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What is the Piece of Mind Retreat?
When you are a traveler, and your family loves to travel, but your life has been changed by autism or other special needs, travel can be difficult. It can become something you dread, not look forward to. You pore over rental home listings, zoom in on the photo gallery on hotel websites, and scour condo listings for possible options that will “fit” your family.
We are that family. After years of struggling to find a place that we could stay comfortably with our autistic son – and often other family members – we knew we wanted some peace of mind when it came to our next vacation. And because we have navigated the puzzling world of autism for nearly a decade now, we also wanted to share a piece of our mind, so to speak. So we arrived at the Piece of Mind Retreat.
Special vacations for special families. A place that our family has found to be happy and comfortable – and we hope your family will find it to be the same.
Until now, we would travel and we would be on “vacation” – there was always a compromise. Now, we realize the flight itself is not a walk in the park, but if we can muscle through that, and land in a place where ALL of us can truly enjoy ourselves, then we are actually on a real family vacation.
When a “Vacation” is Not Really A Vacation
When you go on “vacation” and there is a 1000 piece shell collection in the living room, you can’t relax.
When you go on “vacation” and you end up staying in a poorly-lit hotel room for the whole time, you might as well have stayed home.
When you go on “vacation” and the rental home has wall-to-wall white carpet that your autistic son spills blue ink all over 18 hours before your departing flight, you do not return from said vacation well-rested.
When you go on “vacation” and there is a steep staircase with no gate and no landings, that seems to not quite be at a 45 degree angle, you can’t really enjoy yourself.
When you go on “vacation” and your child has a meltdown and can’t leave the hotel, you can end up with an unhappy family who are stuck in a boring room.
When you go on “vacation” and there is no room suitable for your autistic child so you end up sleeping WITH a giant 4-year-old in your bed, you can’t relax (nor, should I add, can you function fully, drive safely, or have coherent conversations).
These are all one-hundred percent real situations that we have found ourselves in over the years. The Piece of Mind Retreat is a product of all of these challenging situations – we have sought to overcome them so your next trip will be a vacation, not a “vacation.”
What You’ll Find at the Piece of Mind Retreat
The Piece of Mind Retreat is designed simply, so you can focus on your family, not on how they have impacted the decor.
The Piece of Mind Retreat has ocean and sunset views – so from your morning coffee to your last cocktail you can feel like you are on vacation even if you don’t leave the house.
The Piece of Mind Retreat is a one-story home, with no stairs. It is approachable.
The Piece of Mind Retreat is on a level lot, on a quiet cul-de-sac. No steep inclines and very little traffic.
The Piece of Mind Retreat has tile floors – easy to clean – as well as plenty of shatterproof dishes and glassware for peace of mind.
The Piece of Mind Retreat has a bedroom without outside doors, and with cordless blinds, that you can use with Door Monkeys to create a safe, contained environment for your family member or loved one with autism or similar special needs.
The Piece of Mind Retreat has plenty for everyone to do, without going anywhere – like swimming under the fountains in your private pool, playing sand volleyball on your private court, or roasting s’mores on the ocean view fire pit.
Want some tips to plan your next vacation – maybe even to the Piece of Mind Retreat? Click here to download our Ultimate Autism Vacation Planner.
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Why the Piece of Mind Retreat? Peace of Mind is Essential
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