Summer is all about traveling! I have been traveling bit in the last few weeks, and of course not without some speed bumps! Who doesn’t hit speed bumps when traveling, especially if you have mobility needs that are out of the norm?
Two weeks ago, I was all set to visit a friend in Philly. It’s about an hour and a half away by car from where I live. My mom and I were cruising along- we had about 30 minutes to go- when we suddenly got a flat tire!
Luckily, AAA came to our rescue quickly and put the spare tire on so we could safely drive home. This story yields a few travel tips/thoughts. It pays to have AAA. If you are a wheelchair user, you likely cannot travel easily in cars that are not your own. In other words, you most likely can’t call an uber to pick you up on the side of the road if you get a flat tire. Thus, AAA can be a lifeline, keeping your accessible car functional. Even further, your AAA account follows you, so even if you’re in a different car or with a different driver, you are still covered.
Last weekend, I was with my mom traveling to Martha’s Vineyard, an island off of Cape Cod in MA. You must take a ferry to get there, which definitely complicates the trip. We drove onto the ferry, only to be instructed to drive off minutes later- the trip had been canceled due to a horrific rain storm that was hovering overhead.
Now what do we do? There are few hotels in the area that are boutique and inaccessible. This is where the lesson comes in. Before you take a trip, find an accessible alternative accommodation, in case your original plan doesn’t come to fruition. Luckily, we were able to secure a hotel room that was both accessible for me, and for my two pups! Enjoy your trip!