Travel Destination Reviews For Autistic People

Post Reply New Topic

I was wondering if I could start a thread for travel destination reviews for autistic people. I figured it might be helpful so people can be prepared. I'll start with a few places I've been to. Please add your own! I'm not making these reviews to discourage people from going (for the most part), these are just things I wish I knew when I was traveling.

Walt Disney World
Pretty much as expected, though Disney World is huge and can be loud and crowded, it's also surprisingly autism-friendly. The cast members know how to deal with disabled guests, and they really care about making sure everyone is happy. There are plenty of quiet, out of the way places, especially during the off-season. There are also quieter rides and attractions. My favorites are PeopleMover/Transit Authority, Hall of Presidents, Spaceship Earth, and Soarin' (though that one can be a bit much for those prone to motion sickness). I'm sure there are lots more that I either forgot or that are new since I haven't been in a few years. I went twice in February and the only things I had problems with were the big roller coasters and the fireworks shows (which are super crowded). As with any Florida destination, unless you're used to triple digits temperatures, try not to go in the summer, and don't push yourself too hard if you do go during the warmer months.

Universal Studios
Like Disney World, there are a lot of quieter places around the park. However, everything is much closer together, so roller coasters will often go right over the path. The Hulk coaster, in particular, is meant to be super loud. A lot of the rides are simulators, though, so they're less intense than the huge coasters, especially if you have earplugs. There's not really any quiet rides like in Disney World. The Doctor Seuss one is more toned down, and the Harry Potter train is dark and doesn't move a whole lot. Knockturn Alley is also dimly lit if you need a break from the sun. The queue for the newest Harry Potter ride goes through the whole castle and you can actually go through it without going on the ride. It's pretty calm for the most part. Watch out for the Gringott's dragon. It breathes fire regularly. I forget if it's every fifteen minutes or every hour, but it can be loud if you're directly under it and not prepared. I went there during the summer, which was a huge mistake because the heat combined with the crowds was miserable. The staff there aren't quite as helpful as in Disney World, but they will do their best. A staff member helped me leave a crowded queue when I had a panic attack.

Kalahari Resorts
If you have any sensory issues at all, I wouldn't recommend. The arcade and the indoor water park are especially bad. I'm not super sensitive to bright lights but every arcade machine has blinking lights and the combined effect was like a strobe light and I got disoriented. The indoor water park is super echoey. Also, it was freezing rain when we went and the sidewalks weren't salted. The one I went to had super unhelpful staff who didn't know what they were doing.

Franklin Institute Science Center
If you have any scientific special interest, this place is great. Just be careful when you go; around the holidays it's crowded. Driving in Philadelphia is the worst, so if you can, take a bus. For sensory problems, nothing is extremely loud except for the Tesla coil on the ceiling of the Electricity exhibit, but I heard they recently put in something that warns people before it goes off. I guess enough small children were startled into crying that whoever's in charge decided to fix it. Also in the Electricity exhibit: non-seizure-inducing flashing lights. Speaking of small children, the playground area in the Brain exhibit can sometimes be echoey. It's a newer exhibit at the time of writing so it's more crowded than the others. The Changing Earth exhibit has an "earthquake" that's a really deep bass sound that resonates with the floor. It's not much louder than the general ambient noise, but if you're sensitive to those kinds of sounds just keep that in mind. For the rest, it's the kind of noise you'd expect from the title of the exhibit. Space Command is probably the quietest as far as non-crowd noise. It has some sort of trance/techno thing playing in the background and not much else. If you ever need a break, the Planetarium is usually relatively quiet as is the gift shop.The staff is helpful and knowledgeable. In general, though there are some sensory triggers for some people, I highly recommend it. Most science museums are similar (I went to a lot as a kid), though the Franklin Institute is one of the most visited.

Niagara Falls
The American side isn't too bad, because there's more open space and it's more parklike, but there are areas that can get crazy. The Falls are... gigantic waterfalls, so that's the kind of noise you can expect from that. They're not as extremely loud as I thought they'd be, though. The Canadian side is a city, with lots of casinos and sideshow attractions like a Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Upside Down House. A lot of people there also jack up the price because they know American tourists don't like to worry about calculating exchange rates, so be careful about how much you're spending. The border is easy to get through on the Canadian side, but the American side is a lot stricter. As long as you have all the paperwork you need you'll be fine, though. I didn't personally need to deal with the border people because my mom was the one driving, but if you're at all worried you could carry a card explaining that you have autism in case you need it.

