Westward bound

I decided to check out the prices of a(nother) family trip to Disneyland Paris this autumn/winter. It was do-able, so I set to convincing Gordon of the benefits of a few more days of rodent-based corporate jollity, emphasising lower prices and crowd levels and claiming that we're tough enough to withstand the cold and inevitable rain when suitably attired.

Gordon agreed that it would be great to go away, but he craves sunshine and suggested we look into getting our fill of Disney somewhere rather hotter and drier than Paris in November. So we checked out the possibility of going all the way to the USA. We have also collected a whole heap of supermarket/credit card vouchers than can be used to offset the cost when booking via Virgin Holidays, so we pondered and looked at the climate data for that part of the world and made our decision. All five of us are heading to Orlando this November.


I ordered the vouchers and checked out all the board options, opting to rent an apartment near Disney World, so we have enough space and flexibility to meet our family's needs. Waiting for the vouchers, I was concerned to see some prices rise as tourists let down by the collapse of travel company XL, rushed to rebook. Thankfully there were a few seats left on our preferred travel dates and at the original price, so it's all booked now.

I just realised I need a new passport if I'm to get into the US under its visa waiver programme, but the rest of the family are OK. As well as all that official stuff, we've been investigating the various attractions of the area and trying to figure out some sort of an itinerary, knowing well that plenty of REST must feature prominently. There'll be much more planning over the coming weeks. This is the kind of project the kids and I enjoy best, home-education of the finest variety.

I feel a bit anxious. This will involve a lot of travelling, changing aeroplanes in London, lining for security checks and checking in as well as a flight time of over 9 hours. I've already spoken to a travel advisor at Virgin Atlantic, and she explained some of the very helpful accommodations the airline make for their autistic customers.

You know, I think we can do this.