Maureen Conwell and her husband at the Acropolis in Greece. Picture: Supplied Source: National Features
With proper planning and research, holidaying in a wheelchair can be relatively hassle-free. Picture: Supplied Source: National Features
WHEN I first travelled as a person with a disability five years ago I was terrified.
My husband and I have always loved to travel and have made road trips throughout Europe and the US.
I am lucky that my husband has no fear about driving in foreign countries, as I find organised tours too hectic.
So, we travel the world by car and love to go off the beaten track.
At first there were so many "what ifs?". But having been there, done that, I can say there is nothing to fear except fear itself.
Travel insurance When I first travelled with a disability I found that travel insurance was a minefield.
I had to obtain a letter from my doctor authorising me to travel and then send it to many travel insurers only to be rejected every time, which was very distressing.
Luckily, a friend with a disability who had just returned from an overseas holiday advised me to contact a company called One Cover.
They were happy to insure my pre-existing condition as long as they were happy with my answers to their questions, I wasn't in hospital in the past few years and didn't take immunosuppressant drugs.
It wasn't cheap but the company did cover me for a year and didn't even need a letter from my GP.
It's also an idea to check your credit card travel insurance.
The Commonwealth Bank has a relationship with Zurich and, after I supplied them with a letter from my doctor, they also agreed to cover me for three months for $50.
But keep in mind that 90 per cent of your flights and hotels have to be paid by credit card to be eligible for their cover.
Flying with a disability Make sure you book an aisle seat near a toilet and make staff aware of your needs when boarding. Check-in staff will ask if you need assistance at your destination and whether you require a hoist if there is no air tunnel and you can't manage the stairs.
You can opt to have your walker and/or wheelchair placed in baggage and then be wheeled by staff to the gate or do as I do and walk with my walker to the terminal.
My walker is taken away and returned at our destination.
You will be first on when boarding and last off when leaving.
But you will be whisked past the long lines at immigration and customs.
Taking a wheelchair overseas You can often rent a wheelchair overseas but I would not recommend it. It is best to take your own wheelchair and walker as airline staff will take care of them and don't charge excess baggage.
When I tried to hire a wheelchair in Europe, I found they wanted way too much information and I feared that I could be a victim of identity theft.
But I found most historic sites, museums and art galleries offered wheelchairs and sometimes motorised scooters, either free or for a small fee.
Make sure you carry your passport as it is necessary to rent.
Hotel rooms Many hotels in Australia and overseas are sadly lacking accessible rooms.
The best thing to do is to check sites such as Hotels.com or Expedia.com.au
I have found Hotels.com to be the friendliest website when researching accessible rooms.
If they don't have accessible rooms, you may be able to make do as I do with just the bare necessities - ramps, elevators and a room with a semi-accessible shower.
Organised tours In my opinion, coach tours, which can be very fast-paced, are not suitable for people with a disability.
Some companies do not allow travellers with disabilities or require an able-bodied person to accompany you and assist you.
The hotels they use may not have accessible rooms.
River cruising is an option but there are limited accessible rooms, so you need to book early.
Discounts for people with disabilities In most of Europe, admission to attractions is free for people with disabilities while the carer pays a reduced price, or vice versa.
If you have a mobility parking badge, take it with you - the sign for people with disabilities is universal.
Some attractions need to be booked and paid for in advance online.
Popular attractions such as the Vatican in Rome and Alcatraz in San Francisco can be booked out months in advance, so do your research.
If you are faced with a queue, go to the front of the line with your pension/mobility parking badge and you will more than likely be waved through.
City tours Most cities offer hop-on, hop-off tour buses that are accessible and are the best and cheapest way to get around.
Or, use taxis, which are cheap in most countries and you can sometimes organise a set price.
You can also book tours through websites such as viator.com, which usually has a note on every tour informing you if they accept people with disabilities.
Most friendly countries Great Britain and most of Europe are friendly to people with disabilities.
We found Greece surprisingly good. We took a taxi to the Acropolis, which deposited us at the gates. There we were led to a stair lift and then taken up by a small lift, scaling the edge of the Acropolis.
We visited the island of Crete, which is mostly flat and even has a resort for people with disabilities called Erina Resort. Unfortunately it was booked out when we were there but we found a lovely place called the Minoa Palace to be suitable for my needs, as well as very luxurious.
In contrast, some parts of the US were rather unfriendly to people with disabilities. I had booked an accessible hotel room in LA but the shower was over the bath - totally inaccessible for me.
I later learnt there are different degrees of accessibility at American hotels, but I wasn't informed of this when I made the bookings.
Make sure you check the fine print or email or call the hotel beforehand.
While attractions in the US generally didn't offer a reduction in fees for travellers with disabilities or their carers, Disneyland and Universal Studios allowed us to skip the long queues by entering via the exit door.
Time and research Give yourself plenty of time in a big city and do lots of research.
We wanted to visit St Mark's Square in Venice but the boats to get there were inaccessible.
Had I researched beforehand I would have known that if I was first on the boat in a wheelchair it would have been level with the pier and it would have been accessible.
Don't be disappointed if you can't see everything.
I would often sit in a cafe in Paris, Rome or London while my husband was off seeing something that I couldn't access, but I enjoyed myself immensely watching the world go by.
Just be happy that you are able to be there and soak up the atmosphere.
Helpful people I am happy to say that I have had people go out of their way to help me all over the world, even though I have had my husband by my side.
In Venice, two big, burly men offered to lift me on to the boat by clasping their hands together to make a seat but I politely declined as I didn't know if I would get the same treatment on the return journey.
In Germany, I fell over and people came running over to help me and a lovely man working on a nearby cable car bought over a big bag and ordered me to sit down while he patched up my knee and fixed the brakes on my walker, which led to the fall.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét