It’s that time of year when every other TV advert is for a wonderful summer holiday. The Sunday papers spill out extra pamphlets about cruises and villas and holiday adventures the world over. So, how does all that square with you? Can you still travel with your mobility aid? Of course you can.
It’s true that using a wheelchair does make travel trickier. You will need to put in some planning and also let the various transport companies know you are a wheelchair user, but, with lightweight wheelchairs, travel is eminently possible. If you’ve never tried to go on holiday before, you might want to look into getting the perfect wheelchair for your travels from us at Karma Mobility, UK suppliers of lightweight wheelchairs.
Travel to the airport
How are you going to get to the airport? If you don’t own a car, you can probably find a taxi that has space for lightweight wheelchairs. Ring around a few and ask what their set rate is for travel to your local airport. It will probably be cheaper than leaving your car in the car park anyway. If you’re planning on getting there by train or bus, do check ahead to find out how wheelchair accessible the transport is.
Travelling by plane
Lots of people with mobility challenges fly every day, so your airport and airline will have a policy in place to assist you. You can check it out online, and sort out any assistance in advance. For example, you can get:
- Priority check-in. No need to queue, and if you’re not taking hold luggage, you can check in online and miss the queues altogether
- Help getting to your departure gate. A motorised buggy to whizz you and your travel companions to your gate, which can often be a remarkably long distance away, especially in big international airports
- Seats with extra leg room. You can arrange to be seated in bulkhead seats, giving you more space to manoeuvre (take your earplugs though as this is often where they put parents with babies)
- The airport’s wheelchair. Check in your wheelchair for free and use one provided by the airport. Someone will meet you with a wheelchair when it’s time to disembark.
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