hello;
my adult children are against my planned extended stay trip to the united
kingdom. they have vision of their dad being mugged or murdered because
i am disabled and traveling alone. they keep telling me that i will be an
easy target.
is there any thing that i am able to say to them to relieve their worst
fears?
terry
As long as you use normal cautions and do not go to "bad" areas, you will be fine. Safer there than in NY or DC or Atlanta or Chicago. Do not say out after 11:00 or so. Stay in a hotel that has 24 hour services, etc.
Where in UK do you want to go? Makes a lot of difference where. Scotland and Wales in general is better than London, for example. Not that London is bad, but it has more areas that are suspect if going by self. Can you walk a bit. That makes a big difference.
I understand both points of view. I would be concerned about my dad but would want to travel if I were in your situation. The link below will take you to a page with listings of UK websites devoted to traveling with disabilities.
http://www.gimponthego.com/dest20e.htm
Here's a suggestion: Travel to your hotel from the airport by taxi (most expensive but maybe easiest)and take day tours from there. You won't need a traveling companion but this should ease your children's fears. Get a copy of RS Europe Through the Back Door. It has a few pages devoted to traveling alone with disabilities as well as several resources for additional information. Good luck!
Rick Steves has a book called Easy Access Europe for disabled travelers. I looked for it in the Travel Store but couldn't find it. Perhaps a new one will be released soon. Maybe you could find one at the library or used through Amazon.com.
Just steer wide of groups of teenagers, CHAVS, ASBOs, etc especially on Fri/Sat/Holiday nights, they can be quite...._____, and use basic traveling sense. I think you'll be fine in the mugging regard.
Also, there is just not a lot of violent crime in the UK compared to the US. You're much safer there than here statistically. Most British police don't even carry guns.
Access may be frustrating. However - most sites will take the time if you call them to tell you what accessible facilities they have, and what's really usable. (Bit more valuable than the web sites in my experience.)
Do you travel in the United States? You won't have a language barrier, and I really don't think that the UK is any more dangerous than the US. The only concern is getting home if you have an accident. Pay for the insurance and go.
PAm
