WanderRock leads international small group adventures for neuro-diverse young adults (18-32ish) with High Functioning Autism, ADHD, Anxiety etc.
Our programs are built so that they induce growth and provide challenge... but aren't completely overwhelming or overstimulating.
Have questions for past travelers? They hang out on our discord.
Cook a full Thai meal with a chef, meditate with Buddhist monks, feed elephants and wash them in the river, roast your own coffee on a mountain farm, and plant rice alongside the family who farms it.
Walk into Bag End at Hobbiton, hand-feed kangaroos, sandboard the southern hemisphere's biggest dunes with Worimi guides, share a geothermal village with Māori families, and go whale watching at the height of humpback season.
The trip I took to Japan with WanderRock was one of the best experiences of my life, I was able to make so many new friends that have similar struggles to me which was so exciting. The guides were great enabling us to experience a new culture which might otherwise be overwhelming, and in a way that made us feel comfortable.
“Unbelievable. I use that word a lot because that describes most of the trip to Europe. It was just unbelievable.
My family goes on vacation about once or twice a year, and I've been suggesting Europe for as long as I can remember, and we've never gone. I never really was confident that I'd be self-sufficient enough to make it over on my own. And now having gone, it was just as amazing as I'd always imagined.”
Wyatt Dunkerly
Novato, California
“All the guides were super helpful and friendly and always willing to answer any questions we had on the trip. It was my first time traveling abroad without my parents. My favorite part was Kinosaki I loved the onsens and it was so relaxing and therapeutic.
I also loved all the different foods, I got to try and experience for the first time. It definitely brought out my confidence in myself I know I can do anything I set my mind to. My biggest lesson I learned is that I need to listen to my body whether it be mentally or physically. I also learned that I can travel on my own. I just need to trust myself.”
Nora Lewis
Concord, California
Doing some of the best things in my life with wonderful people in a stress free environment and getting away from the frustrations of everyday life was amazing.
Having had the best two consecutive weeks literally ever transformed my life and it has made me do a lot of reflecting. This reflection has really made me appreciate how competent and caring all of you guides were.
“I've always had low self-confidence, and never really held any belief in my capabilities. All of that changed after this trip. This trip gave me a peace of mind about myself I'd never known. I learned what I was capable of when put in an environment that fosters growth and learning, and found a place I felt like I belonged.
I found a new sense of confidence in myself that I don't know if I would've found without going on a trip with WanderRock. If you're on the fence about taking this trip, I highly recommend going out of your comfort zone for it. This trip changed my life for the better, and I'm sure it can change yours too if you let it.”
Len Lawler
Millersville, Maryland
“With my trip with WanderRock to Japan I experienced a sense of inner peace and silence even with autism that I had never had before in my life. I learned to see what's in front of me rather than trying to prepare for the next cataclysmic event that was going to be stressful to me. In my opinion, I was given the right amount of freedom to make my own decisions and the right amount of rules and control to not feel overwhelmed.
Help or support was never far away from me on any of the other individuals traveling with me. I'm the kind of person that struggles making any plans without planning it to death. This was the freedom and safety I needed to truly experience and jump right in. The connections and opportunities I was able to be apart of on my trip in Japan was nothing less then stunning.”
Remington Shindel
Monument, Colorado
Going to Japan with WanderRock was perhaps the best decision I ever made. I have saved lives, human and animal. I have inspired and uplifted dozens of children through my work in childcare over the last few summers. I've loved, and laughed, and lived through experiences that many would wish for, and that has been fortunate for me. And of everything I've done, going to Japan with WanderRock is still perhaps the best decision I've ever made.
I got to climb a mountain and feed monkeys, I played at shooting galleries and arcades, put coins in a frankly inadvisable amount of gachapon machines, and ate the most delightful food. Kinosaki is a slower leg, but exploring all the shops in a smaller, more rural town, wearing a rental yukata in the streets, and coming back to enjoy a bath in a private natural hot spring was a level of peace I haven't felt in my entire life, until that trip or since I came home.
While there were plenty of opportunities to engage in modern nerdy culture, and I did partake in my share of that, I much preferred the traditional culture. In Tokyo alone I purchased authentic wood block prints, second hand kimono, and explored quite a few shrines and temples. I keep a good luck charm on me at all times now, at least when I'm out of the house. If you're on the fence about going on this trip, do it. Without hesitation I can vouch that you will love it more than you can possibly imagine. My life is drastically better from having gone on this trip, and I'm sure yours will be too.
Want to ask a traveler directly?
Past travelers regularly answer questions in the WanderRock Discord.
Some things can only be learned by going.
