OK, so I know what you are going to say. “Well you must have money to be traveling to all of those places.” No. I am not independently wealthy, a trust fund brat, or even middle class. Plain truth -- I and my wife were low paid mall employees when we decided to do our first Disneyland vacation. If you really want a trip badly enough you can find many little ways to scrounge the money. It might not be a chi-chi trip but really a room is just a place to sleep when you are not out enjoying yourself. My wife and I each tightened the belt. We started the week with $20 spending money and whatever was left at the end of the week went into a savings account -- by the time of the trip we had a good start. It wasn't always easy (there are always DVDs or books that we wanted) but we kept our eyes on the trip.
And we had a great time. We stayed off property at the Best Western on Katella (where I learned not all shower benches are created equal) that had a short walk to the IHOP (cheap breakfast that lasted until mid afternoon). We brought our own snacks from home (trail mix, granola bars, etc.) and saved tons of money on drinks by bringing refillable water bottles with filters. We also made the most of our souvenir money by choosing a few special pieces (for us, one great memento is a piece of artwork or print that we can display in our home -- daily reminders of some great trips!).
Not every trip has to be exotic or upscale. Budget trips can be every bit as fun. Or you can just start with day trips or overnight trips. Don't let there be a barrier in the way. There will always be a reason you can't do something . Try making a reason that you CAN do something.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Have Wheels Will Travel
Hi! My name is Jacob and I am starting this blog to assist and explain the joys of traveling with mobility impairments, medical conditions, and the plain old fun of being just shy of your run of the mill passenger. I have much experience in traveling domestically and have just recently dipped my toe in the international travel waters.
"What makes him the big expert in disabled travel?"
Well let me just give you a bit of information about myself. I am 33 years old and have been paralyzed and in a wheelchair since I was 12. I am married and I have a great little Dachshund (Maxie). I have done tons of domestic travel both before and after being paralyzed so I know what both sides of the coin will be going through when traveling. Whether it be a road trip to California, or a cross country flight and cruise, I (and my wife on the latter trip) have done much in learning the right questions, which websites, and who has the best reputations when it comes to accessibility. Not that all of our trips were ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. We worked around that and had great times on all of our trips.
"What is the biggest tip you can share?"
OK, in a perfect world we all would be able to do everything that we wanted. The biggest tip I can give you is this. Know your limits. If you want to ride a roller coaster know that you will have to get in, get settled and strapped in, and get out in a small amount of time. Most places do their best to give REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION. That does not mean that you will be able to do everything or experience everything. It also doesn't mean that the rest of your group should miss out if you can't do something. The trick is to find a destination that has something that you all have interest in both together and separately.
"Whats in it for you?"
I do not work for (or in) any of the places that I recommend. I get no kick backs or comps that are not already available to the general public. I am doing this because my wife and I have had the frustrations of trying to find information or secrets of traveling to new places. I want to assist people in having knowledge about a trip before you go on it. Or to know where you can find the information. After all knowledge is power!
"Where have you traveled?"
I have traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest of the United States (day trips and extended stay trips), I have traveled to California (via ground and air), Hawaii, Florida, Oregon, Nevada, and British Columbia (Canada), St Maarten/St Martin, St Thomas, and the Bahamas. I hope to pass along secrets that I have amassed in those travels. I hope that you find this helpful and maybe a little enjoyable.
Keep your eyes peeled for pictures from past and future trips.
Enjoy!!
"What makes him the big expert in disabled travel?"
Well let me just give you a bit of information about myself. I am 33 years old and have been paralyzed and in a wheelchair since I was 12. I am married and I have a great little Dachshund (Maxie). I have done tons of domestic travel both before and after being paralyzed so I know what both sides of the coin will be going through when traveling. Whether it be a road trip to California, or a cross country flight and cruise, I (and my wife on the latter trip) have done much in learning the right questions, which websites, and who has the best reputations when it comes to accessibility. Not that all of our trips were ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. We worked around that and had great times on all of our trips.
"What is the biggest tip you can share?"
OK, in a perfect world we all would be able to do everything that we wanted. The biggest tip I can give you is this. Know your limits. If you want to ride a roller coaster know that you will have to get in, get settled and strapped in, and get out in a small amount of time. Most places do their best to give REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION. That does not mean that you will be able to do everything or experience everything. It also doesn't mean that the rest of your group should miss out if you can't do something. The trick is to find a destination that has something that you all have interest in both together and separately.
"Whats in it for you?"
I do not work for (or in) any of the places that I recommend. I get no kick backs or comps that are not already available to the general public. I am doing this because my wife and I have had the frustrations of trying to find information or secrets of traveling to new places. I want to assist people in having knowledge about a trip before you go on it. Or to know where you can find the information. After all knowledge is power!
"Where have you traveled?"
I have traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest of the United States (day trips and extended stay trips), I have traveled to California (via ground and air), Hawaii, Florida, Oregon, Nevada, and British Columbia (Canada), St Maarten/St Martin, St Thomas, and the Bahamas. I hope to pass along secrets that I have amassed in those travels. I hope that you find this helpful and maybe a little enjoyable.
Keep your eyes peeled for pictures from past and future trips.
Enjoy!!
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