Neurodiverse Families in Costa Rica

Avolve’s retreat for neurodiverse families (featured in Condé Nast’s Traveller, “Why detoxing, TikTok fads and overpriced treatments are making way for a new type of inclusive wellness travel” by Chloe Laws) took place in Cabuya, Costa Rica in June 2023. We hiked to waterfalls, took a surfing lesson, made chocolate in the jungle and had so much fun!

From the Condé Nast article,

“For neurodivergent people, travel can already be difficult, let alone travel that incorporates wellness. Kelley Colihan Robertson, the founder of Avolve Wellness, launched a retreat in Costa Rica for neurodivergent families. Speaking with Condé Nast Traveller, she explained, ‘I created wellness spaces for neurodivergent people because I saw how underserved these folks were and still are. We still have a long way to go in embracing neurodiversity in the wellness industry. It’s still a niche area, most likely because many in the wellness area are not trained in how to serve the neurodiverse population.’

‘For me, it’s personal – I have a 22-year-old autistic son. We have a large, extended community where I live (near Atlanta in the US), and I saw so many of my friends (myself included) not able to take their children to certain places, whether that was on vacation or even to gyms. There was such little understanding of the autistic population and a lot of judgement,’ Robertson says.”

(Photos courtesy of Elicia Miller Photography).