Travel with a disability by Gordon Rattray

1. First published in Wanderlust magazine Aug 09: www.wanderlust.co.uk → Destination country
Ten Top Trips
you CAn TAke
1 eAsT AfriCAn sAfAri There are
operators with accessible vehicles and
knowledge of adapted accommodation in all
the major parks.
2 AnCienT peru Explore Machu Picchu
– you may need help to navigate the
steep stone stairways, but this is easily
organised.
3 ViCToriA fAlls, ZAmbiA Few
viewpoints are completely step-free,
but help is readily offered and surrounding
È
activities – including rafting, helicopter
flights and game drives – can all be adapted
to accommodate limited mobility.
Take
dvice…
my aonal care assistant to
er pers
4 GAlápAGos islAnds
Rediscover the Darwin-
inspiring wildlife off
Guy, form Hawking
Monica Stephen d friend
and mainland Ecuador.
scientist a disable ,
on holi day with t-skiing A professional kayaker
an’t – je
“If you’re thin g they c y you rself
do some on’t den
accompanies trips in
dying to tever – d
ivin g or wha nt rankles – two-person kayaks, and
shark-d sentme
sure. Re saints, a wheelchair-friendly
the plea ss is for
and se lflessne ers.” guesthouse can be used in San Cristóbal.
Access all areas
daymak
not holi
5 pATAGoniA See the fjords and forests
by light aircraft, and the ice floes of the
Beagle Channel by catamaran. Experienced
boosted, making the next one easier. relationship will lose a degree of its operators use minibuses with ramps and
Furthermore, discovering – or formality, becoming significantly more hotels with step-free bathrooms.
Travelling with a wheelchair has its challenges – but follow accessible travel expert
Gordon Rattray’s advice and you’ll have no shortage of adventure
rediscovering – your travel possibilities
will not only be hugely rewarding in
itself, but will fire enthusiasm and
than the usual fleeting exchange of
words and purchase of an artefact.
Of course there are limits, and
6 AlAskA Navigate Alaska’s Glacier Bay
by accessible boat, hopefully spotting
wolves and bears on the snow-clad
maybe stimulate change in many other surprising drawbacks. Being mountains. A refitted ex-minesweeper
areas of your life. permanently seated does make you operates in the region, with widened decks
stand out more; although I believe this and lifts – you can even be securely
B
Meaningful encounters can actually help with personal security winched into a kayak!
reathtaking is how I can
best describe my visit to
Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Falls.
‘bearers’ simultaneously heaved the
poles up onto their shoulders sending
me soaring skywards. My stomach
Above, left to right:
Opportunities for
adventure travel
impaired mobility want to see more than
pool and bar, and are catering to them.
Vehicles equipped with lifts and
There are even distinct advantages to
having a disability; for instance,
reliance on others can help bridge the
– pickpockets prefer obscurity – it can
also lead to awkward moments.
I remember sitting in Addis Ababa’s
7 TAj mAhAl, indiA There
is now gently ramped entry
into the mausoleum and
for wheelchair
But it was the journey to caught up only seconds later and users – from lodgings with roll-in showers can be gulf between us, as tourists, and them, Mercato (sub-Saharan Africa’s largest wheelchairs are available.
8
Botswana’s
reach this huge wall of a feeble squeak of protest was all my found from Arusha to Ushuaia, while the locals. I’m often forced to ask for market) wondering how to retrieve the down under With a few
Okavango Delta
crashing white water that left me shocked lungs could produce. to Ethiopia’s Blue the power of the internet brings up-to- assistance, and people, in turn, are cash I’d hidden in my socks without extra harnesses and a bit of
truly speechless. Nevertheless, despite the vertigo, I soon Nile Falls to date information about such places – interested to know what caused my giving the hiding place away to the manhandling, Australia and New Zealand
bouncing on a
The last kilometre – a rough footpath got used to my heady perch, and would bungee in New
and their level of inclusion – into our injury and even why Western medicine curious crowd that had gathered now include extreme sports – bungee
hewn through lush vegetation, dodging now recommend it for the thrill alone! Zealand – are on living rooms. can’t cure me. The chance of meaningful around me! jumping, jet boating and canyon swinging –
Apumayo; Ingrid Vekemans; AJ Hackett; Dreamstime.com; iStockphoto.com
rocky outcrops and fallen trees – is not But don’t be misled; improvisation like the rise That said, stepping – or rolling – out of encounters and conversations is So does this all mean that travel for on their list of accessible options.
easy wheelchair terrain. I was struggling
for balance and the guys helping me
were tired of pushing and pulling, so a
this is unusual. Adventure travel is now
a real option for all wheelchair users.
the comfort zone is a gut-wrenching
thought for many chair users, especially
those who are new to this way of life.
increased. This is especially true if you
use a local assistant, where you will
spend a lot of time together; your
people with disabilities has been
completely tamed? Certainly not – for
those who crave challenge, undiluted >
9 snow sporTs Many resorts are
completely inclusive and sit skis exist in
mono, bi or more stable ‘kart’ versions,
couple of boys were sent scampering out of the comfort zone Even simple trips such as visiting allowing even high-level quadriplegics
barefoot to the nearest village for two Forget feeling tied to a resort; consider friends or family can take great courage, complete freedom.
long, strong bamboo poles. These were
quickly lashed to the frame of my chair,
the wheels were removed, and we set off
instead being fastened to a bridge by
a bungee cord then plummeting to
certain terror. Or exploring the mind-
so the very idea of an adventure holiday
might seem like a distant dream – or a
nightmare.
