I have been in a wheelchair for the last 6 years after an accident and it is fair to say that it has taken me quite a while to adjust. The biggest thing that I have learned during this time is that any plan which I make must be carefully considered before I decide on it, thanks to my disability. I am gradually learning and much of that has come as a result of making errors.
An area that I wanted to focus on today is travel and how you can pick the right hotel for your vacation. I have made countless errors with vacations over the years that have resulted in a difficult vacation, for these reason, I wanted to give you my top watch outs when it comes to choosing a hotel for your upcoming vacation.
Accessibility
The word accessibility is really up for debate and whilst many hotels may refer to themselves as being one of the world’s wheelchair accessible hotels, this is not always the case. Just because you can get in and out of the hotel does not make it wheelchair-friendly and you should make sure that you can easily get around all areas of the hotel before you decide to book up. The room which you book should be spacious with a bathroom that can accommodate you, read reviews and speak with the hotel before booking to ensure that this is the case.
Surrounding Area
A couple of years back I found what I thought was the perfect hotel, the rooms were huge and designed for disabilities, the amenities were great and there was even an aid to help me to get in and out of the pool. Just as I thought that my luck couldn’t get any better, I went outside and I was faced with two steep inclines on either side, there were no busses in to town and so I became pretty much trapped in the hotel for the duration of my break. Using something like Google Streetview can immediately show you what the area looks like around the hotel so I would advise that you check it out first, to avoid the same issue that I had.
Transport
One of the most important aspects that you should look at when it comes to booking a hotel is to find out what kind of transport options they have of you and your chair. Even if you do manage to find a hotel that is surrounded by flat land, there comes a time when you want to go somewhere else on your vacation. Usually, tour bus companies do not have the best options for people who are using a wheelchair and so you will likely need to rely on the hotel. Many hotels that are dedicated to helping disabilities will have a bus that accommodates them and you should call the hotel to check it out beforehand.
Make sure that you do your research so that you can do what you are supposed to do when you are on vacation, enjoy it.