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Going on holiday can be a stressful experience for anyone. Travelling is usually the hard part; once you reach your destination you can relax. This is not always the case for the less abled. Travelling with a disability can bring unique challenges that the able-bodied do not appreciate. Here are a few tips and tricks that should help you travel and enjoy a holiday without facing these challenges, or be able to deal with them effectively if they arise.
Road Trips
Taking a journey on the open road is a great way to have a holiday. You are your own boss, and you can choose where to go and when, and what to do when you get there. It gives you a lot of freedom to make decisions on a whim. You can take a detour down a country road just to see where it goes. When you are travelling on the road with a disability there are a couple of things you can do to ensure your trip goes smoothly.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have the right vehicle for the job. It needs to be comfortable and have the space you need for all of your luggage and any extras you need to support yourself through the trip. You may also need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) for your trip. If you have mobility challenges or you use a wheelchair full-time, the vehicle you take on your trip needs to be able to accommodate a wheelchair.
You can visit alliedmobility.com ahead of your trip to view a wide range of used WAVs that are perfect for your road trip. Allied Mobility has many years of experience in adapting vehicles for wheelchair accessibility. They have high-quality used WAVs available to buy that have been approved by the RAC. This means you can drive with confidence, knowing the car can handle a long road trip without any issues.
Fly Friendly
For both the able-bodied and the less-able, some airlines are better than others. If you are a wheelchair user, have mobility challenges, or have mental health issues, you need to do a little extra research on an airline before booking. If you travel with an airline that does not have a good reputation for accommodating people’s needs it could spoil your trip before you reach your destination. There are a lot of resources online that can help you find the right airline to fly with.
Look for reviews from other disabled travellers and judge their experiences. Look at both airlines and airports. You may be able to ensure a smoother trip by changing your departure and arrival airports to ones that have a better reputation for accommodating less-abled travellers. Modern airports are often much better for wheelchair users, for example, as they have been designed and built with them in mind. Older airports often lack the facilities needed for smooth travel in a wheelchair.
A handy hack is to book your travel through a travel agent that specialises in less-abled travel. These types of travel agents can not only help ensure you travel with an accessible airline from an accessible airport. They can help you ensure your trip is accessible at every step. This can take a lot of the headaches out of holiday planning and allows you to travel with confidence.
All The Small Things
No matter what type of trip you have planned or where you are travelling, there are some things you can do ahead of time to ensure you have a successful and enjoyable holiday. One of the most important is to have a check-up with your doctor to make sure you are fit to travel. Having a health issue on holiday is a distressing experience for anyone, but if you are less abled, it can cause even more problems and be a lot more uncomfortable and distressing.
You should make sure you have adequate insurance as well. If you do have a medical issue or emergency when travelling, it may come with added costs related to your disability depending on where in the world you are. By making sure you have travel insurance that covers you for any added costs that may arise related to any disability you have, you can save a lot of time, stress, and money.
Before you travel you should do a little extra research on your destination so you have some plans. Make sure your accommodation can facilitate your needs. Check public and private transport there and see how easy, or difficult, it may be to get local transportation that can accommodate your disabilities. Also, if you are travelling with medication make sure you can get replacements at your destination. If you lose your medication and need replacements, you may struggle to find a local source.
Follow these tips, plan, prepare, and you should be able to enjoy a successful holiday no matter what happens. Travelling will always be the hard part, but you can experience issues at your destination.