I got my husband hooked on traveling before we had kids. So when we finally had kids, it wasn’t long before I was planning family vacations big and small. Luckily our daughter loves swimming and so for our first trip, we decided to literally “dip our toe in the water” and go on what I called the “dress rehearsal” of vacations: the indoor water park.

Traveling with a kid who has special needs adds a whole new dimension to your vacation experiences. That’s why this “dress rehearsal” is a great way to acclimate your child to this change in their routine and all the excitement that goes along with it.

Your “dress rehearsal” vacation can be anything, but the key is to make it short, low-cost, and include an activity that your child enjoys. This was swimming for us, but your vacation could be an overnight in a nearby town and a visit to the zoo, a train museum, a beach, a baseball game—anything your child likes. Your only expectation for this vacation is to experience it. From this experience, you’ll be able to observe behaviors, situations, formulate strategies, work out the kinks, and of course, have fun.

Here are a few things that I do for every vacation—big and small.

Visually Prepare

• Countdown Calendar. We keep a family calendar. I make sure to mark each day of the calendar we’ll be gone.
• Visual Vacation Calendar. I will make a vacation visual that she can look at and refer to at any time leading up to the trip. It includes photos and information about the trip including the date, the temperature, the activities we will do, the hotel, the airport, the rental car, etc. I pull photos from websites to make it visually interesting—and enticing.
• Detailed Vacation Schedule. Another helpful tool is a calendar for just the trip that provides details (and photos, if needed) about what each day will hold. For example, Monday: Breakfast, beach and sandcastles, lunch, swim in the pool, books and quiet time, dinner, iPad games, and bedtime. I’ll do this every day and post it in a place she can see it throughout the trip. She loved referencing what was next and what we were doing tomorrow. You can make this as detailed or general as you’d like.

Packing

• I involve her in packing. This gives her a feeling of involvement and control, but also ensures that I don’t forget anything that’s critical, such as a favorite stuffed animal, favorite shoes, etc.
• Something special. I like to pack a little something special in her bag for her to discover. It is vacation, after all. This has helped to renew energy on long flights or waiting in any kind of long lines. Our daughter loves those little surprise blind bags. (Snacks work too!)

Show and Tell

• Talk it out. Throughout the trip, we make sure to talk through each experience. Whether we’re waiting in any kind of line, entering a new environment, or encountering unfamiliar people. This way, she’s ready and prepared to tackle any situation.
• Vacation Visual. We make a point to do this with each new experience. And, in many cases, she’s already seen it in some form on her vacation visual. Remember that vacation visual? Pack it! Have your child check off each experience and photo as they see it. It’s like a vacation treasure map!
• Practice, practice, practice. If, for example, a water park or amusement park requires your child to wear a bracelet, think about practicing with a paper bracelet at home, for a few minutes, each day. Explain to your child why you will wear it. If this still poses a sensory challenge, think about how you might be able to attach it to a bathing suit pocket or strap. On our first trip, we attached her bracelet to her life jacket.

Go With the Flow

• This is, after all, a dress rehearsal. Take note of what goes well and what could use more practice. If, for instance, you find that the hotel arcade is sensory overload, alter your plans and go. Are restaurants too busy or overwhelming? Consider having pizza delivered to your room and have an indoor picnic. The goal is to experience and enjoy and because the trip is short (and hopefully cheap), you aren’t placing too much pressure on yourself to make it perfect. With a little preparation and practice, you’ll be off on your version of a “dress rehearsal” vacation. Before you know it, you’ll be a pro and your child will be asking, “Where are we going next?”