By Cory Lee: I’ve always had a love of travel. From a young age, I dreamed of faraway lands and wanted to see what was out there. However, to make my travel dreams a reality, I must roll around in my powered wheelchair, which has been my sole means of ambulation since I was four years old. I’ve learned so much through my travels and have shared my tips and travel advice for people with disabilities below. 

What does accessibility mean in travel?

Accessibility can mean different things to different people.

While a restaurant may have a ramp, which means it’s accessible for me being in a wheelchair, does it have braille menus for someone who may be blind? Or if a website or app is digitally accessible, it would be designed so that people with disabilities can use it. This would include people with vision, hearing, physical or cognitive impairments. Some examples of this would be if a person could not use their hands, they should be able to click buttons using dictation software. And if someone is visually impaired, they should be able to use a screen reader to access web information.

Knowing what to expect when traveling, booking a room, eating in a restaurant, or just out sightseeing for the day, is crucial. By advocating for your needs, and knowing what specific questions to ask, your travels can be more successful and filled with wonderful memories. 

My tips for flying as a wheelchair user

My tips: Before you fly

When planning an accessible holiday, if you’re flying to the destination and are a wheelchair user like myself, I’d recommend calling the airline directly before your departure date.

Here’s what you’ll want to tell the airline before you fly:

• You’re a wheelchair user: Letting the airline know alerts them to make the correct documentation on your particular flight.
• Your wheelchair dimensions:  Tell them the height, width and weight of your chair. You’ll find this information by calling your wheelchair provider or searching for the make and model online.
• The kind of assistance you’ll need: Your needs may be different to other travellers, so don’t assume that the assistants will know what you need. Some wheelchair users can transfer themselves into an aisle chair that can be rolled on the plane with assistance. On the other hand, I require two assistants to lift me into the plane seat with a transfer sling. The sling goes under me and has handles on it for easy lifting.

My tips: When you’re flying

During your flight, be sure to communicate your needs with your companion or the airline staff. Here’s what I’ve found works for me:

• Put your wheelchair cushion on your plane seat. I’d ask your companion to take your wheelchair cushion and place it on your plane seat. This always helps me feel most comfortable while sitting during my flight, so depending on your needs, it may help you as well.
• Talk to the airport and airline staff. By talking to the staff regularly and maintaining patience and kindness, I’ve found this ensures a more relaxed and enjoyable flight.

My top tip:

Book direct flights as often as you can. The fewer stops and flight changes you have, the less likely it is that your chair will be damaged.

My tips for booking a hotel as a wheelchair user

Check. Call. Confirm. The more questions that you ask ahead of time, the more prepared you’ll be upon arrival. 

Every single time that I book a hotel, I check the hotel website first to ensure I’ve booked the most wheelchair-friendly room that I can. I require a roll-in shower and the bed height is also important to me for an easier transfer process for my caregiver.

Whether the information is there or not, I still call the hotel directly. I want to ask the reservation clerk what’s included in my room. If the clerk isn’t familiar with the exact layout, I will ask to speak to a member of management to ask my specific accessibility questions.

Once I have verified that the room meets my accessibility requirements, I can then book my stay. Countless times when unlocking my hotel door, and laying eyes on the room, my caregiver has had to rearrange furniture to give my chair enough space to transfer into the bed and manoeuvre the room more easily. By not panicking and remaining calm, I have found that there’s a solution to most issues when they arise.

Where do I book my travel and why?

Nothing pleases me more than seeing that a destination, hotel or any public space, has accessibility information on their website and/or app. When accessibility information is prominent on a site or app, this lets me know that they care and are making a great effort to accommodate their guests by making them aware of what to expect and having the information readily available to them. This also tells me that the business is customer-oriented, and it makes me want to give them my business in return.

I’m always pleased to see information listed on the digital platforms such as details of what makes their business “accessible”. One of my favourite travel sites is this one, Skyscanner, because they’re working hard to improve disability inclusion for everyone – not only for travellers, but also for their staff and the travel industry as a whole.

I am also impressed with their Accessibility Programme whose mission is: “To make Skyscanner a flagship of disability inclusion, our products accessible to all, and travel easier for people with disabilities”. Kudos to them for making a difference in our community of people with disabilities. 

My final thoughts: :

Whether you’re an experienced traveler with a disability, or are just starting to plan your very first accessible holiday, you are your best source of information. You know what you need better than anyone else and as long as you can communicate that throughout your journey, there’s no reason why your trip won’t be successful and absolutely everything that you dreamed that it would be. Safe travels!

About Cory Lee

After moving away to college and graduating with a degree in Marketing, I had trouble finding a job where the employer could see past my disability and give me a chance to show them my true self. Around that same time, I was researching for a future trip to Australia, and I quickly noticed that there wasn’t a lot of information online about travel for people with disabilities.

That was when I decided to start my travel blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, and I began writing about accessible travel, holidays I had taken, and discussing what was and wasn’t accessible about each destination. As my blog grew more and more, it brought me to where I am today.

Within the past ten years since launching my blog, I have traveled to over 40 countries and all seven continents, and I now work with destinations around the world to showcase accessibility within their regions.  

Skyscanner can help you find the best flights, hotels and car hire deals for your next trip.