Why Luxury Travel is the Secret for Families Like Ours

These two are not the same.

I used to believe luxury travel wasn’t for families like mine.

Not because we couldn’t appreciate it - but because I assumed it wouldn’t accommodate us. Because when your child has an eating disorder like ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), travel isn’t about indulgence.

It’s about survival.

So, when I first called C Lazy U Ranch, I wasn’t asking for anything extraordinary. I wasn’t trying to make things difficult. I just needed to know: Do you have a fridge in the cabin? A microwave? Anything to store and prepare N’s safe foods?

I was fully prepared for the usual response—a polite but firm “Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that.”

Instead, the woman on the other end of the line paused and said, “Send us a list of what he needs. We’ll do our best to get everything for him.”

I sat there, stunned.

She wasn’t just saying they could accommodate him—she was saying they wanted to. That this level of care wasn’t something special they did for neurodivergent families; it was simply how they treated everyone.

And that’s when it hit me.

This is why luxury travel is the secret for families like ours.

Because at the highest level of service, you don’t have to beg for basic accommodations. You don’t have to explain, over and over, why your child needs food that looks a certain way, why they can’t just “try a bite,” why the wrong brand of chicken nuggets can mean the difference between a meal and an empty stomach.

Because the right places - the truly exceptional ones - don’t just allow you to exist within their space. They create a space where your family belongs.

N eating his safe meatballs we brought with us.

I’ve had these moments before - like the time we flew business class to Fiji (more on that later). But this was different. Because it wasn’t just about comfort or ease. It was about being seen.

And that’s what I want you to know.

Yes, travel with a neurodivergent child takes planning. Yes, it can feel overwhelming. But there is a level of travel that actually makes it easier.

Not because it’s luxurious. But because when you find the right places, you don’t have to fight for every little thing.

And that? That changes everything.