Special Mom’s blog

Not one but all!

Describe your most memorable vacation.

During my young man’s teen years life was really tough. Travel was hard. My second kid was also little and life kept me busy. During pandemic life started changing. My autistic son slowly started showing changes and we found travel was easy with him.

2021 May when everyone were scared to travel we made a trip to Hershey, PA. A sweet trip to the sweet place. We crossed the border in June and it was our first National Park in West Virginia.

My second kid did his Triathlon in Wisconsin in August 2021. We made a a day trip to the Midwest booking multiple hotel rooms and on the way back celebrated my young man’s 24th birthday in a Ohio theme park.

The starting lineup for the Triathlon event. Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
We were social distancing at a race 😀

That October, me and my husband celebrated our 25th Wedding anniversary in Washington DC and our Christmas break was at Niagara Falls.

There was strict border crossing with covid tests mandatory! Canada and America border!

I am not talking about one memorable trip. I am talking here about one year 2021 when we made multiple trips.

Over the years travel with my autistic son was hard but with very less crowds during pandemic we found a blessing for us. We enjoyed the road trips with him and he bacame a pro at traveling. Yes, when everyone were cocooning themselves we were out and about! We deserved it right 🤷‍♀️!

It has been no turning back since 2021. We have become a travel family since then.

After six years, 2023, we traveled on an airplane with our son. Since then we have made an average of two airplane trips a year including one to India.

Fort Lauderdale beach invited us in April 2023 🙂

I remember the days of being stuck at home with my son due to multiple behaviors. But those are days that need to be forgotten.

So every trip or travel I make should be in my memory books 😃!

Anyhow this spring our governor opened the 125th state park in our state. My neighbor messaged me I should visit this one 🙂! Guess what we did it yesterday. Laurel caverns was privately owned but now the state owns and we were walking inside the cool cave yesterday afternoon!

Light and sound show inside the cave!

We have autism moments with our travel. We have people staring at us and we think why should we do it at a low point yet the fun and the learning that takes place overwrites everything.

My mom teased me yesterday we needed a caravan for our travels 😂! Nah, we are comfortable in hotel rooms and we enjoy our free continental breakfast! We are silver elite members just by traveling with Marriot chain of hotels 🤷‍♀️!

2 responses to “Not one but all!”

  1. vermavkv Avatar
    vermavkv

    What a heartwarming and inspiring journey! I especially admire your family’s resilience and the way you embraced new possibilities despite the challenges life placed before you. It was wonderful to read how your son’s growing confidence opened the door to new adventures and cherished memories together.

    From Hershey to the national parks, Wisconsin, Washington, D.C., and the beauty of Niagara Falls, each trip reflects not only the places you visited but also the strength, love, and togetherness that define your family. Thank you for sharing such a hopeful reminder that life’s most meaningful journeys often begin with small steps of courage and faith. Wishing your family many more joyful adventures ahead! 🌿✈️😊

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  2. SRIKANTH Avatar
    SRIKANTH

    What an absolutely incredible and inspiring journey Ganga! Reading about your 2021—from Hershey to West Virginia, Wisconsin for the triathlon, Ohio for your son’s 24th, DC for your 25th anniversary, and Niagara for Christmas—that isn’t just one memorable vacation, that’s a whole legendary year of making up for lost time. You took the pandemic’s quiet roads and turned them into your family’s highway to freedom. That takes so much courage and love.

    I love your perspective on the “autism moments” and the stares—choosing to focus on the fun and learning over the low points is the ultimate parenting win. And look at you now! From being stuck at home to flying to India and earning Silver Elite status at Marriott (that continental breakfast absolutely hits different when you’ve earned it!). Your mom’s caravan joke is hilarious, but clearly, you’ve mastered the hotel life like pros.

    Yesterday’s trip to Laurel Caverns sounds like the perfect spring adventure—congrats on checking off the 125th state park! Here’s to forgetting the hard days, celebrating how far you’ve all come, and filling those memory books with even more road trips, flights, and well-deserved adventures. You absolutely deserve every single mile. 🤷‍♀️❤️ Safe travels, travel family!

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