The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the challenges that caregivers of children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have when planning tourism activities. The research aim is to explore and understand the challenges faced by caregivers of children on the autism spectrum regarding tourism activities.The use of qualitative approaches allowed for a better understanding of the caregivers' experiences and emotions. To address the research topics, this study employed semi-structured interviews to gather information regarding the challenges faced by eight caregivers of autistic children while travelling. This made it possible to examine the caregivers' point of view and comprehend some aspects of the difficulties they encountered. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data after the interviews were conducted. Upon organizing the material through coding and transcription of the interviews, various themes emerged. The challenges that the caregivers experienced were primarily described by the themes, which were recognized when the same concept showed up frequently in the answers of several caregivers.The significance of the study lies in its potential to contribute to the existing knowledge on challenges related to autism in a tourism context. The findings suggest that some of the challenges caregivers face when travelling with their autistic children are related to the travel preparations, the child´s autism diagnosis and attitudes from society; these challenges generated a range of emotions in the caregivers, predominantly negative feelings of stress, worry and anxiety. The findings are expected to have implications for the tourism industry, support services for caregivers of children on the autism spectrum, and future research in this area.