Winter Holiday Vacation 2023

We have family in the San Francisco Bay Area of California we like to fly out to visit once a year. Due to the pandemic, we hadn’t been out for almost three years so this visit was extra special.

While researching airfare, we encountered sticker shock during the Christmas and New Years holiday dates and decided to fly out the following week. The kids winter break lasted until January 9th which made this possible. We got creative with booking flights, booking different airlines for there and back. By doing this we maximized our savings. We ended up flying United to SFO and Alaska Airlines back to ORD. We were also thankful we didn’t fly Southwest as there was massive flight cancellations with the airline.

Our two teenage boys on the spectrum are accustomed to flying as we have been flying with them since they were babies. They adjust well and behave according to expectations of the TSA officials, etc. They both have a state ID to show to TSA and know to remove jackets and shoes. They even do well with the X-ray screening if required. My eldest has at times had anxiety if the plane sits for a long time before takeoff. A few years ago in the winter they had to de-ice the plane before takeoff and he became agitated by the long wait. He likes cars/planes to be moving and making progress or he starts to experience a claustrophobic type of response. He has since matured and didn’t present any anxiety this trip. It also helped that we pre-boarded on each flight after presenting the boys disability status. The airlines were very cordial and welcomed us to pre-board and get situated on the plane before the rest boarded.

The entire time we were in the San Francisco area, they were getting hit with major rain storms. We got one dry day to do touristy activities and walk around. This was a very nice day and we visited Old Sacramento, a part of town set in the old wild west theme and had lunch on the river, visited quaint shops and had ice cream for dessert.

We also stayed in a hotel during our stay. In the past we would stay at a relatives home but this visit it was decided a hotel would be best. I was very happy with our hotel – the Embassy Suites – as it provided extra room and three beds. Each teenager got their own bed since there was a sleeper sofa. They also offer a free hot breakfast and happy hour in the evening. We took advantage of the breakfast every morning and some of our relatives came to visit during happy hour one evening. There was also a pool the kids enjoyed one day.

We finalized our trip with a belated Christmas celebration the day before we returned. We exchanged gifts and I made chicken fettuccine alfredo. We also ordered out ribs and Mac n cheese. Since we were flying, I ordered gifts thru Amazon and had them delivered prior to arriving. We did however, receive small gifts we had to take back with us. I had received a recyclable tote bag from a Hudson News in the airport on our way there that worked perfect to carry gifts back on the plane. We checked most our bags but carried on the tote bags.

Overall, the trip was a success and we made sure the kids brought iPhones, an iPad, and even a new Nintendo Switch to keep preoccupied during the flights and when visiting family. With their autism, they don’t show much of an interest with social interaction. They enjoy the time being together but aren’t interested in social exchange. Hopefully this continues to improve with maturity.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about our holiday trip! Flying on the spectrum can be challenging and it has improved for us with the boys age and maturity. I send good luck to other autism families flying during the holidays. I think is also helps to not fly during the busiest holiday dates when there is an increase chance of delayed flights, longer TSA lines or even cancelled flights. Sending best wishes!!