Our First Holiday Abroad with a Neurodiverse Child – Why We Chose Majorca
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EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS
Read our honest story of taking our first holiday abroad with a neurodiverse child. Discover why we chose Majorca, what we learned, and practical tips for families.
7/21/20265 min read
When people imagine their first family holiday abroad, they often picture children happily splashing in the sea, long lazy lunches overlooking the beach and parents finally getting the chance to relax.
That was exactly how I imagined it too.
Then we had children.
Like many families raising neurodiverse children, I quickly realised that our holidays were never going to look like the picture-perfect versions you see on Instagram—and that's absolutely okay.
Planning our first trip abroad wasn't about finding the most luxurious hotel or the busiest resort. It was about finding somewhere our children could cope with, somewhere that would allow us to relax just enough to make some happy family memories.
After weeks of research, we chose Majorca.
Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we could have made.
Before booking anything, I spent hours researching how to make travelling easier for our family. If you're just starting your own journey, I'd recommend reading Preparing Your Neurodiverse Child for Going on Holiday: A Family Travel Guide and The Complete Guide to Travelling with an Autistic Child. Both became the foundation of how we planned our first trip abroad.
The Reality of Family Holidays
Before becoming a parent, I imagined family holidays would involve trying local restaurants, wandering through pretty towns and spending entire days on the beach.
The reality is very different.
When you're travelling with neurodiverse children, every part of the holiday needs careful thought.
Can they manage the flight?
Will the airport be overwhelming?
Will they eat?
Will they sleep somewhere unfamiliar?
What happens if they become overwhelmed in another country?
Instead of choosing where we wanted to go, we found ourselves choosing somewhere that worked for our children.
Honestly, once I accepted that, planning became much easier.
Rather than trying to create the perfect holiday, we focused on creating the right holiday for our family.
That approach is something I talk about in Creating Child-Centred Holidays for Neurodiverse Families, where I explain why adapting holidays to your child's needs often leads to happier family memories.
Why We Chose Majorca
Majorca quickly stood out as the destination that seemed to tick every box.
A Short Flight
Flying was probably my biggest concern.
At around two and a half hours from the UK, Majorca felt like the ideal first flight.
It was long enough to experience travelling abroad but short enough that if things became difficult, we weren't stuck on an aircraft all day.
Familiar Food
Like many autistic children, ours have a small number of foods they feel comfortable eating.
One of my biggest worries was spending an entire week trying to persuade them to eat.
Thankfully, Majorca has plenty of supermarkets selling familiar British products, along with restaurants offering simple meals such as pasta, chips, pizza and chicken nuggets.
Knowing this before we travelled removed a huge amount of anxiety.
If food worries are something your family experiences, you might also find Neurodiverse Kids Who Are Fussy Eaters helpful.
Beautiful Without Being Overwhelming
We weren't looking for constant entertainment.
We wanted sunshine, a beach, a swimming pool and enough space to slow everything down.
For our family, that was exactly what we needed.
Preparing for the Holiday
Booking the holiday was actually the easy part.
Preparing our children took much longer.
For weeks before we travelled, we talked about the holiday every day.
We looked at photographs of the hotel.
We watched videos online.
We practised what would happen at the airport.
We explained how aeroplanes work.
We packed favourite toys, snacks, sensory items, tablets, blankets and headphones.
The more familiar we could make everything, the calmer everyone felt.
Much of what we did came from the ideas I now share in Preparing Your Neurodiverse Child for Going on Holiday and Managing Travel Anxiety for Neurodiverse Kids.
Our Airport Experience
If I'm being honest, the airport worried me far more than the flight.
Bright lights.
Security.
Long queues.
Constant announcements.
Crowds everywhere.
It's almost designed to overwhelm sensory-sensitive children.
I spent the whole morning watching for signs that one of the children was becoming overloaded.
But something surprising happened.
They coped far better than I expected.