The combination of good stress (from visiting new places, trying new things and the physical act of travel) plus deep restorative rest (from things like meditation, nature, hot tubs, and hanging out with friends) equals growth.
Those who have had more experiences in their life have more contrast, and thus are able to have more perspective about the decisions they make in the world. It's a lot easier to navigate home life once you've had to navigate the challenges of life on the road.
There's only so much that can be done through reading and learning. To get the real knowledge, you need to get out there into the experience of it, experiencing the world with all 5 senses, exploring a foreign town, or meeting new people. There is no replacement for direct, lived experience.
The environments we spend the most time in tend to cause us to act in certain ways. A nice, quiet bedroom with a computer on a desk will promote time spent on that computer. A giant cliff with a waterfall and hiking trails will cause tendencies of hiking.
Co-Founder / Head of Trip Development
Danny Raede was diagnosed at age 12 with what was then called Asperger's syndrome, as well as ADHD. He is the Executive Director of Offmap, a training and coaching organization for families on the autism spectrum, and co-founded WanderRock.
Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Danny now lives in London. He has traveled to 19+ countries across five continents and enjoys making Neapolitan pizza in his spare time.
Co-Founder / Head of Curriculum Development & Admissions
Ted has been involved in designing and building programs for neuro-diverse teens and young adults since 2008. He has a Masters in Secondary & Post-Secondary Education and has spent time living in South America, traveling Europe and studying Polynesian Anthropology & Ethnobotany in the South Pacific.
In his free time he enjoys surfing, playing soccer and spending time with his family.
Lead WanderRock Guide
Eileen has extensive experience living in Japan and working as a tour guide. She speaks fluent Japanese and has visited every Japanese prefecture except Okinawa. Beyond Japan, she has traveled to 10 other countries, including Taiwan, Italy, the Philippines, and Mexico.
What she loves most about traveling is experiencing places unlike where she grew up and immersing herself in the local culture.
Lead WanderRock Guide
Shane says "As a child, I was raised under the philosophy that the best way to learn about the world is to genuinely experience it for yourself. As such, I've had the fortune of being able to travel frequently and create those incredible defining moments in dozens of countries across four continents.
From racing down the Autobahn in Germany and swimming with sharks in Polynesia, to hiking with elephants in the jungles of Thailand and teaching ESL in Japan, I can't say I've seen it all, but I've certainly seen a lot. I also speak conversational Japanese and basic German, which has helped aid in both my travels and connections."
Our curriculum is designed to follow our main ethos: Putting more life in our travelers lives. We believe that travel is one of the best ways to gain real world skills that will last a lifetime.
Those skills include...
Travel gives travelers daily opportunities to plan, make decisions, and adjust when things change. Choosing dinner might mean researching options, agreeing as a group, checking the budget, and navigating there on public transportation.
Planning something as ordinary as dinner brings several everyday skills into play:
Gathering information, deciding what matters, and turning a plan into action.
Managing a budget, keeping track of time, and making practical tradeoffs.
Working through setbacks, adjusting expectations, and trying another way forward.
Experiencing unfamiliar places helps travelers look beyond their usual routines and assumptions. Meeting people, navigating different cultural norms, and seeing different ways of living can broaden their perspective and make unfamiliar situations easier to navigate.
Over the course of a trip, that perspective grows through:
Getting curious about other people's experiences, preferences, and points of view.
Building evidence that they can handle unfamiliar situations and do more than they may have thought.
Practicing flexibility when plans, expectations, or cultural norms are different from home.
Being away from home makes it easier for travelers to notice what helps them stay regulated. They practice checking in with themselves, communicating what they need, and making decisions about food, sleep, hydration, movement, quiet time, and rest.
In practice, self-care on the road includes:
Noticing stress early and using practical strategies to stay steady through unfamiliar situations.
Making space for quiet, sleep, downtime, and the routines that help each traveler reset.
Checking in with their body and knowing when to eat, drink, rest, move, or ask for support.
Travelers spend each day making decisions with their group and connecting with people in the places we visit. That creates natural opportunities to communicate clearly, listen, advocate for themselves, and take part in a shared experience.
Day to day, travelers practice:
Expressing wants, needs, ideas, concerns, and preferences within the group.
Listening, contributing, compromising, and working with others in a range of situations.
Sharing ideas, helping a group move forward, and taking an active role in the day.
We're happy to chat and answer any questions you have about our program.
Call, text, email, fill out our contact form, or use the live chat in the bottom right to get in touch.
Mailing address
2443 Fillmore St. #380-2362
San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone
+1 (628) 529-1318 (Call, Text or Whatsapp)
Have questions or want to figure out whether one of our trips is right for you? We're happy to talk it through over zoom or phone, whatever works best.
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