Favorite vacation for kid with adhd

[Anonymous]

One thing I think I’d avoid is trips that need to be booked very far in advance (like a year or more). Mainly because you don’t know where your toddler will be by then. Cruises were great for my oldet but my second was a runner and I can remember some stressful times when he ran away from me on a cruise and I was really hard pressed to find him. Although now I wonder if you could just give a kid like that a necklace with an air tag? God that would have saved me so much heartburn!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree -- if it works, do it again... we love cruises for our ADHD kids. Also agree with Club Med, they have great children's programs.

Disney and another view for cruises

[Anonymous]

We went to Asheville and did lots of hiking/outdoor stuff around the waterfalls in Pisgah, etc. My DS slept like a baby every night (me too!) We were there touring summer camps so it was a win win. He went to an all boys summer camp for 6 yrs after that trip. He slept like a baby there too in open air cabins and lots and lots of outdoor activities.

[Anonymous]

NYC and London

[Anonymous]

I have a 7 year old son (just turned 7) with ADHD-combined type and an almost 10 yr old son who is AuDHD. My kids do NOT like constant stimulation; they get overwhelmed and wayyy overstimulated which results in tantrums. My 7 yr old LOVES things that involve active play but lots of opportunities for free-play.

We LOVE Copenhagen; he can bike, he can climb & play his little heart out in lots of parks, explore cool sights, visit an amusement park, check out some fun museums…We love London too but we reallly balance novel, exciting places with active, free play.

We love spending a few days at the beach, but my kids get bored and want to go hiking, biking, fishing, checking out funky towns or playgrounds, music, ect.

It cant be overly structured; it’s like the perfect balance that I don’t always get right lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually have found that vacations with a lot of activities outdoors are great for my child with ADHD. They don’t need constant stimulation like activities, nonstop, that’s actually going to lead them to more burn out agitation, frustration because they will be overstimulated.

+1 If your kid is a good swimmer, snorkeling can be super fun (and many kids can do this as young as 4 or 5).

[Anonymous]

All inclusive resorts, Mexico in the Mayan Riviera have been the most successful from the time they were babies to now as teens. There has been plenty to keep them occupied at all ages and unlimited food choices. Where they were little, the pool, beach, kids clubs, fancy desserts, face paint, animals, shoes, music… it was all there.

Now as teens, that’s all still there along with sports and excursions of every kind. Snorkeling, scuba, ATVs, biking, so much more too.

It’s the only vacation we don’t end up fighting and they keep asking to keep going back.

[Anonymous]

This thread is so depressing. Imagine you are the sibling and don’t want to travel like this.

[Anonymous]

My son does not like relaxing beach vacations and tends to complain a lot on these types of trips. He enjoyed Hawaii, where we stayed at a hotel with great snorkeling, coupled with many activities. He loves NYC, Boston, European cities. He loved the Disney parks when he was younger. Basically, he needs a vacation where there is a lot to see and do and little down time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is so depressing. Imagine you are the sibling and don’t want to travel like this.

Ok negative nellie--most of these vacations sound great to me.

[Anonymous]

Backpacking camping. Being active outdoors takes away the symptoms.

[Anonymous]

My two kids have ADHD and the best trips are generally outdoorsy. Yosemite was a favorite. They hate amusement parks because all the waiting in line is torturous. The only successful theme park trips were when we splurged for line-skipping preferred passes.

Also, I mentioned this in a different thread -- they loved Deer Valley Family Camp. We started when they were 3 & 5 and continued every summer until they were in HS and summers got too busy. Kids are off with the kids group every morning, generally doing outdoorsy things. Afternoons for free play and the kids generally get free run of the place. Both learned to ride their bikes there and loved the freedom. DS would play games with the other kids all afternoon while DD liked to explore the woods and build things with sticks and stones, visit the animals at the nature center or paint at the art center (she's more of the daydreamy-inattentive ADHD type).

Most families return year after year so it can be hard to get a spot but worth seeing if they have an opening in the first or last week (those seem to have the most turnover, which also means you won't end up surrounded by people who've all known each other for years). https://www.deervalleyymca.org/

[Anonymous]

^^^Also, if you don't want to commit to a whole week, you can try it out on Labor Day weekend. They also have other weekends but the Labor Day program is more like the summer,.