Table Of ContentThe definitiveguide for accessible travel. H
Barrier-Free Travel A
R
R
I
N
A Nuts And Bolts Guide For Wheelers And Slow Walkers, 2nd Edition G
T
By Candy Harrington O
N
B
“The Bible for barrier-free travel.”
a
— Christopher Elliott, Ticked.com July 2002
r
r
“In addition to helping those in wheelchairs enjoy vacationing, Barrier i AA NNuuttss aanndd BBoollttss GGuuiiddee
e
Free Travel also is a handy resource for scooter-users, slow-walkers,
r
travel agents and libraries.” — The Courier News ffoorr WWhheeeelleerrss
-
F
“The depth of research and painstakingly careful documentation in this r aanndd SSllooww WWaallkkeerrss
book are particularly useful.” — Jane Gershaw, Inside MS e
e
Find and bookan accessible room, cruise, ground transportation, and T
overseas travel. Learn your disability laws and rights, locate the right
r
travel agent, protect your wheelchair when you travel, and be ready for a SSeeccoonndd EEddiittiioonn
the changes in security that affect the way you maneuver through airports.
v
All this and much more is available in Barrier-Free Travel, the definitive guide
e
to accessible travel for those who use a wheelchair, walker, cane, or who
l
have other mobility limitations. And, back by popular demand, is a greatly
expanded section on cruises, new material on children’s travel issues, and
AA
global resources. nd N
Su
Authored by the editor of Emerging Horizons, the leading travel magazine lots
w A
for people with disabilities, Barrier-Free Travelcontains essential logistical infor- Wn
d
mation—not just common-sense tips. Because of the uncertainty involved in alk Bo
erlt
travel, people who need access accommodations need thoughtful, reliable ss
, 2 G
information, and this one-of-a-kind book delivers it in a clear and engaging way. nu
d Eide
dit Fo The Definitive Guide to
ionr W
Cover design: Reyman Studio h
ee Accessible Travel
Demos Medical Publishing ler
s
386 Park Avenue South, Suite 201
New York, New York 10016
ISBN 1-932603-09-3
51995
www.demosmedpub.com CCaannddyy HHaarrrriinnggttoonn
E
A
N
$19.95 ISBN 1-932603-09-3
9 781932 603095
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Barrier-Free
Travel
A Nuts and Bolts Guide
for Wheelers
and Slow-Walkers
Candy Harrington
Photographs by Charles Pannell
Demos Medical Publishing
386 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016, USA
© 2005 by Demos Medical Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. This book is
protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
Designed and produced by Reyman Studio
Visit our website at www.demosmedpub.com
http://www.demosmedicalpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Harrington, Candy.
Barrier-free travel : a nuts and bolts guide for wheelers and slow-walkers
/ Candy Harrington ; photographs by Charles Pannell.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-932603-09-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. People with disabilities—Travel. 2. Barrier-free design. I. Title.
HV3022.H37 2005
910'.87—dc22
2005000758
Dedication
To Charles
Contents
Preface
It’s Still a Jungle Out There . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
1. Up, Up, and Away
Air Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2. On a Wing and a Prayer
Protecting Your Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
3. Other Air Travel Issues
Beyond Wheelchairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4. Getting Around on the Ground . . . . . . . . 57
5. We Will Ride
Bus Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
6. All Aboard
Train Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
7. Finding the Right Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
8. Taking the Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
9. So You Want to Get Off the Ship?
Cruise Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
10. When Things Go Wrong . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
11. Beyond the USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
12. The Travel Agent
Friend or Foe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
13. Shopping the Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
14. Accessible Recreation
A World of Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
15. Budget Travel
Is It Really Possible? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
16. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
vi barrier-free travel
Acknowledgments
A
project like this doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so
indeed there are many people to thank. However, in
keeping with my own personal tradition, I’ll keep it
short and sweet and offer a special word of thanks
to the following folks:
To Diana Schneider for making things happen.
To Connie George (recently promoted to PB) for keeping me
on my toes and offering valuable input. I couldn’t have complet-
ed the cruise or travel agent chapters without you.
To Bonnie Lewkowicz for generously sharing her resources
and contacts. You set a great professional example.
To Scott Rains for making me think outside the box and for
introducing me to Beans Around The World. You added insight
and levity to my life.
To the hundreds of Emerging Horizons readers who shared
their experiences, hints, and resources with me over the years.
I’ve tried to incorporate them all in this book so that they’ll be
useful to others.
And most importantly, to Charles Pannell for his support,
input, and wonderful photos. This book truly is a collaborative
effort between us, as Charles is my best critic and greatest inspi-
ration. Not only did he give me many ideas, but he also helped me
gently realize when some of my own were fatally flawed. I know
it’s not easy to shoot access photos, but Charles did a great job, in
spite of my constant “input.”
viii barrier-free travel
Preface
It’s Still a Jungle Out There!
F
our years ago, when I penned the first edition of this
book, I began with the proclamation, “It’s a jungle out
there.” Obviously, I was talking about barrier-free travel
and my point was that, because of the chaos and uncer-
tainty involved in travel, people who need access accom-
modations really need reliable information. In fact that was the
whole purpose of my book—to give readers tools and resources to
prepare for their journey.
Looking back on things, the book did that job quite nicely. In
fact, one reviewer even referred to it as “the Bible for barrier-free
travel.” So, why the need for a second edition if the first one was
so darn great? Good question.
Times changes and so do attitudes, resources, and rules. It’s
still a jungle out there, but it’s a more accessible jungle today. In
part, this improvement is due to the increased availability of
access information and resources, many of which I have includ-
ed in this second edition. Some access-related rules and regula-
tions have also changed in the past four 4 years. Those updates
are included as well.
Airport security procedures have also drastically changed in
the past four 4 years. In fact you could say that September 11 for-
ever changed the way we travel. With that in mind, this second
edition includes information about security procedures and how
they apply to wheelchair-users and slow walkers.
Due to popular demand, this edition also includes an expanded
cruise chapter.
And let’s not forget the kids. Last year I was asked to pen the
accessible travel chapter for Kids on Wheels, a book about dis-
Description:Authored by the editor of the leading travel magazine for people with disabilities, Emerging Horizons, this second edition of Barrier Free Travel continues to be the definitive guide to accessible travel for those who use a wheelchair, walker, or cane or have any physical ailment that may slow down
