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Travel industry observers know that more and more people are asking themselves, "What kind of vacation can I take by adding one or two days to my next business trip?" Answers to that question are creating a new class of traveler.
I located a few examples: Victoria, BC; London, UK; and San Francisco, CA. Then I asked a few essential questions - not necessarily the same ones temporarily able-bodied travelers ask. Candy Harrington, author of "Barrier Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers"(http://www.directtextbook.com/editions/b... ) points out that mobility impaired travelers - slow walkers and wheelchair users - make up the largest portion of people with disabilities in the US (*quote below). I did some quick research to see who in the industry has taken note of us.
Victoria, BC, Canada Discover the past in Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria offers a full range of walking tours touching on the seasonal and the historical - from Ghost Walks through Christmas Walks to Chinatown Tours. (http://www.discoverthepast.com/discvr/ ) London and the UK For a trek with bragging rights, try walking the full Coast to Coast Trail if you find yourself in County Cornwall, England. (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Newsdesk/ns3-... ) The writer in me thinks the Old Bloomsbury - Literary London Walk advertised at walks.com looks intriguing. Mary Tucker of The Original London Walks (http://www.london.walks.com ) assures me: "Yes, the Bloomsbury walk is accessible. In fact, virtually all our walks are accessible." CareFree London Tours offers a variety of walking tours but you must research each one individually regarding accessibility. (http://londontourguides.com/english/walk... )
San Francisco, CA, USA In San Francisco, On the Level provides group walks for seniors and people with disabilities. (http://www.onthelevelsf.com/oseniorguide... ) I also located a helpful review of other walking tour options at Sally's Place, a web site for those with a passion for good food. (http://www.sallys-place.com/travel/san_f... ) How to get there? The premise of this article is that you are already visiting an interesting new place for some reason other than a vacation and now you want to launch out and see the local sites. Renting a hand-controlled car or van can be impossible in many places around the world. Either there are no adapted vehicles available (Brazil doesn't rent cars with automatic transmissions), or the controls are available on only one side of the steering column (Germany only rents them on the right hand side), or there are absurd delays and price gouging (rental agencies in New Zealand ask for five to seven days' prior notice, and charge a $145 NZ fee.) Thankfully, one researcher in Israel has taken up the challenge of creating a database for consumers. See "Renting Cars With Hand Controls For Disabled Drivers." (http://users.actcom.co.il/~swfm/ ) Go To Page: 1 2
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Scott Paul Rains's Travel & Disability topic, please visit the Discussions page. |
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