TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Travel

Tips and Tricks for Road Trips with a Wheelchair

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Rural roadway seen through the window of a car.

As disabled people resume traveling this summer, many will prefer to avoid the packed airplanes, trains and buses and take to the America’s highways instead. Sylvia Longmire, a wheelchair user and founder of Spin the Globe, recently wrote an article for Orbitz that provides some tips for taking a road trip as a wheelchair user.

Sylvia’s tips include making sure your vehicle (and wheelchair) are both serviced and “road ready,” planning your itinerary based on the accessibility of destinations, and searching for a hotels along the route that will meet your accessibility needs.

To read more of Sylvia’s tips for an accessible summer road trip, check out her article on the Orbitz website.

Conde Nast Traveler Profiles Tour Companies for Disabled People

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Car driving toward sunset with a road map on the dashboard.

Conde Nast Traveler recently published a list of 6 tour companies dedicated to serving travelers with disabilities.

Among the accessible tour companies listed were Tapooz Travel, founded by TravelAbility Advisory Board member Laurent Roffe, Go Wheel The World, which participated in the 2019 TravelAbility Summit LaunchPad in San Francisco and Easy Access Travel owned by TravelAbility Advisory Board member Deborah Kerper.

Accessible travel and tour providers like Tapooz Travel and Go Wheel The World offer disabled vacationers unique insights into accessibility and specially adapted tours that few other travel agents can provide. Their expertise provides disabled travelers with increased confidence, and makes it possible for many to explore the world.

To see the full list of the travel agencies profiled, visit the Conde Nast website.

Wheelchair Accessible Travel Guide to the Nation’s Capital

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Aerial view of national mall in Washington, D.C.

TravelAbility Advisory Board member John Morris operates the web’s largest accessible travel website, Wheelchair Travel. There, he shares information and tips on traveling with a disability, as well as detailed accessible travel guides to destinations in the United States and abroad.

One of the website’s most popular travel guides helps readers navigate with a wheelchair in Washington, D.C. The capital city of the United States receives praise for its wheelchair-friendly public transportation system, which includes an underground metro, city buses and even a street car. Many of the most popular D.C. tourist attractions, including the Smithsonian Museums, are wheelchair-friendly and offer free admission!

The travel guide contains detailed information on accessible attractions, hotels and transportation services in the District of Columbia – resources disabled travelers need to confidently explore new destinations. The Washington, D.C. wheelchair travel guide is one of more than 50 accessible travel guides on the Wheelchair Travel website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Wheelchair Guide for Sweet Home – Huntsville – Alabama

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Huntsville, Alabama skyline with a blooming tree.

Cory Lee Woodard, founder of Curb Free with Cory Lee, recently shared an article with tips for visiting Huntsville, Alabama on his website.

His article identified a number of wheelchair-friendly activities, including the Lowe Mill Art Studio, the Huntsville Museum of Art and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Since Cory’s trip took place during the winter holiday season, he’s also shared a number of Christmas activities including the Huntsville Tinsel Trail and a drive-thru Christmas lights display at the botanical garden.

To read more about Cory’s trip to Huntsville, click here.

Germany May Be the Most Accessible Destination in Europe… or the Planet

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Greetings from Berlin, Germany postcard.

Although Europe’s borders remain closed to much of the world, Germany is prepared to capitalize on the post-pandemic accessible travel boom.

Writers Barbara and Jim Twardowski, in an article for the Abilities Buzz, stated that the country “is diligently working to make Germany a place where everyone can travel with ease and without barriers.”

The country has invested in a program to assess the accessibility of businesses, collecting the data in a centralized accessible tourism database. Local and regional tourism boards have also made investments in accessibility and tourism guides for disabled visitors, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich, among others.

OUR TAKE: As the disability community is vaccinated and begins to plan their vacations for 2021 and 2022, destinations that have done the work to welcome them are likely to see an increase in travelers with accessibility needs. Germany’s long history of investment in accessible travel will aid in their recovery.

To read more about how Germany is preparing to welcome disabled travelers, click here.