One week from travel.

Usually about a week before we travel we have several things that we like to complete. We verify that there will be a vehicle with hand controls with the car rental agency (see previous post on renting vehicles with hand controls). We do a pre-pack, this might seem unnecessary but trust me it is much better than being in line and being told that your bags are to heavy or won't fit in the machine. Plus it gives us an ideal if we are missing anything (sun block, specific clothing, and the like). Sure you can buy it there, but if you are going to check a bag any way might as well bring stuff you already have. We also make sure to contact our bank, and credit card company to let them know we will be traveling. They will put a travel alert on the card so that you do not have to worry about your card getting refused (plus it is nice to know if my card is used somewhere I am not traveling it will trip the travel warning).

I also like to bone up on the travel books. Also plug travel sites like Frommer's, or Lonely Planet or download APPS into my smart phone. This will save you in the long run if there is a specific place you wanted to go, without you looking like a total tourist (which you are).

I get really excited (and stressed) about this point so these steps are nice to be able to focus on and it keeps me from missing things. Now the count down is really on.

Leave the driving to ART

I have not used the Anaheim Resort Transit system in my previous trips to the Disneyland Resorts because it was not set up as user friendly as it is now. The cost of gas going up must have made the folks of Orange County rethink mass transportation because from what I have been able to see it looks pretty manageable to use. Most all buses use Disneyland or the Anaheim Garden walk as a hub and do loops to and from the shopping center to the parks and back (they also make trips to the stadiums, convention center, and the Block at Orange , another large shopping complex). This allows you some away time when you get that bit of claustrophobia that is common when dealing with large crowds.

I think I will like it because I can hop the bus at Disneyland, ride comfortably to Target or Safeway, pick up some bottled water or snacks for the room (I get the craving for fruit or healthy-ish snacks after a day of park food) that won't make me need to take a mortgage on my house. All the buses are wheelchair accessible and if further assistance is needed they have other accommodations to help by calling them up. Prices seem to be reasonable as they sell passes for 1-5 days (1 day=$4, 3 day=$10, and 5 day=$16) and there are kiosks to purchase them at most of the major stops (Disneyland being one of them).

The ART web page is easy to navigate and has a good map, although you may want to print it out because otherwise you have to view it through a tiny window and don't get the whole map at one time. Our plan is to check this out on the trip and I will let you know any pros or cons to using this instead of, or in addition to, renting a car.

Free to Be

It's a funny thing, vacation. You save up your money, you plan, you research, and then when you finally get to your destination, almost inevitably there's someone in your group who will say "So this is it?". That's when you need to think about activities you can do in addition to the primary purpose or destination of your vacation.

I've done a lot of trips, and we've done a lot of research. The one thing that I'm proud to say is that when we do a destination trip, such as our upcoming Disneyland vacation, we usually have researched the subject enough to have come up with some alternative ideas, in the event we get restless. You may think that there's nothing else to do in the greater Anaheim area, but that's not the case.

If you decide you've just had enough of the parks (and who doesn't get to that point, sooner or later), you can rent a car and in less than an hour be on a beautiful sandy beach overlooking the ocean. You can head to San Diego for history, or LA for glamour. You can catch some nature by exploring the state parks in the area, and maybe get a little outdoor recreation in too.

Citysearch.com is a great tool in these instances, and it's something that you can access easily at the last minute, even while you're away. If you don't want to bring a laptop or smart phone, check with the concierge at your hotel -- you might get some suggestions that only a local would know. Talk to other vacationers or staff members. What are their favorite places to go when they are in town, or in the area? Where do they like to eat, that is off the beaten path? They may not initially want to share their "secrets" with you, but if you're polite (and persistent) you may find some hidden gems.

In short, be open to being spontaneous. While traveling with a disability requires pre-planning and research, it does not require an itinerary that is set in stone. Be flexible and have fun -- this is your vacation after all, and you've definitely earned it!

Expect the unexpected.

#3. If you have any dependency on any type of mobility device (i.e. wheelchair, walker, crutches, cane, or anything else I might have missed) you should practice the boyscout motto: Always be prepared. Even if it is just having printed out a list of medical supply dealers near your destination that can do repairs.

I have learned this the hard way as on not one but two separate occasions I have had wheelchair issues. My last one was a simple flat tire. Simple if you are at home with your vehicle in the driveway and your spare chair in the garage. Not so simple when you are getting ready to go see the fireworks and have a nice meal. Luckily I was at a great and amenable hotel who made every effort to assist me in-house trying to inflate my deflated tire. When that failed they quickly looked up a repair place and hooked me up with one of the park,s loaners (which was shall we say a love seat on wheels--I only if I had a picture to show you, too funny).

This was the point where I said never again will I be stuck in a horseless chariot as my small, zippy chair gets a chance to see California without me. I now travel with 2 spare inner tubes, a tire-changing kit (available at a local bike shop), compressed air tire inflator (have you tried to fully inflate an inner tube lately? much more difficult than you would think), a few Allen wrenches, a screwdriver, replacement screws (if known what sizes), and a travel sewing kit. It may seem like overkill to have all of that taking up valuable luggage real estate but if you need it you will feel like a super-genius for having it (if only those Wile E. Coyote cartoons were real -- you could just dial Acme and in 5 seconds it would arrive).

Just remember one thing I have learned over the years. If it can happen it will, and usually at the most inopportune moment. With just a little preparation you can combat the gremlins that want to wreck your vacation.