Family travel with a wheelchair. Resources for travel with disabilities and mobility challenges. First-hand experiences from some of the most wheelchair accessible countries and best places for wheelchair travel. These are just a few of the topics covered in today's episode of Epic Education Radio.
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Family travel with a wheelchair
Meet Cory Lee. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at the age of two, Cory has had mobility issues his entire life. However, that's not stopped him from becoming an advocate for family travel with a wheelchair and strong voice for wheelchair users and the disabled travel community.
Now 27, Cory travels with his mother or another companion, so the connection to family travel with a wheelchair is here. However, I wanted Cory on the podcast to show both parents and children with disabilities that wheelchair travel is possible, and more of the world is accessible to wheelchair users than you might realize.
Origins of a wheelchair travel addict
When Cory was a child, he and his mom traveled in the US every summer. A took a trip to Disney World planted the seed of wheelchair travel for Cory. Then at 15 his took his first international trip, and the seed began to grow.
Fast forward 12 years and Cory has now visited 20 countries on six continents. His dream is to visit every continent, but he's still working on how family travel with a wheelchair will work in Antarctica.
Tips for Travel with a Wheelchair
Planning any family travel with a wheelchair? Cory gives a lot of advice, but perhaps the most wheelchair travel advice he gives is this: plan ahead. When we talked, he told me that he was presently planning a trip that wouldn't happen for another 12 months!
There are many extra factors that wheelchair travelers need to consider, he says. Fr example, he needs a roll-in shower, and he needs to search hotels, transportation, and other factors to see just how accessible and wheelchair-friendly it will be.
Best Destinations for Wheelchair Travel
Looking for a great place for family travel with a wheelchair? Cory tells us a few of his favorites. We didn't have time to discuss everywhere, of course, but I was surprised at a few that he recommended, and a few that he thought needed work.
For US travel with a wheelchair, Cory named Washington DC as the most wheelchair accessible destination. The trains, buses and attractions were all wheelchair accessible, he said, and when considering the monuments, museums and other sites, there is certainly much to see and do.
Another wheelchair accessible travel destination? Las Vegas. Cory never had a problem getting a wheelchair accessible taxi in Las Vegas he said.
Elsewhere in the Americas, Cory just returned from a trip to Ecuador, where he enjoyed the sites in Quito and took a tour through the Amazon. You read that right. Listen in to hear about it.
In Europe, Cory had high praise for Iceland and the city of London. Both were excellent destinations for family travel with a wheelchair, he said. Surprisingly (to me at least), Paris was not. They could only locate one wheelchair accessible taxi during their stay, he said, and it didn't come cheap. Then again, Cory says that this was 2011, and a lot may have changed since then.
What would be Cory's top pick for wheelchair travel. Where does he think sisone of the best destinations for family travel with a wheelchair?
Australia.
"They really have it going on with disability," says Cory. In places like Sydney and Melbourne, be believes that both attractions and transport were designed with travel with a wheelchair in mind
Do you know anything about family travel with a wheelchair?
Let us know? Family travel whould include everyone, and so I want to share as many tips, stories and advice as possible. Let us know!
IN THIS EPISODE
- 00:00 Intro
- 0000 Origin
- 0000 Planning & resources
- 0000 Travel gear
- 0000 Destinations
- advice to parents of wheelchair users
ABOUT
- Names: Cory Lee (27 years old)
- Hold passports from: USA
- Type of travel: Short-term travel with a wheelchair
- A few places they've been: Over 20 countries in Europe, the Americas and more
IN THEIR BAGS
- Laptop (make/model?)
- Go Pro (make/model?)
- Go Mobility Chair (make/model?)
LINKS & RESOURCES
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Type 2)
- Delta
- The Hilton Honors App (can search accessible rooms)
- Thorntree Forum for Travel with Disabilities
- Iceland Unlimited
- Ecuador For All
- Cory's Amazon Hike (and the video of the worm I mentioned)
- Disability Horizons
- Spin the Globe
- Other wheelchair travel blog recommendations?
FIND THEM ON
Curb Free with Cory Lee | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you, we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book using those links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help your travel.
Full-on family travel fundamentals. Epic Education Radio is interviews, stories and advice for people who decide to make travel a priority in their family's life...and for those who want to. Tune in each week to hear stories and advice from new traveling families, and hear how they've handled various family travel-related issues like education, socialization, working, budgeting, accommodation, road-parenting, safety, technology and more. We talk gear, websites, apps and other resources for traveling & nomadic families, and answer questions from those who would like to do something similar.
