The Intersection of Travel and Disability
Ultimate traveler John Morris of the blog wheelchairtravel.org found himself in 4A instead of his favorite, 4F on the last flight he was scheduled to take pre-pandemic. No problem, he masterminded a plan, “I decided to play a classic game of chicken with Mr. 4F, hoping that fear of coronavirus would cause him to surrender the seat.” Find the seat map, or game board, here.
OUR TAKE: This is pure genius in a six-feet-apart world. John even gave readers the gameboard or seat plan, above.
Offering six jigsaw puzzles (free) for people sheltering in place, San Francisco Travel just put a lock on people’s focus—at least for a while. Visitors to their site can ‘see’ PIER 39 sea lions, gaze upon the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square Park or the skyline at Dolores Park, take a ride on a cable car or enjoy views of The Golden Gate Bridge. They are available to try, here.
OUR TAKE: The organization’s tagline is “by the time you’ve solved all these puzzles, it’ll be time to start planning your next trip to San Francisco.” This follows the common wisdom that positivity, paired with a few free experiences (puzzles!), keeps visitors coming to your site. They may also draw in new travel fans.
These masks were made for “For anyone who uses speech reading, lip reading, anybody like that,” Ashley Lawrence a senior studying education for the deaf and hard of hearing said in a Lex18 news report. “Also these are for people who are profoundly deaf who use ASL as their primary mode of communication. She and her mom are now making variations for people with hearing aids and over-the-ear fit concerns.
OUR TAKE: There are so many ways to be accessible and so much time. Making good use of your ‘pause’ can actually be a pleasure.
2. New Cleaning Protocols, New Cleanliness Advisory Council
“We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president/CEO. “We are grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene, and social distancing, he told HotelManagement.net.
OUR TAKE: Trust is what will bring back travelers. That’s why the council is focused on developing global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms, and behaviors that are designed to minimize risk and enhance safety.
3. Learn What Is Level 3 Cleaning Entails They tossed, bedding, mattresses, kitchen utensils, and hundreds and hundreds of towels. Then they barricaded each area to assure it remained uncontaminated. That’s only part of what a Level 3 cleaning requires, Shelden Yellen of CEO of BELFOR Property Restoration told Travelpulse.com He was in charge of cleaning the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where 697 passengers tested positive and seven died. (The cruise had 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board, according to Reuters.) He spoke about the cleaning process of the ships in a Q&A with Fox News. A full write-up on Yellen from TravelPulse.com appears here.
OUR TAKE: This particular cleaning job is called a Level 3, the highest standard there is. The company used all Level 3 protocols to protect themselves and eradicate the virus. Such attention to detail will likely be on the minds of devoted cruise passengers when (not if) these beautiful boats sail again.
Covid-19 cleanliness protocols must be at a standard that meets the needs of our most vulnerable travelers: those with a disability or aging baby boomers (who now control over 70% of the discretionary income in the U.S.) At TravelAbility 2020 (virtual) Presenters from each of the following industry sectors will share their post- COVID-19 cleanliness protocols, how they were promoted, and how effective they were in attracting business.
DMO’s are creating more and more 30-60 second videos, offering hope and musings to inspire future visitors. Watch a few of our picks, below, to find the one that resonates most with you. Plus, a tutorial on adding captions to videos.
a. Niagara Falls, NY, “A DESTINATION OF HOPE”
b. Long Island, NY’, “#HOLDFAST”
Valley Forge, PA: “We’re #MONTCO Strong”
c. North Dakota: “BE LEGENDARY”
d. Virginia Beach, VA: The Magic of Virginia Beach
Note: Not all videos have captions. This important addition is pretty easy to learn on YouTube,
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