Category: Travel

Cruising Tips for a Fun Autism Friendly Family Vacation

Posted on by Gregory Wood

By Mary Ann Hughes

Since I have been on several cruises as an adult I found this to be interesting.   Even as an adult I can come up with similar things to make a trip more enjoyable.  – Greg

Do you wish you could go on a family vacation but think it’s too hard to manage with a child on the autism spectrum? With proper planning, a cruise can be a great way to combine fun and predictability for the perfect autism friendly family vacation.

As a mom of children on the spectrum, for a long time, I was apprehensive about taking my kids on trips due to the planning required and the uncertainty of how they would do in different situations and environments. I hesitated to try a vacation at sea, but now cruises are our favorite type of vacation.

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The Ranch in Nunnelly, Tennessee

Posted on by Gregory Wood
Two years into my marriage my wife was living in Idaho due to a calling from God. I was continuing with with the stress and anxiety issues around my marriage. I went into treatment to have a break from the stress that I was receiving from my wife. She was pressuring me to buy a house and continually nagged me about not having a job. The treatment was therapy with animals at The Ranch. I found working with animals far more rewarding and productive than I did with years of talk therapy. My favorite horse was one named Salt.  We worked on boundaries. I learned how to ride a horse. I learned how to trust another person on a horse. I learned about push and pull in relationships with a mule named Albert. I lived in the Spring House, which was an all male home. I enjoyed the community and having meals together. It was nice to wake up in the morning and view the ranch next door. I never knew cattle would start talking when their food was not on time. We were exposed to adventure day, meditation,12 step meetings in town, and spiritual practice. And good country views. It was one of the best investments I made in my life. I would love to go back today for a refresher because it is very easy to fall back into old patterns. I was told I am a co-dependent in treatment. I learned about borderline personality disorder. Asbergers males do have the tendency to be in abusive relationships like I was. What attracted my ex wife to me was my natural nature of being kind. Since treatment I have had to struggle with my kind nature and prevent myself from being taken advantage of by people.   It is hard to just be me some days.