance of success it needs to be big, have enough bedrooms so that ds gets his own room (or we sleep in the lounge), a secure garden, wi fi, quiet, a hot tub helps and preferably out of season.

Disasters for us would be a caravan on a holiday park as too busy, too noisy, not enough space and too close to our neighbours. Or a hotel as ds couldn't cope being close to people he doesn't know and I'm not sure anyone would appreciate his jaunts until the early hours of the morning.

Camping is our thing or occasionally in my cousins holiday flat [ going tomorrow actually].

As others have said, with camping, the tent stays the same you just go to different places. We like sites with nice showere and toilets but no clubs. Sometimes if we are really lucky we get a pool. And usually a playarea for Dd3.

We love The river dart country park but go in term time so its not so busy.

We once stayed in a cottage on a working farm. Ds1 Loved it - couldn't get him out of the place to go anywhere though!

Where was that cornsyilk