If you were told you’ll have mobility problems

Switzerland would be the top of my list or any other location that I was interested in that might have rough mountain terrain. That said, there are always some opportunities even if a person has limited mobility. You might not make every trail, but there will always be some trails that are paved or not too long or steep. If things progressed, there are even options that work with scooters.

Truthfully. Africa. I want to go on a photo safari someday in Mozambique and visit Gorangoza National Park.

If you’re limiting yourself to Europe you need to look at how handicap accessible the different countries are. Of course they all have issues because they weren’t worried about accessibility even 100 years ago let alone 500 or more. I would advise writing out your bucket list and checking your top sites. The ones that are not mobility friendly move to the top of your list. Places where you’re mostly interested in museums you can probably put off. If a locations hikes and National parks are on your to do list get there sooner. Same goes for exploring castles and ruins. A lot of those will be difficult with mobility issues. Good luck and keep a positive attitude.

The Amazon rainforest, potentially using Manaus as a home base. I did a river cruise on the Black and White Amazon rivers via Iberostar (a Spanish tour company) a few years ago and it was the adventure of a lifetime, toped anything I have seen in Europe! I'm from Europe so maybe it's more exotic for me than for an American lol

South America is just as far from the USA as is Europe I think 😉

Good idea. We all should have a bucket list ranked by accessibility, because most of us will be in your shoes someday.

If you have not yet been to Greece, I would put Greek islands high on your list. As well as Ephesus and Cappadocia in Turkey.

And the Galápagos Islands.

Climbing to the rooftops/towers/terraces of cathedrals would be on my list: the rooftop of the Milan Duomo was the first that came to my mind.

African Safari
Walking part of England’s Coastal
Path
Walking in New Zealand
Machu Picchu
Northern Lights
Water Rafting through the Grand Canyon
Petra

Thanks!! I really appreciate hearing ideas!

We are planning the Swiss alps, Austrian Alps and Germany too, for hiking this summer!

I also thought about Machu Picchu as a possibility with my sister. Hubby prefers Europe and US.

We did Zion and Bryce a couple years ago, and since I’ve been now I realize those are not good for mobility issues!

National parks should be up on my list for the US

Hello Susan and Monte.
Your profile says you had trips planned for:
2013- England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France
2015- London & Cotswolds

Did you get to do these trips?
If not, I suggest a trip to London, the Cotswolds, other parts of England, and Wales.
There are lovely castles to explore. Exercise caution, because castles can have uneven stones to walk on and well-worn stairs. Two of the most impressive castles we've seen were in Wales--Conwy and Caernarfon--both on the Rick Steves England tour.

The Lake District of England is spectacular, and because of the walking involved, I would say see that very soon. Our base was in Keswick, a lovely mountain town by a lake, with great pubs, restaurants, hotels, and paths by the lake.

Closer to London, see Windsor Castle if you haven't already. There are some stairs, but they're in much better condition than the ones in the castles of Wales.

If I had not already seen it, Tower of London would be on my bucket list, as well as Westminster Abbey. Watch out in Westminster Abbey for one step up here and there, because that is a potential trip hazard. Tower of London has small circular staircases inside the turrets which would be difficult for you to manage after you have a cane, so if you can do it now, that would turn out better.

There are many small towns and cities in England that I could recommend. Salisbury, York and Canterbury are all lovely with some cobblestone streets. All have magnificent cathedrals. Happy to give more suggested destinations if and when you want them.

Best of luck traveling to complete your bucket list!
Best wishes to you!

Thank you!

Yes, I’ve been to London twice and the Cotswolds. I’d love to see the lakes regions.

Alaska and Glacier National Park as well as Lake Louise and Jasper in Canada I’m thinking need to be at the top of my US travels.

I understand my desires and experiences are different than others, but to hear ideas helps me come up with possibilities I hadn’t thought of. So, thank you!

I’ll add that every National Park has an individual website under the umbrella website www.nps.gov Each park has specific pages on accessibility so you can look and see how limited mobility could affect your trip.

I think your list is a great idea!!