‘i sat in addis ababa’s market 10 world Cup 2010 Follow next
year’s festival of football in South
Africa; an overland truck trip
with me bobbing along comfortably at
waist height (pictured, above right).
boggling mountain ruins of Machu
Picchu. Or going on safari into the wilds
But it shouldn’t. Once that big decision
to go has been made, it might be
wondering how to retrieve the to Kruger and whale-
watching on the south
Within minutes, an utterance in
Amharic signalled yet another stop,
of Africa.
Operators in offbeat destinations are
surprising how easily the rest falls into
place. With each hurdle met and
cash i’d hidden in my socks’ coast are just two of the
most accessible post-
then, without further warning, all four becoming aware that people with cleared, your confidence will be tournament possibilities.
56 Wanderlust August/September 2009 Wanderlust August/September 2009 57

2. → DisableD travellers
Resources
• Access Africa – Safaris for People
with Limited Mobility (Bradt, 2009)
the new book by Gordon Rattray, the
author of this article
• Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts and
Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow
Walkers (Demos, 2009) by Candy
Harrington; see barrierfreetravel.net
• Easy Access Europe (Avalon Travel
Publishing, 2006) by Rick Steves
• There and Back (Radar, 2006)
a travel guide for disabled people;
see www.radar.org.uk
• www.able-travel.com This site
aims to make adventure travel easier
for people with disabilities
• www.globalaccessnews.com
A site on which disabled travellers
can share their experiences
• www.youreable.com Forums,
news, features, jobs and more
< adventure is always possible. But even Snow business: understood. In the airport, keep your • www.apparelyzed.com
here there are positives. Local In the more-aware own wheelchair until you board (this is Peer support for those with spinal
spots such as
hospitality, ingenuity and willingness Sweden, sit skis usually possible), and in the aircraft cord injury
to help always seem to increase the enable wheelchair replace the seat cushion (they’re usually • www.flying-with-disability.org
further you wander from the beaten users to speed just attached with velcro) with your own Information and advice for disabled
down the slopes
path, meaning that even if the obstacles pressure-relieving model. people who travel by air
• accommodation If possible, contact
Richard Priestley
are greater, they are – as my Blue Nile • www.backuptrust.org.uk
Falls visit showed – often more easily the accommodation or local operator A charity running a range of services
dealt with. directly for access information. But for people with spinal cord injury, as
remember, it’s all too easy to answer well as their friends and family
the key issues – anD how to “yes” to the simple question: “Is your
Deal with theM bathroom accessible?” Instead, ask
• Flying Most airports are extremely for descriptions, measurements and
accessible, with trained assistance staff even photographs. required to service your wheelchair, but
and narrow ‘aisle’ chairs for boarding • Planning If you need more time for remember that these may be confiscated
the plane. Book these in advance and the mundane daily tasks – ablutions, from hand luggage. Take a spare inner
make sure your needs are known and car transfers and general getting around tube or consider using solid (puncture-
– then ventilate your itinerary proof) tyres. If necessary, you can
accordingly. Don’t be persuaded that the transform your wheelchair into a
busiest trip is the best one. temporary shower chair by removing
È
• insurance Make sure your insurance the cushion cover and putting a bin
covers any pre-existing medical liner over the backrest.
d i c e…
my aecuv Correspondent
conditions you have plus all your • health Don’t take chances. Discuss
Take S rity E, BBC t
them wh
a
equipment – including wheelchair – for your plans with a health advisor and be
rdner OB line, tell your flight, your holiday duration and attentive to potential problems during
Frank Ga g the air u need in
ead. Rin what he
lp yo all activities you plan to undertake. your trip. Changing routines and doing
“Plan ah ’t do and fuse to le
t
and can Person ally, I re • Packing Choose manageable luggage new activities can increase risks of skin
you can eat. nced-o ff
to your s some fe damage and pressure wounds. ▪
getting me into aggage
bags, pack frugally to keep weight down
airport s corral t, hand b
vel ligh and look into sourcing bulky
air ghe tto. I tra ck now than
wheelch a smalle
r rucksa
”
incontinence material in your Got a Question?
only, with n my g ap year! .99) destination. For the flight, it is wise to We’ll be holding an online
I carried o ury, £18
ons (Eb
book F ar Horiz carry essential medicines and Q&A about disabled travel
Frank’s is out no
w equipment in your hand luggage in case with author Gordon Rattray – for
your main baggage is delayed. details, see www.wanderlust.co.uk/
• equipment Carry the basic tools disabledtravel
58 Wanderlust August/September 2009