Jamie Biesiada
April is Autism Acceptance Month, and Travelmation has put together some top tips for air travel for advisors who have clients with autism.
The Fort Lauderdale-based host agency has been an advocate for accessible travel, with an in-house Accessible Travel Certification developed by advisor and director of accessible travel Jordana Izzo.
“Travel is becoming more inclusive every day,” Izzo said in a release. “Over the past five years, I’ve witnessed the travel industry expand its knowledge and provide valuable resources for families in the autism community.”
Izzo and several Travelmation advisors offered their tips for flying when a traveling party member has autism.
First: be prepared.
Travelmation advisor Mindy Maitland recommended clients learn as much as possible before they depart, from the layout of the airport, to where their seats are, to what to do if it gets too loud, hot or cold on the plane. Maitland also recommended bringing something like a stress ball.
“When you can reduce those unknowns and establish a plan in advance, you’ll have a better travel experience,” Maitland said.
Lara Lewis, another advisor with Travelmation, encouraged the use of tools like “social stories.” An occupational therapist once showed Lewis an app that had a variety of social stories, including one about airports and planes, which she showed her son several times before flying. She also read a book about airports and airplanes to him.
“I think using those tools leading up to our flight helped tremendously,” Lewis said. “He is now a pro at traveling, and I even have him learning to navigate the signs for gates and baggage claim.”
Izzo recommended flyers get added support via TSA Cares assistance. That can help travelers move through security more smoothly.
The travelers’ reservation with the airline should also include a note that a member of the traveling party has autism, Izzo said. It’s possible to board earlier for medical reasons. She also recommended strollers or mobility-related medical equipment be tagged for transfer at the gate, so they don’t need to be checked.
“You can also travel with a one-page document about your child with their diagnosis, medications, likes/dislikes and emergency contacts,” Izzo added.
For families of four, Travelmation advisor Rachel Morelli encouraged splitting seat arrangements to sit in two parties of two. Two should sit in front of the person with autism in case they kick the seat or play with the tray table.
Recording conversations? Get consent
Last week, I wrote about technologist Nilesh Ashra’s ideas for how advisors can best employ generative artificial intelligence in their businesses. Instead of using the technology to write emails or social media posts, Ashra suggested they record conversations with clients, upload those conversations into a GenAI platform like ChatGPT then use the AI to learn more and spot trends.
This brought up an important question: Disclosure. Do advisors always have to disclose that they’re recording the conversation?
The short answer is yes, according to industry attorney Mark Pestronk (Pestronk writes Travel Weekly’s Legal Briefs column).
“Ten states, notably including California, require both parties’ consent, so since you can never be sure what state a person is in, it’s a good practice to get consent in all cases,” Pestronk said.
“Most big companies get consent by stating, at the beginning of the call, ‘This call may be recorded for quality control purposes,'” he continued. “The courts have held that, by not hanging up, the other person is consenting to the recording.”
So, it’s good practice to disclose recordings, however you choose to do it with clients.
Pestronk pointed to a famous case that stemmed from recording disclosure: Linda Tripp, who illegally recorded the phone calls of Monica Lewinsky related to her relationship with President Bill Clinton.
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