Traveling With Disabilities Archives

A Guide To Disabled Travel, What You Need To Know

Disabled travel also known as accessible travel, is the traveling by people who have disabilities. With this travel being on the rise, the industries involved with transportation, are waking up to the special needs of travelers, who are disabled by making the availability of accommodation and services more readily available.

At the same time, the information that is available on disabled travel, is more readily available than it was in the past, with most of this information made available by disabled travelers.

Disabled travelers are protected by the law, in ensuring that they receive the same treatment as everyone else. This seems to be true on paper, but in the real world and especially in some foreign nations, where regulations vary from place to place, this is far from the truth.

Accessible travelers, more often than not, face several challenges such as higher fares, prejudice, misinformation, inadequate facilities as compared to the rest. Below are 5 tips that are essential for disabled travelers:

Health And Safety Tips For Disabled Travelers

Be Clear And Specific On The Severity Of Your Disability
Always be clear and specific while giving details on your disability, since not every service provider understands the medical terms, or jargon of disabled travel. Be sure to inform the service providers of exactly what you can and cannot do, so as to avoid a scenario where you downplay the needs of your disability. This will also go a long way in ensuring that your accommodation is going to be smooth.
Do Call Ahead
Make sure to call ahead, so as to allow your service providers to make the necessary arrangements and also don’t forget to mention your needs, while making your reservations. It is prudent to call a day or two prior to the date of your arrival, so as to confirm that the necessary arrangements for your accommodation have been, or will be met, on your arrival.
Give Your Doctor A Detailed Description Of Your Trip
Your doctor will always give you proper ways of handling and dealing with the pitfalls of long flights and advise you on how to get the best medical care in the places that you will be visiting. On rare occasions, your doctor may even advise you to cancel your trip, if he/ she is of the opinion that it would be unsafe for you to travel to your preferred destination.
Try As Much As You Can To Avoid Connecting Flights
Flying on a direct flight will definitely save you the hassle and time that it takes with connecting flights, but in the case where using airline toilets prove to be a bit difficult for you, then you might want to consider connecting flights to your destination.
Don’t Forget To Have Your Doctors Phone Number And Details With You
It is advisable to have a letter from your doctor with you, that clearly explains your condition, special needs, likely complications and other relevant information. Also, ensure that you have a doctor’s number, that can be reached any time of the day, in the case of an emergency.

If you follow these tips, then disabled travel need not be a hassle.

Limited Mobility Vacations – So Many Choices

Planning a limited mobility vacation has historically presented a unique set of challenges. There are many factors that need to be thought of, even before looking at suitable holiday destinations. The requirements of people who can walk, but only short distances, will have to think about a different set of vacation requirements from someone in a wheelchair.

Limited Mobility Differences

People who can only walk a short distance, need to make sure that there are no long or extended walks, that have to be made as part of their vacation. Or if there is an unavoidable walk, then they need to check that there is limited mobility transportation available, such as a wheelchair or scooter. Wheelchair users themselves, have to consider the width of doors, barrier free doors and manoeuvring space, both at their vacation destination, as well as their mode of transportation, whether that is an aircraft, ship, train or car etc. A powered wheelchair user doesn’t really have to worry about distances so much, but both sets of limited mobility travelers will have to consider staircases, when they look at vacation destinations.

Limited Mobility Vacations

Budget is another influential factor when considering limited mobility vacations. There are a number of companies that specialize in catering for limited mobility clients. Travel can be arranged from the holidaymaker’s home to the airport, docks, or direct to the destination depending on the location. These types of holidays usually carry around a 50% premium over a standard vacation booking.

For the more budget conscious, there is an ever increasing number of options available today, largely thanks to the Internet and being able to research and communicate particular requirements, prior to booking the vacation.

There are beach front condos available in California, that are equipped with lifts, where it is very normal to see people using electric scooters to travel around. There are numerous places advertised on the East Coast, an example is a waterfront home in Connecticut, which boasts peace and tranquility, as well as having an elevator, to make it easy to get around the house. Even popular holiday destinations, such as Disneyworld in Florida are suitable for people with limited mobility. There is a hotel within the amusement park itself, which is very accessible, as well as numerous modes of transport, that can be hired to make moving around no problem.

People who are looking to go further afield, still have a huge amount of choice in limited mobility vacations. Websites such as VillaRental.com have villas for rent in the U.S, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. Each villa will differ, although many of them are single level villas with elevators, some also having large shower rooms with benches and handrails etc.

American and European airlines are able to fly people with limited mobility, without a problem these days, so really anywhere in the world is an option, as long as the proper research and communication is carried out, prior to booking. Most 4 or 5 star hotels anywhere in the world, have limited mobility access, but there are some places around the world where a vacation could be problematic, especially in parts of Asia and Africa.

Limited mobility vacations are available all across the globe and having so much choice, the only difficult decision, is choosing where to go first!

Tips That Make Travel For The Disabled Easier

Traveling with a disability or any kind of physical limitation can be highly enduring and requires proper planning and application of well researched tips to make the act more enjoyable and less burdensome.

