Preplanning and having a travel advisor who understands booking with disabilities can take a lot of stress out of your trips.
We just got back from a trip with my folks to Paso Robles. When traveling with seniors or any folks with some disability there are many things to consider. Having a qualified travel advisor makes a world of difference.
Hotel rooms or cruise staterooms - The United States has the ADA (American Disabilities Act) requirements for accessibility rooms. You need to know accessibility rooms are not all the same, you need to be more specific about your requirements. Examples - there are rooms specifically for the hearing impaired, for wheelchairs, accessibility tubs, and some with just handrails around the toilet. Some hotels/cruises clearly identify the requirements and others just list accessibility. Outside the United States hotels are not required to have accessibility rooms, which makes planning a bit more difficult.
Sightseeing - My folks are seniors but they still enjoy seeing things and going places. On this particular trip, Mom loves zoos - so we went to the Charles Paddock Zoo which was a smaller zoo in comparison to other zoos we've visited. This zoo is fairly flat and they have a couple of wheelchairs you can borrow. They kindly stored the walkers while we were visiting. We went during the week and got there early as the wheelchairs are first come first serve. For my folks, it was less strenuous to be in a wheelchair. Also, easier for Mom to take pictures.
Wine Tasting - On this trip, we learned that not all wines are high in sugar content. For a diabetic that makes a big difference. There are different websites that give suggestions. We asked the winery. The amount of sugar in wine depends on the style of wine, when fermentation was stopped, and how much sugar was in the grape juice to begin with. Wine labels do not list the sugar content.
Some preplanning can make a big difference on any trip.
