Paraquad’s Guide to Traveling with a Disability

Whether close to home or across the sea, travel is an opportunity to experience the world from a new perspective. But for people with disabilities, planning accessible vacations may involve added considerations. Before we hit peak travel season, the Paraquad team broke down a few things to think about when traveling with a disability. 

Planning Accessible Vacations

When planning your trip, research will be your best friend. Look into hotels and rental properties with ADA-compliant rooms. The law requires hotels, motels and beyond to have mobility and communication features throughout all levels of rooms — and amenities such as swimming pools, exercise facilities and playgrounds should also be accessible. For a full list of features to look out for when booking accessible vacations, visit the ADA’s website. 

Accessible transportation will also be a top consideration if you are not planning on bringing your own vehicle. For example, if you’re focused on wheelchair-friendly vacations, you may want to research how you will get to and from the airport. You may need to find rental companies that have accessible vans or public transportation options with wheelchair access.

Making Reservations 

When planning a trip, most people want to go to a destination with many activities available. Before traveling with a disability, take extra time to ensure that there are a good amount of accessible attractions nearby. This could be scenic paved trails, sensory-friendly museums, accessible amusement parks and beyond. Websites like WheelchairTravel.org provide insight into the accessibility of popular attractions. 

For example, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is considered a disability-friendly location. Many beaches in the area offer free beach wheelchairs. Beyond that, the city has many multiple disability-friendly attractions fit for accessible vacations, such as Ripley’s Aquarium, Cherry Grove Pier, SkyWheel and Savannah’s Playground. 

Packing Your Bags

One of the most important parts of traveling with a disability is ensuring that you have everything you need for the duration of the trip. You will likely pack things like changes of clothes, but people with disabilities may need more specific items throughout their stay.

We recommend checking that you pack things like:

• Collapsible mobility aids 

• Foldable shower chairs

• Medical equipment

• Medical identification 

• Medications

If your accessible vacations involve traveling on a boat or plane, there is a small chance that your luggage may be misplaced. You may want to bring essential items with you on the plane to prevent this or bring extra medications in case there are delays. If all else fails, you may want to preemptively scope out locations where you can fill prescriptions or buy replacement equipment.

Find Independence with Paraquad

Travel shouldn’t be considered a luxury. Instead, it should be considered a valuable experience that we share at one point or another. Traveling with a disability is just one way to embrace your sense of independence — but there are so many other ways to explore all that life has to offer. 

At Paraquad, we believe there is more than one path to independence, and we’re here to help you find yours. For more about living with a disability, visit Paraquad’s blog for weekly resources and information.