While my husband and I have been to Europe before, my husband is now dependent on a wheelchair for his mobility. We are interested in returning to Great Britain and Ireland, but are concerned about both accommodations and accessibility in some of the smaller villages (cobblestones, flagstones, etc. present difficulties using either a wheelchair or a rented scooter). What are some suggestions regarding negotiating various venues. We don't have to do to the "touristy" spots. My husband studied at U of Edinburgh many years ago, but some of those "hills" were tough even in 1998, when we were last there and he used crutches. ARe there any publications or sites that are dedicated to accessible travel--I would love to see a focus on this type of travel on some of the RS programming!
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20021 posts
Has he got any mobility outside of the chair. Such as getting out for a brief moment while the chair is manuvered arround an obsticle
?
Posted by
California 🦋
5293 posts
Js,
This website is dedicated to accessible travel: http://www.sagetraveling.com
You may also find this helpful:http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travelers-with-disabilities
Have a wonderful trip!
Posted by
Home_Sweet_Home :-)
507 posts
My husband is a double amputee below the knee & walks on prostheses. We just returned from a trip to Europe.
I found most hotels will allow you to use their wheelchair. On one portion of our trip I wanted to rent a wheelchair, and found the business was not open until April when the "tourist season" begins. If you know the cities or towns you will be staying in, contact their tourist bureau or Chamber of Commerce for businesses that rent wheelchairs.
If I have a trip in the future, I will make my own flight reservations because:
1) i can be sure the airlines knows a wheelchair is needed at each arrival gate. The travel agency did not get the word out & at 2 airports we needed to wait 45 min for assistance.
2) Choose the best section to sit in. On the AF flight from CDG I sat in a row near the window. There was no room between my tummy & the food tray when it was lowered. Yet a man who sat in the middle section (same row) & is bigger than I had about a 4" space between him & the food tray.
I would call my accommodations in advance to inquire about a business that rents wheelchairs. If I plan to arrive & depart from the same airport I would locate a medical supply near it. Possibly I would be allowed to use it the whole trip at a discount. Here in the States I find weekly rental is less expensive than renting by the day.
My 2-Cents Worth
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Rick had a book Easy Access Europe; it's now out of print (and probably somewhat outdated), but you should be able to get a cheap used copy.
Here's Rick's page on the subject on this website: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travelers-with-disabilities
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Will you plan to drive? If you also plan to take a few trains, then you often car reserve a wheelchair space onboard and/or boarding assistance; see http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/disabled_passengers.aspx.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
There is a website called accessible Ireland, and I found that to be helpful when traveling with someone with some mobility challenges. For example, if you click on the name of an attraction, it provide the details about what is accessible. However, my feeling is that it never hurts to call to double check. I believe the website also provides details on lodging.
Beyond that, I think you'll find a number of resources by just searching Google. I even think there are one or two travel agencies that specialize in that type of travel.