Susan, could you be a bit more specific regarding what you found challenging at Zion and Bryce? At Zion, Riverside Walk and Pa’rus Trail there are both paved and essentially flat. At Bryce, the 1/2 mile section of Rim Trail between Sunset and Sunrise Points is paved, and paths to most of the overlooks from their parking areas shouldn't have been challenging either.

Not questioning AT ALL that you didn't have some difficulty; just wondering more about what caused you some trouble.

I'll assume you've been to the Grand Canyon South Rim? They've done a really good job with accessibility at that one. There are some unpaved but easier and very scenic walks at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah as well (Capitol Gorge, Grand Wash, Sunset Point, etc.) and the scenic drive is an eyeful. You might also enjoy the boardwalk along the petroglyphs in the park's Fruita district, as well as exploring the pioneer history of that area.

Well said, about following your heart. Thanks for that, David.

Kathy, I currently don’t have mobility issues, just lack of energy. But, according to some recent tests mobility will be a problem for me in the next couple years. When we did Bryce and Zion we hiked all over, did the narrows, etc and I was so happy to have done that since I don’t see those as possibilities if I had balance problems.

Thanks for the ideas! I really want a plan. Now, if I just had money and time to travel!

Susan, I know you guys have your favorite places and want to return to them. Is there anywhere you haven’t been that you will have regrets if you don’t get to them? David is right about following your heart. Our upcoming trips this year, with a total of 16 weeks of travel, will be mostly exploring places (though not countries) new to us, with a handful of places we are returning to. We never know if we can return. Since you are a good friend I’m willing to offer my services of luggage schlepper. All you have to do is pay my expenses. No extra charges because I’ll work for you for free. I know you will have a great time no matter what you decide.

I feel you and am so sorry you have to deal with this. I have mobility issues now that I did not have 3 years ago. Grateful that they can hopefully be partially reversed with knee replacements, but knowing I will never be 100% again.

My bucket list would be places were balance problems would be an issue. Moving slowly and using a cane are so very doable and not too limiting as far as getting around, sound like you will just need to give yourself more time. It may be frustrating at first but nothing wrong with slowing down, so much beauty to see and people to watch.

Hi Susan! Sorry to hear about your prognosis. Diane and we traveled to Europe a few times while she had pretty severe mobility problems. We would take frequent rest stops at benches, cafes and such. Once we even brought a wheelchair for an Austrian trip. Didn’t diminish our experience at all. We traveled slow. Sightseeing slow. In retrospect, we found we enjoyed the slower pace, met many more people, took plenty of time to chat with “locals” and soaked the ambience of the places we did get to visit. We wouldn’t have made these memorable experiences if we were “on the go”. I guess I’m trying to say it’s just a different perspective. And of course, go with your heart. It knows best.

Andrea, no, you can’t come along and carry luggage….ha ha!!

Thank you Paul! That’s a very positive perspective.

Maybe I’m really overthinking it, as usual. It’s hard to know what will be hard unless you are trying to do it. So, since I’m a control freak I’m trying to figure it all out! Or, maybe I’m just trying to find an excuse to travel more than we had planned?

No matter what Susan, we never let Diane disabilities keep us from traveling and enjoying our trips. Probably even more so for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

FYI. I can carry luggage better than anyone! You own private Porter!

Thanks Paul!

Well, Andrea offered to carry our luggage first, but she is a friend I have met, and you are a friend of maybe 15 years that I have never met… so you may win. But then again I think Monte will get there first!

Susan, how could you pick someone else? I’m crushed. I’m sure I’ll still be crying when I see you in a few hours. You’re coming aren’t you.

Yep!! I’ll bring some Kleenex :-)

Susan, so happy you got to do the Narrows, and it sounds like you hiked down into Bryce as well? Good for you!

I wouldn't do it in summer (too hot) but the Needles unit of Canyonlands n Utah is a 10-star part of that park for hikers. Would highly recommend at least doing the Chesler Park out-and-back; terrific landscapes! You can do add-ons to create a loop hike or two but if stamina is of concern (it does involve ups and downs) just C.P will do ya. It is a 6-mile RT. Needles is about a 70 minute drive from Moab.

