Hello and welcome back to A Nu You: Maximizing Life with a Disability! Today’s topic is traveling with a disability. Yes, we are pushing our comfort zones BIG TIME this week as travel is one of those things that truly excites us and is also one of our greatest fears. If you think about it, we are actually moving out of our comfort zone, physically, when we travel, so I expect nothing less than resistance and fear. If you ask any traveler what he or she wants more than anything when traveling, the overwhelming answer is “peace of mind.” Trust me. Having traveled to 39 countries and 46 U.S. states, all with paralysis, doing whatever it takes to obtain that peace of mind before you leave on your journey is imperative!

So if you are a traveler with a disability, how do we get that peace of mind? We prepare ourselves, probably even more than someone who does not have a disability. We do this by creating two lists. The first list includes everything that “you need to do” in preparing for your trip. This begins with doing the necessary research. My suggestion would be to go online, enter a chat forum, do a search online or put out an ask on social media to find out if anyone with a disability has traveled to your desired destination. Why reinvent the wheel (pun intended) if someone has already “been there, done that!” If you do locate a person, ask him/her every question under the sun that will immediately provide you with a level of peace of mind. There are very few places in the world where someone with a disability has not traveled to at one time or another.

When planning your trip, you want to take care of everything from the moment you leave your home to the moment you arrive at your given destination. This begins with transportation. Determine how you will be leaving your home. If it is within driving distance than you will be driving your own vehicle, need an accessible cab or car/van service, or seeking to rent a car/van? All of these options can be a means of transportation for you and accommodate you with your disability.

If an airplane is needed, you can absolutely make this happen. All of the airlines nowadays have special service departments that can field your questions. If you are flying solo or even with others, there are people at the airport who are able to assist you in getting on and off the plane. Next, if you need a hotel room, most hotels have wheelchair accessible rooms either with a roll-in shower or a bathtub with handrails. Lastly, if you a planning on visiting a tourist attraction, I would suggest that you visit their website or give them a phone call to see how accessible they are and what you will be able to see/do there.

With regards to creating your second list, which will include all of the items that you will need to bring on your trip, do not forget your medical supplies and medications. As we all try to lighten our loads when we travel, it is my recommendation to ship some of your items (mainly medical supplies) to the hotel in advance of your stay so you do not have to travel with so much. Just make sure that you have a plenty of supplies and all of your medications for a few days just in case your shipment does not arrive or some other reason.

So we are now ready for our Nu Challenge for you:
  1. Create two lists…everything you need to do and everything you need to bring!
  2. Do research to find out who has been to your destination already…been there, done that!
  3. Give yourself peace of mind by planning everything from the moment you leave your house to the moment you arrive at your given destination so you can enjoy yourself!

If you have any questions or comments regarding today’s topic, please email me at scott.chesney@numotion.com. Until next time, when we will be talking about dating and relationships, thanks for listening and for playing full out in creating A Nu You!

Scott Chesney

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Scott Chesney