Whether it is about coping with development limitation or a handicap, disabled and mature travelers face limitation in mobility, which makes their pace of travel slower. Reputed travel services and resources make travel for the disabled easier and more convenient, with their short and long term strategies and services. The tips that follow below go a long way in helping disabled children and adults trot across the globe like other normal vacationers.

Planning The Trip Well In Advance

Planning a trip in advance ensures adequate time for ordering medications, renewal of prescriptions and stocking up the extra supplements. So if one needs to take a dental appointment, or have the wheelchair fixed up, it is a good idea to get the work done well before the travel deadlines approach.

Booking With Agencies Providing Specialized Services

The experience and expertise of travel agencies specializing in addressing the customized needs and requirements of disabled clients, go a long way in alleviating future hassles and inconveniences during the trip. Among other benefits, these tour operators help in the organization of wheelchair facility at the hotel rooms and airports and provide lift equipped, or handicap vehicles to make commuting easier and less painful. They also help in outlining more accessible cruises and transportation requirements, which make it possible to enjoy the sun and the sands, or forested reliefs set in spectacular lands.

Checking Hotels For Facilities For The Disabled

Well planned travel for the disabled, also includes contacting the hotel management or staff, to get an insight into the widths of the inner and outer doors; so as to accommodate the physical dimensions of the wheelchair, or any other support system in place. Many disabled friendly setups provide grab bars, approved bath tubs for handicaps, roll in showers and other custom defined requirements for their clients.

Making Note Of Important Numbers And Information

Though the list may be endless, it makes good sense to make special note of the contact numbers and details of medical experts handling the patient, close relatives and friends, acquaintances in the travel destination and travel agents specializing in travel for the disabled. Information regarding the precautions and care to be taken in times of emergency, should be jotted in a diary, or notebook and kept in an easily accessible pocket, or personal handbag. It is also important to research about the various medical facilities and associations which provide local assistance in the time of any unprecedented emergency.

Travel for the disabled can be made more exciting, by including details about the restaurants, theatres, museums and various local facilities and transportation systems which are accessible by wheelchair and are in close proximity to medical relief, emergency supplies, oxygen and other assistance.

So there is no need to feel tied down, as one travels with ramps, hoists or braces in place. Timely information and these valuable tips make holidays extremely fun filled and enthralling and leaves the disabled with many fond memories and the desire to travel more.

Paving The Road – Traveling With Physical Disabilities

Like any other type of person, people with physical disabilities enjoy traveling and vacations. For too long, the needs of the disabled community have not been recognized where traveling is concerned, nor do the general public recognize that people with disabilities can and do travel. Fortunately, our world is evolving and accessibility is now a buzz word in reference to the disabled community. Many areas of our society are making steps to provide accessibility to those in need. One of these areas are in traveling with a disability.

Firstly, most urban areas in North America are running accessible transit systems, taxi cabs and trains. For example, in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, a person using a wheelchair or mobility scooter, can use a ramp system and ride most transit routes and with any taxi company, while seated in their device. At this time, there is still a short route train system called the O-Train, which is fully accessible in the same way. While still a work in progress, Ottawa is a model for accessible traveling within a city setting. All key tourism sites are easily accessed with minimal advanced planning.

On a larger scale, traveling abroad is developing. Most planes, trains and buses are not immediately accessible and require some advanced arrangements for traveling by wheelchair, or mobility scooter. These modes of travel will involve assistance from staff to use and your device may not even be able to travel with you, based on cargo limitations. At this time, we understand that boat cruises are known to be primarily accessible by wheelchairs, or mobility scooters and oftentimes, require little to no advanced planning to board with these devices. It would probably be most advisable to create a “scouted itinerary”, no matter the mode of travel, or vacation destination to assure no gaps in accessibility.

With this in mind, one should know the accessibility of accommodations, restaurants and land marks to assure that these can be visited by wheelchair, or mobility scooter. Outside of North America, there will be a broad range of accessibility issues, as some countries and continents are far less developed for people with physical disabilities. While booking with a travel agent may be of great assistance, there will be some destinations that are challenging to near impossible, for people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

To visit places with remote access, would rely on one’s own abilities, bravado and creativity. A person with physical disabilities can easily choose to turn their travels into an activist vacation and educate others on creating accessibility. Physical disabilities are an international issue and experienced by all persons throughout the world. Adequate accessibility for people with wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not.

Depending on the chosen destination, a person using a wheelchair, or mobility scooter, may need to ask a couple of people to carry them up the stairs of a tourism site, to view it in its entirety. This becomes a personal choice on how to create accessibility, based on a comfort level. Remember, it takes some amount of courage for most people to ask for assistance in a foreign land and a person with physical disabilities is no different that way.

In closing, let’s simply ditch the stigma of people with physical disabilities not taking vacations. These dreams and journeys are entirely possible. Dare to dream them and make them happen.

Category: Traveling With Disabilities