The Island in the Sky Unit of Canyonlands is abt. 30 miles out of Moab, and the bonus is Dead Horse Point state park along the way. IITS has expansive views over a landscape that looks like a Grand Canyon under construction, and a fair amount of easy hikes to overlooks. DHP has an easy loop trail that pays off big time in more of those expansive views. Also near Moab is my personal favorite hike: Fisher Towers. Great one to pack a breakfast along to enjoy at trail's (lofty) end. It involves ups and downs as well.

Olympic National Park; Washington State. It has 4 very different ecosystems - Alpine, Rain Forest, Lowland Forest and Coastal - to explore, and trails ranging from flat and easy to long and strenuous. We loved the wild coastal beaches, as we live far from an ocean, but will admit that some (but not all) of those involved careful steps/crawls over large and unstable drift piles. Maybe you've already been to that one, though?

A bucket list of places to see is different for everyone. We've been to most major European city 4-5 times each, and all we're lacking is Lisbon, Portugal and the eastern side of the Adriatic--across from Venice.

My wife has had mobility issues the last 4 years, and it's not improving. She had a knee replacement and a dreaded mid foot fusion. She needs a replacement on the other knee now. She walks fine for short distances, but doesn't do well climbing steps.

One option for the mobility sensitive is to go on guided tours that are not marked for strenuous walking. Another option is to go on one of the fine cruises around Europe--or even a much more expensive river cruise. A third option is to travel from place to place by rental car--if you're capable of driving very well and navigating roads. The mobility challenged often have to use taxi's to get where they're going in cities--vs. walking so much.

My wife and I have gone on 4 major trips since she got a high quality folding electric travel scooter. She rides it through airports and all the way to the door of the airplane. I tow her 21" rolling bag and I use a backpack suitcase. We are self sufficient and don't require assistance of any kind. We just have to stay in hotels with elevators and pay attention to mass transit setup for handicapped. Some underground stations in London have elevators and some just have steps--for example.

We were fortunate to find an electric scooter on F/B Marketplace that was brand new in the box. A lady paid $2599 for it, and we paid $400 to the son in law after she passed. The thing is TSA approved and has a 10+ mile range--7 mph. Many out there are cheaper, but at one point you get what you pay for.
Our next trip is a Baltic cruise the end of May with a few days in London coming and going.

Thanks again for all the ideas!

Both hubby and I will make a list of all the places we'd like to see and then we'll put them in order of most difficult. But, like some of you have said, it doesn't mean I still couldn't go to those areas its just that we will accommodate, and I know thats ok, but I hope I can establish the more difficult places to go first.

I didn't even realize that Portugal is full of hills! That is a place Monte wants to go. He also wants to hike in Scotland, but I'm not sure how difficult that would be? I want to stay in Beynec, France and see the whole of Dordogne, again, not sure how hard that is? I want to see Provence while in Dordogne and I assume that isn't a problem area. Norway is on our list, maybe Iceland. Also, Christmas markets- is ice an issue? In what order would you rank these on a mobility scale? We are not big hikers but enjoy a few miles.

I want to go to Utah to the Canyonlands as well as Glacier/ Yellowstone and Lake Louise and Alaska. I'm not sure how much hiking I would do in Alaska since I don't want to get eaten by grizzly bears! I'm thinking we could do Glacier/Yellowstone and Canada all on the same long trip. I'll have to look up Washington area that was suggested. What order would you put these in as far as difficulty?

There are so many other places we want to go, but this is a start.

Thank you!

And, as many of you can already tell....I'm an over-thinker and over-analyzer!! If you combine that with a travel bug and doctor news it's a crazy combination! :-)

I would like to just chime in and offer thoughts on our experiences.

We travel with my now 15-year-old son who has mobility challenges. He walks, but slowly, and is not well-coordinated and tires easily. So, a few stairs are OK, but a long, uphill climb is too much, and uneven surfaces are very challenging. We travel with a special needs stroller for him to cover longer distances.

I will say that traveling with him has probably dramatically improved our overall experiences. We are forced to slow down and enjoy where we are, not just what we might have been racing to see. There is a lot of stopping to smell the roses, so to speak, and they smell pretty good.