Were there moments of frustration?
Of course.
Did everything go perfectly?
Absolutely not.
But it reminded me that sometimes our children cope much better than our own anxiety tells us they will.
If airports feel like your biggest challenge too, I'd highly recommend reading Supporting Your Neurodiverse Child at the Airport: Tips for a Smooth Journey and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyards for Travel before you travel.
Flying with an Autistic Child
Walking onto the aircraft felt like the point of no return.
I remember thinking...
"Well, we're doing this now."
I worried about everything.
The noise.
Take-off.
Seatbelts.
Whether they'd want to get off halfway through.
Thankfully, ear defenders made a huge difference.
Tablets kept everyone occupied.
Snacks were worth their weight in gold.
Perhaps the biggest thing that helped was changing my own expectations.
I stopped trying to achieve the perfect flight.
Our only goal was to arrive.
Everything else was a bonus.
There were moments of restlessness.
Questions.
Some impatience.
But there were also excited smiles, little faces pressed against the window and genuine moments of happiness that I'll never forget.
If flying feels like your biggest worry, these guides may help:
Why We Booked an All-Inclusive Resort
One thing I knew for certain was that I didn't want to spend every day worrying about cooking or searching for restaurants.
Choosing an all-inclusive resort removed so much pressure.
If breakfast didn't go to plan, there was always something else available later.
If someone only wanted chips for lunch every day, that was absolutely fine.
If we needed to leave the restaurant halfway through a meal, we could.
There was no pressure.
The swimming pools also meant we could build our days around the children's energy levels rather than sticking to a timetable.
Looking back, it was exactly the right decision for our first holiday.
If you're still deciding where to stay, take a look at Private Villas vs Hotels: Which Is Better When Travelling with an Autistic Child Abroad? and All-Inclusive vs Self-Catering Holidays with a Neurodiverse Child.
What Went Well
Looking back, so many things exceeded our expectations.
The children loved the swimming pool.
The beach became a favourite place to relax.
The shorter flight was definitely the right choice.
Most importantly, we realised our children were capable of far more than we'd given them credit for.
We stopped focusing on everything that could go wrong and started celebrating everything that went right.
What I'd Do Differently
Every holiday teaches you something.
If we were doing our first trip again, I'd:
Build more downtime into every day.
Worry less about sightseeing.
Book airport assistance earlier.
Pack even more familiar snacks.
Stop comparing our holiday with everyone else's.
I've learned that successful holidays don't need to look like anyone else's.
If your child spends every afternoon back in the hotel room regulating themselves, that's okay.
If they only eat chips all week, that's okay too.
They're on holiday as well.
If You're Thinking About Booking Your First Holiday Abroad
I know how overwhelming it feels.
I remember wondering whether we'd made a mistake.
Whether we'd spend the whole holiday stressed.
Whether we'd end up flying home early.
Thankfully, none of those fears came true.
Was everything perfect?
No.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely.
That first holiday gave us confidence.
Every trip since then has become a little easier because we've learned what works for our children.
If you're waiting until everything feels easy, you may wait forever.
Instead, start small.
Choose a destination with a short flight.
Plan around your child's needs.
Give yourself permission to slow down.
Most importantly, remember that a successful holiday isn't measured by how much you do—it's measured by how your family feels.
For us, Majorca was the perfect place to begin.
It gave us confidence to keep exploring the world together.
Continue Planning Your Majorca Holiday
If you're planning your own trip, you may also find these guides useful:
The Complete Guide to Visiting Majorca with a Neurodiverse Child (2026)
Where to Stay in Majorca with a Neurodiverse Child
Preparing Your Neurodiverse Child for Going on Holiday
The Complete Guide to Travelling with an Autistic Child
Managing Travel Anxiety for Neurodiverse Kids
Supporting Your Neurodiverse Child at the Airport
Private Villas vs Hotels
All-Inclusive vs Self-Catering Holidays
