Preparing for Holiday Routines, Transitions + Travel: A Guide for Families & Carers

The holidays can be a beautiful time of connection, celebration, and rest. But, they can also bring significant changes to routine. Sensory environments, service availability, and social expectations can also be affected.

For many families we support, this time of year can feel exciting and overwhelming, sometimes at the same time.

If the person you support finds transitions hard, they might rely on routine. They may become distressed with unpredictability. Please know: you’re not alone. There are many ways to make the season feel calmer and more manageable.

This guide consolidates therapist-informed strategies. It aims to help children, teens, adults with disabilities, and older adults navigate the holiday period confidently.

Quick Summary: How to Prepare for the Holidays

• Start planning early – predictability reduces stress
• Create temporary holiday routines (visual or written)
• Keep key “anchors” like mealtimes, bedtimes and daily calming activities
• Prepare for sensory and social overload (quiet spaces, exit plans, familiar items)
• Chat with your therapist as soon as possible if you need personalised strategies
• Remember: it’s okay to simplify, slow down and say no

Why the Holidays Can Be Hard

Across ages and support needs, families often notice:

• Disrupted routines: School/day programs close, therapy sessions pause, and regular structure shifts.
• Overwhelming sensory environments: Crowded shops, loud gatherings, decorations, lights and travel.
• Social pressure: More group events, unfamiliar people, increased communication demands.
• Emotional & behavioural changes: Excitement and unpredictability can lead to fatigue, withdrawal, big feelings or behaviours of concern.
• Reduced support access: Fewer support workers, limited respite options and temporary service closures.
• If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone: many families experience the same holiday-season challenges.

How to Support Different Age Groups

Below are strategies and brief checklists to help your planning feel easier.

1. Children (including primary school-aged)

What often becomes difficult

• Sudden loss of the school routine
• Overload at gatherings or loud places
• Managing waiting, sharing and flexible thinking
• Adjusting to changes in familiar therapy structure

Supportive strategies

• Use a simple visual timetable to outline each day
• Keep consistent anchors (meal, sleep and play times)
• Practise event transitions with your therapist (“first we say hello, then we can go outside”)
• Pack a regulation kit with comfort items, fidgets, headphones and snacks
• Build quiet breaks into outings

Children’s Holiday Prep Checklist

☐ Visual schedule ready

☐ Comfort items packed

☐ Noise-cancelling headphones

☐ Calming activities available

☐ Social stories/scripts practised

☐ Visual timers or countdown tools

2. Teenagers

What often becomes difficult

• Shifting peer connections
• Fatigue from social expectations
• Difficulty finding balance between downtime and activity
• Big emotions heightened by lack of structure

Supportive strategies

• Co-create a holiday routine to increase independence
• Offer choices (when to attend events, what breaks are needed, how to structure their day)
• Review event details ahead of time
• Build non-negotiable downtime into the week
• Practise discreet coping strategies they can use when overwhelmed

Teens’ Holiday Prep Checklist

3. Adults with Disability

What often becomes difficult

• Loss of meaningful daytime structure
• Sensory overload in unfamiliar environments
• Reduced independence during family events
• Changes in support worker availability

Supportive strategies

• Create a consistent daily holiday routine with purposeful activities
• Prepare communication supports (cards, visuals, AAC adjustments)
• Discuss expectations for gatherings (where to sit, how long you’ll stay, break options)
• Keep therapy goals in everyday life — cooking, self-care, community access, social communication
• Plan transport and accessibility needs early

Adults’ Holiday Prep Checklist

☐ Daily routine drafted

☐ Communication tools packed

☐ Quiet break area identified

☐ Travel/transport plan organised

☐ Home-practice therapy activities ready

4. Older Adults

What often becomes difficult

• Fatigue from social or family events
• Cognitive overload
• Mobility and safety concerns
• Medication routine disruptions

Supportive strategies

• Simplify plans and allow for generous rest
• Use memory supports (planners, written reminders, orienting cues)
• Check accessibility of venues in advance
• Bring required aids (glasses, mobility supports, hearing devices)
• Prioritise smaller, meaningful moments of connection

Older Adults’ Holiday Prep Checklist

☐ Medication schedule maintained

☐ Mobility aids ready

☐ Seat/safety considerations checked

☐ Rest breaks planned

☐ Orientation supports available

Traveling During the Holidays

For many families, the holiday period also includes day trips, road trips, or time away from home. Travel can bring a lot of joy. But, it can also create changes in routine and unfamiliar environments. These can result in sensory overload and longer periods of waiting or sitting. Such challenges may be difficult for some children, teens, adults with disabilities, and older adults.

If you’re planning to travel this year, preparation can make a big difference. Simple strategies can help the holiday feel calmer and more predictable. These include using visual schedules, creating a travel regulation kit, and planning rest breaks. Supporting communication needs and setting up familiar routines at your destination are also important.

We’ve created a detailed Holiday Travel Support Fact Sheet with practical, therapist-informed tips for:

• preparing before you travel
• supporting car, plane or public transport journeys
• managing sensory needs
• helping with sleep in new environments
• packing for success
• setting up calming spaces in unfamiliar places

You can download the full fact sheet here: Holiday Travel Support – A Guide for Families & Carers

If you think travel may be difficult for the person you support, please reach out to your therapist. 

Practical Holiday Tips for All Families & Carers

1. Plan early: Predictability reduces stress for everyone.

2. Share the plan: Let support workers, family and carers know routines, triggers and strategies.

3. Create calm zones: Find quiet spaces at home, at events or while traveling.

4. Bring familiarity: Favourite items, foods and routines help ease transitions.

5. Don’t overschedule: Choose what matters most, it’s okay to say no.

6. Prepare for returning to routine: Ease back into school/day programs by reintroducing structure in the final week.

When to Reach Out for Extra Support (Holiday Closure Information)

If you think the holiday period may be difficult for your child, family member, or person you support, reach out early. Please contact support prematurely.

Back to Basics therapists will be away from 20 December 2025 to 5 January 2026.

This means any planning, strategy development or resource creation will need to happen as soon as possible. Please speak with your OT, Speech Pathologist, Behaviour Support Practitioner, Osteopath or AHA if you expect:

• Difficulty managing routine changes
• Increased distress, overwhelm or sensory overload
• Escalation in behaviours of concern
• Communication challenges during gatherings
• Sleep disruptions
• Reduced support worker availability
• Safety or mobility concerns for older adults

Your therapist can support you to prepare:

• Holiday transition plans
• Social stories or visual supports
• Behaviour support strategies
• Sensory and emotional regulation routines
• Communication supports
• Home-practice therapy activities
• Environment and safety recommendations

Remember: reaching out early is not a sign of worry, it’s a sign of preparation.

Holiday Closure Notice

• Back to Basics Health Group will be closed from 20 December 2025 to 5 January 2026.
• If you need assistance preparing strategies or holiday supports, please contact your therapist as soon as possible.