Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
I am the mother of a young man wild mild autism and a language disorder. He is 22 years old, and has recently got a full time job which he is really enjoying! (I am very proud of him :))
He has told me he woud like to go on holiday. He doesn't really have friends he can go with and I can understand that he would rather not go with his mother! So he would be going alone.
Does anyone have any recommendations of companies/organisations that offer supported holidays that he could go on? He would prefer physical doing-things type holidays with people his own age or near.
Any help gratefuly welcomed. Especially if you have personal experience of these holidays.
Thank you very much.
Also I am a huge fan of Corsica- it is one of my favourite place ever- though that is just personal preference.
Also, since I was going on my own, I contacted the company in advance and they were able to help me be matched up in a group which included other younger people.
Hi, The only holidays I really enjoyed were hiking trips! Now that I can't hike anymore due to injury, I don't go anywhere anymore. Hiking trips gave me a lot of security as they have an in built routine and I absolutely loved the hiking itself. Life is really simple on a hiking trip. For my first trip I went on this organised group trip with a guide in Corsica- that meant that all the accommodation, food and route were sorted in advance and an experienced guide was there too. It wasn't that expensive either considering everything was included. The downside of course is that in that case you will be with a group of people you don't know, but I had a really good experience. After that first trip, I started organising my own hiking trips- I love the planning of the trip almost as much as the trip itself- I went with a close friend the first time. It was quite hard to find a good hiking partner, but I ended up finding someone from university for the subsequent trips. Then on my last trip, I unexpectedly ended up on my own after 4 days and I decided to continue on my own. Best choice ever and it has given me a lot of confidence- I would now happily go on my own again (it was a route where there were other people so I did feel safe)- I am not the most social person on the planet but I have found it really easy to connect to fellow hikers in mountain huts and even when I was on my own, I teamed up with someone else for a day here or there.
The company I went with on that first trip was Corsica Adventure: https://www.corsica-aventure.com/en It was quite a long time ago (in 2016) though. I am sure there are lots more similar companies that offer outdoor trips in different areas. For me this was a really good start and this first guided trip then gave me the confidence that I had the knowledge and skills to organise my own trips in future.
Hii there..
Hiya,
Just wanted to quickly jump and suggest our section about holidays and days out. We're sorry it's mainly writing from the point of view of a parent with younger children (hopefully this will be improved soon) but you may find some of the content helpful.
There is a specific section on venus that have said they work to be autism friendly - so could be the best place to start - http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/out-and-about/holidays-and-days-out/holidays-autism-friendly-venues.aspx
The section as a whole may also be useful despite the younger age focus - http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/out-and-about/holidays-and-days-out.aspx So hopefully a little help but be fantastic to hear from other community members about where they may have enjoyed particular holidays or how they structured days out and trips.
Hi,
I can't offer any suggestions as I am in the same boat, but I hope someone with an answer will reply for us both!
I am 24 years old, and have Asperger's. I, too, would love to go on holiday, but I struggle with new places and travelling. I could not go on holiday on my own, but would not like to go with my parents, not least because I don't think it is fair to burden them with all my problems. They are on holiday at this moment as a 'respite' from me. I also have OCD, which takes up a lot of time. I see a support worker, and my Social Worker knows I would love to go on holiday, but nothing has been done about this. The sad thing is that with support I could go on holiday and enjoy myself, funding is the only thing that holds me back!. However, if there are supported holidays out there I could work out a way to fund it. The first step is gathering information about options. I am highly anxious, need routine, don't like crowds or being with lots of people, but would have to be near all the regular shops as I only buy food from tried and trusted stores. I like walking and the countryside.