Accessible & active vacations must exist?
March 21, 2018 8:11 AM Subscribe
Seeking vacation ideas that are active, engaging, and wheelchair-accessible. Bonus points for trips within driving distance from the Pacific Northwest.
I'm hoping to put together some ideas for vacations for my parents and/or family (no kids, youngest potential attendee is 18).
Parents prefer active, engaging vacations. Beaches and luxury are not particularly interesting to them. The parent who uses a wheelchair is particularly into physically engaging activities. Before the wheelchair, they particularly loved scuba diving and snowboarding; finding accessible alternatives to their hobbies has been the biggest adjustment for them. The other parent really enjoys culture-oriented travel (art, museums, history, ruins, castles, etc.) and the first parent is happy to join along with that.
I recognize that cruises and resorts are probably the most likely to be clearly accessible, but they have their reservations about that, particularly for the aforementioned distaste for beaches and luxury. Alaskan cruises are specifically out as apparently Alaska is been-there-done-that. Both parents are in their early 50s and would not enjoy the pace of a senior-oriented tour group.
The parent who uses a wheelchair has not flown since their health issues started and is nervous about flying (especially when it comes to logistical things like bathroom access), so long-distance travel maybe isn't ideal. That said, they may be willing to give it a shot for an awesome destination so I wouldn't rule it out. They are in Seattle so trips within driving- and train-accessible distances would be particularly interesting (far drives or even road trips would be fine). That said, they've lived in the area for decades and have been to all of the major cities and most of the obvious tourist destinations (national parks, etc.) within a few hours' driving distance many times - I'm hoping for something a little more novel than Portland or Victoria.
Cost is a consideration, of course, but it'd be good to get an idea of all that is out there, so no specific budget constraints. Any season is fine.
(I also welcome all other information and resources for traveling with accessibility needs, as it's a new challenge for my parent and I'd really like to find them something they can enjoy.)
I'm hoping to put together some ideas for vacations for my parents and/or family (no kids, youngest potential attendee is 18).
Parents prefer active, engaging vacations. Beaches and luxury are not particularly interesting to them. The parent who uses a wheelchair is particularly into physically engaging activities. Before the wheelchair, they particularly loved scuba diving and snowboarding; finding accessible alternatives to their hobbies has been the biggest adjustment for them. The other parent really enjoys culture-oriented travel (art, museums, history, ruins, castles, etc.) and the first parent is happy to join along with that.
I recognize that cruises and resorts are probably the most likely to be clearly accessible, but they have their reservations about that, particularly for the aforementioned distaste for beaches and luxury. Alaskan cruises are specifically out as apparently Alaska is been-there-done-that. Both parents are in their early 50s and would not enjoy the pace of a senior-oriented tour group.
The parent who uses a wheelchair has not flown since their health issues started and is nervous about flying (especially when it comes to logistical things like bathroom access), so long-distance travel maybe isn't ideal. That said, they may be willing to give it a shot for an awesome destination so I wouldn't rule it out. They are in Seattle so trips within driving- and train-accessible distances would be particularly interesting (far drives or even road trips would be fine). That said, they've lived in the area for decades and have been to all of the major cities and most of the obvious tourist destinations (national parks, etc.) within a few hours' driving distance many times - I'm hoping for something a little more novel than Portland or Victoria.
Cost is a consideration, of course, but it'd be good to get an idea of all that is out there, so no specific budget constraints. Any season is fine.
(I also welcome all other information and resources for traveling with accessibility needs, as it's a new challenge for my parent and I'd really like to find them something they can enjoy.)
Adventures without Limits may be able to help you. Either on a 'public' trip, or create your own private adventure trip. (They're based outside of Portland, Oregon.)
There are also a few wheelchair-focused lifestyle magazines. You may want to check their sites for advertisers catering to travelers. New Mobility and Push Living are two options.
Flying with a wheelchair isn't too bad, but using the restroom depends on whether they can walk at all once on the plane. If not, then it's best to avoid liquids and wait to go until they're on the ground. If they can't walk, but can stand to transfer to a seat, I recommend Southwest Air for ease of getting on the plane. You can generally get a wheelchair right up to the first row of the aircraft and transfer to the seat without using an aisle chair. (Southwest has no first class section.)
There are many, many blogs from people traveling in wheelchairs. Your parent may want to read some of those to help them realize that many other people have done this before them. And they may get some ideas from the blogs.
posted by hydra77 at 9:59 AM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
There are also a few wheelchair-focused lifestyle magazines. You may want to check their sites for advertisers catering to travelers. New Mobility and Push Living are two options.
Flying with a wheelchair isn't too bad, but using the restroom depends on whether they can walk at all once on the plane. If not, then it's best to avoid liquids and wait to go until they're on the ground. If they can't walk, but can stand to transfer to a seat, I recommend Southwest Air for ease of getting on the plane. You can generally get a wheelchair right up to the first row of the aircraft and transfer to the seat without using an aisle chair. (Southwest has no first class section.)
There are many, many blogs from people traveling in wheelchairs. Your parent may want to read some of those to help them realize that many other people have done this before them. And they may get some ideas from the blogs.
posted by hydra77 at 9:59 AM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Wheelchair-accessible RVs are a thing. Maybe research what's available to rent in your area and plan a road trip through some national parks? The Southwest is where I'd go. Lots of amazing scenery that can be accessed from a chair, RV-based camping options, etc.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:35 PM on March 21, 2018
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:35 PM on March 21, 2018
Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado is breathtaking and has special wheelchairs with inflatable wheels to keep the dunes fully accessible. It's a great place to camp out for a few days and explore.
posted by ananci at 2:55 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 2:55 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Following this with interest. I can recommend the book 101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers as an overview, but would probably recommend looking at blogs for more specific ideas and details of the logistics.
Grand Canyon National Park does have a rim trail that is paved, but most of their trails would require full mobility (not to mention a certain degree of overall physical fitness).
posted by gemutlichkeit at 4:01 PM on March 21, 2018
Grand Canyon National Park does have a rim trail that is paved, but most of their trails would require full mobility (not to mention a certain degree of overall physical fitness).
posted by gemutlichkeit at 4:01 PM on March 21, 2018
I cannot say enough good things about Wilderness Inquiry. I have been on several trips - there have been people of varying abilities on all of them. The staff is trained to accommodate those in wheelchairs (there were a few people who used wheelchairs at a dogsled trip in the Boundary Waters), those with varying physical limitations (there was a young woman with Cerebral Palsy on a 5-day kayak trip I took several years ago), those who are neuro-atypical, and so forth. They even let a PCA come along for free if you need one. And these are not all light trips. There are some shorter, lodge-based trips but most of them involve tenting it. In the past they have offered 20-day backcountry paddling trips in Yukon and they take groups to Maccu Piccu. They are really great to work with, so if you've got questions about a particular trip, they'll be happy to answer.
Seriously, these folks are great.
posted by Elly Vortex at 6:32 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Seriously, these folks are great.
posted by Elly Vortex at 6:32 PM on March 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
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