We do need to plan more carefully than we might otherwise (although that's not a problem -- I am a planner!). So, scoping out accessibility, terrain, distances, transportation, etc., etc., is important so that we know we can get from point A to point B and still enjoy the journey. Lodgings for us always must have an elevator, and because we tend to spend more time in our lodgings than many vacationers (because we need rest breaks), I prioritize location, comfort, views, and outdoor spaces like balconies and terraces. We take taxis where others might choose to walk, and we use a lot of public transportation, which, in our experience, is nearly always very easy to navigate for people who are mobility challenged.

I will also add that people are so very, very helpful and kind. We have had countless offers of help along the way and accepted them gratefully when needed.

More specifically to address your original question regarding destinations: our toughest place so far has been Venice. All those old walkways and bridges are tough to navigate if your legs don't listen to your brain very well. However, I would go back, with my son, in a heartbeat. We learned very quickly to plan our routes to minimize the ups and downs and when in doubt, to grab a vaporetto. (at least, I learned this quickly.... my husband maybe not so much. He had an epic "journey" with my son one morning on his own that wound up with several people helping to hoist the stroller over the Accademia Bridge. I would have taken the vaporetto :-) )

All of this is to mostly say.... keep on traveling, even when you may have to do it a little differently than you're doing now. Your experiences will still be rich and memorable, and slowing down can be a blessing.

Yikes. Alberta isn't part of the US yet, although there's a faction of people here who act like it. (Referring to Jasper and Lake Louise, mentioned above. Both in Alberta, CANADA.)

Sorry to hear about your prognosis. I would say the Galapagos Islands and Peru (Machu Picchu) are both places we're glad we went to when we did, as we think they would be more difficult when we're older. An African Safari, on the other hand, would be quite doable. At least, the one we did in Namibia would have been, as it mainly involved being in a vehicle. But none of those are in Europe or the US, as you'd asked about.

In the US, I'm thinking Sedona, if you haven't been there. Hiking around the red rocks would be more challenging in future.

In Europe, I'm thinking hillier places, like Lisbon, for instance, would be more of a challenge, but not impossible.

Deb, We have a daughter who has traveled with us for years who has CP. We also used a wheelchair for her in bigger cities. We made it work. So, we can do that for me too as time goes on. I agree Venice is challenging! I recall when we went there my daughter was still walking pretty well so we did ok, but I remember those bridges! Glad I have already done Venice but I still would love to go back. I also remember Cinque Terre and how you really don't know how steep terrain can be until you go and find out! Those are the things I really want to know so I can plan a do now trip!

BB, yes, I know I was talking about Canada :-) So many places I want to go!!

Thank you all for the input!

So you’ve given up on Portugal? I think you’d really enjoy Dordogne and Provence. Fly into Bordeaux and out of Marseille or Nice if you want to spend a couple of days there, or visa versa. If you fly into Nice you could wait a day or two to pick up your car so Monte isn’t driving jet lagged. I’ve got some guidebooks that you might want to see. Let me know. Is this for May?

I’m trying to nail down the hubby! So many different considerations. He also says he doesn’t want regrets not hiking in Scotland.

So, maybe Portugal, maybe Scotland, possible Dordogne/Provence and possibly Moab in Utah. Or… possibly just not add another trip this year and do local short trips ( sounds boring! Ha ha!)

I haven’t found great flights and my fatigue is a consideration. I’m not very well today so current planning is at a stand still. But, I think I can plan a trip in a day or two!! :-)

I WOULD recommend going to Lake Louise soon, though, and here's why. Lake Louise can be a zoo, and often, in summer, if you are not at the parking lot by 6:00 a.m., you're out of luck. And even if you can get there (e.g. with a shuttle from Banff or a farther away parking lot), it's so crowded, it's not enjoyable. We've taken advantage of the Covid situation to go there a couple of times, just slightly out of season on a weekday, without huge crowds. The huge tour buses with travellers from overseas haven't been there throughout Covid, which helps. If you could get there this year, tourism might not have returned to full capacity yet, and it would probably be more enjoyable.

Lake Louise is gorgeous but has become a victim of its own popularity.