Redefining Family Travel: A Family Shares The Impact of Autism Inclusion Week at Beaches Resorts

Andres and Nairobi are still feeling the afterglow of their week at Beaches Turks and Caicos. Even six months later, the vacation felt different from others that their family has taken, and their 7-year-old Nina and 5-year-old Carter would agree.

“Renewed” is the word Andres uses to describe the 5-day getaway. 

They traveled to the resort for its second annual Autism Inclusion Week, designed for Beaches loyalty guests with family members on the spectrum. The specialty week featured the brand’s robust autism programming, including Amazing Art with Sesame Street’s Julia, a 4-year-old character on the autism spectrum; baking with Cookie Monster; kid-friendly pools; a comprehensive sensory guide; and a dedicated dietary concierge—all underscored by Beaches Resorts’ Advanced Certified Autism Center™ designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.

But Autism Inclusion Week introduced even more opportunities for fun and support, including two curated sensory playrooms, daily group activities like a glow-in-the-dark dance party, and a dedicated Beaches Buddy — a specially trained, one-on-one staff member who provides personalized support for each child on the autism spectrum, at no additional cost during this special week.

Andres and Nairobi knew much of this going in. What they didn’t expect, and what has stayed with them most, was the joy of seeing their kids thrive.

“Nina wants to bake with me now,” Nairobi says. “Carter is beginning to come out of his shell, exploring and meeting people. These may seem like small wins, but to us they’re everything.”

Another meaningful shift: before Beaches Autism Inclusion Week, the kids were, to put it mildly, selective eaters. Now?

“After cooking with Cookie Monster, Nina has started incorporating milk into her routine; she even gets her own cereal,” Nairobi says. “She takes the cap off the milk, the way Cookie Monster showed her. She puts her bowl away. She came back with more independence.”

Each small step – saying “hi” to other kids, breaking an egg and mixing it with flour to make brownies – represents miles of progress for a minimally verbal child. Adding to the celebratory mood of Andres and Nairobi is that all of this happened while they were also enjoying their vacation.
 

“We took naps,” Nairobi confesses, revealing another secret to their perpetual glow.

“Naps do not happen in our lives,” Andres says.

But they did happen at Beaches, where family time came easily, and mom and dad had peace of mind knowing that, when Nina and Carter joined their Beaches Buddies, they were in the care of people who felt like family by the end of the trip.

“There was so much for Andres and me to do,” Nairobi says, “so we’re almost embarrassed to talk about napping.”

They shouldn’t be. The two of them are constantly balancing a full plate at any given moment. As Andres says, “I don’t know how we do it sometimes.” He’s the CEO of a nonprofit devoted to reducing food insecurity across the State of New York, and Nairobi is an attorney with New York State.

Their focus each day is finding ways to support Nina and Carter as they build confidence in communication and social settings, and navigate the world in their own way.

“Everything has to be highly structured.” Andres says, “We do whatever is necessary for our kids to have the best schooling and the best therapy possible. It takes a great support team — family, teachers, service providers, neighbors — that shares our primary desire: for our children to have good lives.”

Everything he mentions can make it easier for families with children on the autism spectrum to put travel on hold, even though it can be such a meaningful experience.

“There’s a statistic about families like ours not taking vacations because it’s too hard,” Nairobi says. “We want to be on the other side of that statistic.”

After their first family vacation to Puerto Rico, they began to understand the challenges. Travel can be difficult for children who thrive on routine and predictability, especially in environments that involve waiting, sitting for extended periods, or navigating busy, high-energy spaces. It can also feel overwhelming for families to manage these moments while ensuring everyone feels comfortable and supported.

“It didn’t feel like a vacation,” Andres says. “We came away thinking, ‘Do we ever want to do this again?’”

When an aunt mentioned Autism Inclusion Week at Beaches, it began a teeter-totter between excitement and hesitation. There would be games and activities with Sesame Street friends, Nina and Carter would each have a Beaches Buddy for one-on-one support, which sounded promising. And the island setting looked beautiful. Still, like any new experience, there were some unknowns, but also a genuine sense of hope that this could be a trip the whole family could truly enjoy. 

“A concierge escorted us to our room right away, with no waiting in the lobby, and our bags were already next to the beds,” Andres says. “When we met our Beaches Buddies, we could tell within minutes they were highly trained — mindful, caring, and attentive. They were so genuinely friendly that Nina and Carter didn’t hesitate to go to Camp Sesame with them.”

And that’s when Andres and Nairobi settled in, beginning to truly unwind. A subtle shift was taking place.

They enjoyed oceanside lunches together. They went to the spa. They sat at the pool for hours, while Nina and Carter grew more comfortable trying new experiences that hadn’t felt so easy just a few days earlier.

“Like us, they couldn’t believe what they were doing,” Andres says.

They were doing yoga with Cookie Monster. They were painting pictures with Julia. They were dancing and glowing in the dark at Club Liquid. They were making friends, going for frozen yogurt at just the right time with their Beaches Buddies, and discovered simple joys like pouring their own cereal.

“The camaraderie from the Beaches Buddies opened them up to try new activities and build life skills,”

Nairobi says. “To us, that’s the provision that excites us about Autism Inclusion Week.”

The excitement and the community are spreading. Last October, Andres and Nairobi even saw families at New York’s JFK Airport, who, like them, were on the cusp of a blessed escape to Beaches. 

They carried the impact home with them in quiet, meaningful ways. At checkout, the Beaches Buddies handed Nina and Carter special care packages, including a soft toy designed for children on the autism spectrum — Calmee the Caterpillar — to help ease the journey home.

“Even that thoughtful touch shows how much care goes into the experience,” Nairobi says.

There’s a gentle symbolism in it, too. The caterpillar, often associated with growth and change, felt fitting for a trip that brought so many small but meaningful shifts.

“We think about our own transformation, too,” Andres says, “going from hesitation to surprise to renewal. It’s why we look forward to more next year.” Next year’s Autism Inclusion Week takes place October 19-23, 2026 at Beaches Turks and Caicos, click here to learn more.