Travelers of Size

Travelinbinky,
I have been to all the cities that you are seeing except for Brussells. I found the accomadations similar to home. My husband is 6'6 so he is effected by the smaller beds. For one person a full size is fine, but for the two of us it is a bit cozy. The toughtest part is the flying. I am a average sized woman 5'4, and it is still tight for me too. The bathrooms are normal, they are just harder to find and most of them you have to pay for. You may want to start walking to get ready for your trip. Make sure to take comfortable shoes because of all the cobblestone streets. I hope you have a fun trip and don't let others bother you.

My husband is tall too, so bed lengths are a problem. Need to find rooms that don't have foot-boards on the ends of the beds. In most of the restaurants/brauhaus'/pubs there are usually benches that you can sit on, so there's lots of room. Many chairs also don't have arms, so they will be more comfortable. Bathrooms can be tight as space is limited, but I'm sure they'll be workable for you. We love Europe, and we saw people of all sizes -- don't sweat it. Have fun!

Thanks for your words of encouragement. Unless you are a person of size, you can't imagine what a person like me goes through just to have the courage to travel. I might cry all the way to my destination on the flight, but once I'm there I can enjoy myself. I plan to enjoy myself to the fullest in Europe.

TravelinBinky, a few other points for you to consider. If your budget will allow, it might be a good idea to choose larger Hotel chains, as they will more likely have larger rooms and facilities. I've found that in many of the budget Hotels and B&B's in Europe, the Showers are about 3' x 3' so there's not a lot of room to move around.

In my experience, the width of airline seating can be a challenge too. On my last flight to Europe, the passenger in the seat beside me kept complaining that I was "intruding" into her space. Unfortunately, it was my shoulders that were the problem as they're a bit wide; there wasn't much I could do about that. You might want to choose an aisle seat, as that provides one side with no seat mate and it's also easier to get up and stretch the legs. The disadvantage is the risk of getting "bumped" by other passengers walking by, or by the food cart.

Good luck and happy travels!

Hi. I flew from Chicago to Frankfurt a few years ago, can't remember what airline, and they had a handicapped toilet on board. Never saw one before, and I LOVED it. I'm not really big, but it was great to have room to turn around in, as we all know those plane toilets are made for children :) Might want to check planes for this option, figure it's not all planes,maybe only ones with "handicapped" seats.

TravelinBinky,, first , don't let anyone deter you from having a great time!!
I am an average sized person, and I find airline seats and airline bathrooms to be tight for me. I can imagine for a larger person they would be horrible. I say this not to discourage you, but to let you know its not YOU , its THEM.. in other words, only an adult under 5 feet 90 lbs , or a child , is bound to ve even remotely comfortable with these tiny places. So if you feel you have to sqeeze yourself in,, don't be too upset, we all feel like that on planes,, unless we can fly first class!! I strongly recommend you look into flying a premium economy class if you can get one on the airline you are using, it is not like first class, its basically economy with a few extra inches, but it is a blessing on long flights.

I find alot of places are tight in Europe, but, keep in mind, everything is so old, I mean buildings made over 75 years ago tend to have smaller narrower stairs and smaller rooms , especially true in big old cities like Paris where space is at a premium. I mean anyone who has been to Paris and not stayed at a big luxe chain hotel will be able to tell you tales of elevators so small only one person fits in them( often these elevators were retro fitted so had to be sqeezed in places where there may have only been a linen closet before, LOL ) or rooms so tight that when you open the door you have to climb over the bed to get to the other side of the room, so ,try not to take it personally.

Go, see history and have fun!

As a fellow female traveler of size and traveling alone. I had to reply. I have been on holiday in Europe since July 2008 and will not be back to home until January 2009. I have traveled to England, Spain, Italy & Germany. I am currently in Switzerland. I will also go to Austria and France. Yes, I have a stares, and yes I have cried a few times but I stucked it up and kept going. I am having the time of my life. It was one of the best decision to do. It was expensive but worth it. Happy Travels.

Feel free to drop me a private message.

TravelinBinky, I have traveled with a person of size. We had a great time. It's all in the attitude.
Never a problem with beds but there have been a few bathrooms and showers that were tiny tiny tiny. I remember a shower in Bath (no pun intended) where an average size person like me had difficulty. I also remember another one in Murten, Switzerland. The older hotels may have the teeny tiny baths. So the person (above) who suggested more modern hotels gave good advice. Have fun!