New York City (touristy areas)
Bring whatever you need to block out sensory input. Keep your eyes on your destination and people will move out of the way, even if you're a woman. If you're traveling with someone, hold their hand. Keep purses or bags somewhere within your peripheral vision; wear backpacks backward. Times Square especially is bad. Even allistics don't like it. Broadway shows are usually at a noise level somewhere between a loud TV show and a movie theater, though some are quieter and distance from speakers makes a difference. Central Park is great if you need a break. You could spend the whole day there. There are random musicians there because the acoustics are great, but the musicians aren't too loud. Lots of artists go there to paint and draw. It's easy to get lost there because of the meandering paths, though.

Washington, D.C. (touristy areas)
Generally peaceful, much quieter than most cities, and usually less crowded. However, the main issue is security. Make sure you have some way to keep up to date on security levels. I had a gun pointed at me because I messed up going through a security checkpoint, but that's just me being stupid. If you follow the rules you'll be fine. They don't really care about people acting a little funny, it's when you look like you're trying to sneak something past them into a building that they get suspicious. The National Library and anyplace where they display old documents is dark and quiet, though.

I've been to other, smaller places as well, but I figured these are the ones most people would be most likely to visit (and less likely to reveal my exact location).

This is very useful.

Walt Disney World- I actually don't recommend this. I took my autistic son there and it was really horrible for him and the whole family. We went in late February in the "off season". If that was the off season I don't want to know what it's like in the on season. It was soooo crowded. We were crowded in lines that swirled round and round with people, for over 2 hours. My kid was freaking out but it felt like there was no way to escape because the line went around and around and we were completely surrounded. It was just overwhelming the whole time. My son was 5 at the time I think. I didn't really like it either because you had to walk really long distances. So, that's my take on it.

Genova, Italy - I lived here for 5 months. This is a really beautiful, serene, peaceful city. It's absolutely lovely by the sea and there are beaches to visit, as well as many old churches, downtown with street performers, shopping, artists, etc. The people are great too. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially to anyone that has ASD, as it is very relaxing.

Seoul and other cities, South Korea- I lived near Seoul for several years and it's an exciting diverse city. My favorite places to visit in Korea were the Buddhist temples. They're super peaceful and give you this calm feeling, plus they are very interesting. You'll stick out if you're not Asian, but most young people speak English. There's a few amusement parks here like Seoul Land and Lotte World. They're open year round. It's fun to go in the winter. They had giant hills of snow for sledding.

Asheville, NC-This is a really cool city with artists and interesting shops and restaurants. I suggest a weekend here. If you go in the warmer months you can camp nearby. It's not overwelming or bustling. It kind of feels like a medium sized town with great shopping and things to look at.

These are places I've been a lot. But I've roadtripped across country and back and try to travel somewhere new all the time. I think big amusement parks have a lot of negatives for the person with ASD. But I remember enjoying them when I was a child. It just depends on the person I guess.

For the person with ASD, go where people tend to be friendly. The south has a lot of friendly-to-strangers people.
Avoid flying if possible. I hate the rigamarow of getting on a plane. It's just so stressful. Take off this and that, put it here, take out your laptop, put it in a separate container. Step over here. Scan this. Where's your ticket. Where's your passport. On and on. I hate it. And then being on a small plane or squished in with others can be really stressful. You have nowhere to go and are just kind of wedged in there for however many hours (long time for overseas trips).

Baseball parks- I enjoy baseball and visiting the parks, but my son doesn't care for it at all. He's not into baseball so that's part of the reason, but I think being surrounded by people and having to sit still for that long was too much for him. I barely got to see the game and of course we had to leave early. He was about 6 when we went last. I see other kids sitting there enjoying it and being fine with it, so I will assume it's because he has autism that he can't deal. He complained a lot about the heat as well.

The benefit of New York City is that is that you will not stand out so much as there are a lot of people weirder than you.

Utah
Hmmm, let's see. Utah has Salt Lake Comic Con, dinosaurs, historic trains, ghost towns, UFO hunts, mountains, hiking, forests, camping, river rafting, boating, fishing, hunting, falconry, deserts, the Great Salt Lake (where you can't sink no matter how hard you try), a semi-annual bison migration to an island [?!?] and back again, lots of horses, a huge Olympic-class winter-sports industry, more horses than firearms, the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, a few horse-therapy camps for autists, the Sundance Film Festival, too many arts festivals, the second-largest parade in the state is LGBT (so is the second-largest choir), several mountain-man rendezvous festivals, rodeos with horses, a bunch of Scottish highland games where even the horses toss cabers and, get this ... horses ( https://www.visitutah.com/ )! We even have a few rumored wild camels who descended from the U.S. Army's mistaken idea to send them to its troops in the American southwest in the 1800s. So, what's not to love about Utah if you are autistic?

I went to Disney World when I was 10 almost 11 for my 11th birthday gift. And since I have autism and disabled. They gave the whole family Disney FastPasses for free so we won't have to wait in long lines and I guess maybe sensory issues.