TPP 015b: A Conversation with 11-year-old Asher About Travel and Vacation Strategies

Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children

Debbie Reber

Education, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

11-year-old Asher joins me to share our best tips and strategies for making travel run more smoothly and having successful vacations with neurodivergent kids. As much as many families and their children may love going on vacation, the change in routine, different foods, shifting expectations, and new stimuli can even turn a trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth” (Disneyland) into one full of stress, anxiety, meltdowns, and other challenges. And while we know this rings true for pretty much any and every family, for parents raising differently wired kids, the extremes highs and lows can bigger. In this episode, Asher and I share what we’ve learned over the years when it comes to making sure everyone’s needs and expectations on any given vacation are met, or at the very least, addressed, and walk listeners through the different schedules and planners we’ve we incorporated into our vacation prep. We hope you take away a tip or two to make your next family holiday a more peaceful experience for the whole family! Things you’ll learn from this episode The benefits of talking through and getting clear on expectations (for all members of the family) prior to leaving for a vacation A strategy for using the collaborative problem solving approach to identify, address, and pre-solve concerns ahead of time How to make departure day go more smoothly The benefits of exploring and researching aspects of a vacation time well in advance of the trip (including accommodations, activities, etc.) A strategy for using written schedules coupled with frequent reviews during a vacation keeps everyone’s expectations in check The benefits of bringing a child into the planning process (and letting them determine some of what will happen on vacation) Why it’s useful to work with your child to discover what they need most on vacation and then incorporating it into your daily plan (ie: rest, chill time, etc.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, it's Debbie. Parenting neurodivergent kids can be messy, lonely, and overwhelming,
0:05.8	but it does not have to be. This is why I created the differently wired club, the very first
0:11.2	membership community of its kind. In the club, you'll get a lot of access to me. I go live in the
0:16.6	club of four to five times a month to answer your questions, to share insights, and just hang and
0:21.4	being community together. I'm also in the private discussion boards daily, and that is a great
0:26.3	place to get feedback on those sticky things that you're dealing with. I'm in there every day
0:30.5	because this is truly my passion, helping parents like you feel connected, supported, and empowered.
0:36.8	So if you're ready to make real shifts in your
0:39.0	parenting journey, I hope you'll join us in the differently wired club. Go to tiltparenting.com
0:44.1	slash club to learn more. That's tiltparenting.com slash club. Hey, it's Debbie. To help get ready for
0:52.3	summer break, travel and vacations, playback Friday
0:55.6	episodes during the month of May will be focused on navigating big breaks and family getaways
1:01.4	with our neurodivergent kids. Let the prepping and planning begin.
1:09.4	Welcome to the Tilt Parenting Podcast, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids.
1:18.7	I'm your host, Debbie Reber, and today's episode features another conversation with my 11-year-old son, Asher.
1:24.6	We know that a lot of families are traveling this summer and going on
1:27.8	holidays, weather to the beach, camping, national parks, trips abroad. And we also know that
1:33.4	vacations can be equal parts awesome and difficult for families with differently wired kids. So today,
1:39.8	Asher and I are going to tell you about the many different strategies we've tried and tweaked over
1:44.0	the years to help make our vacations go more smoothly.
1:47.6	Of course, life is life and we're not looking for happily ever after here.
1:51.6	But we have come up with some strategies that have absolutely allowed our family to not only enjoy the vacations much more than before, but also grow closer together in the process. So we're going to
	...

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