The main purpose of this blog is to encourage anyone who has a limitation due to illness, injury or just plain fear of the unknown, that it’s possible to travel to the places in this world you’ve always wanted to visit. With a little research and planning, you can be on your way.
One of the best things I’ve found for domestic travel is the TSA Pre Check program. You can apply online and once you are approved you can breeze through security on a separate line without taking off your shoes, belts, light jackets or removing laptops from cases or removing liquids. It costs $85.00 for 5 years and is worth every penny.
The program for international travel is called Global Entry. Global Entry members can simply visit a kiosk (skipping the long lines that often plague the customs area) to enter the country. You scan your passport or valid U.S. permanent resident card, verify your fingerprints, and complete a customs declaration. When the quick process is complete, you’ll be given a receipt and can head on your way to baggage claim. Also available for application online, the charge for this program is $100 but it also includes Pre Check. Both programs save so much time and will get you to your gate or through customs much easier. If you are travelling with someone in a wheelchair, they will be expedited but you still have to go through security. The quicker, the easier, the better.
If you need oxygen, there are portable oxygen concentrators which weigh about 8 pounds and are perfectly suited for travel. There is a wealth of information online including a list of approved manufacturers. If you don’t own a portable concentrator you can rent one at a fraction of the cost. They will ship it to you and you return it when you arrive home.
Walkers travel very easily for anyone who has balance or mobility issues. This falls under the same category as embracing the airport wheelchair. There is no shame in travelling with a walker. My friend recently walked 2 miles uphill in Santorini which would not have been possible without that walker. What she first viewed as an encumbrance turned out to be the means to more freedom. Depending on where you are, scooters, like the ones in the supermarket, can also be rented at a reasonable fee and will give you the opportunity to keep up with everyone, or forge ahead of them.
Don’t forget to pack any medication you need but just as important are vitamins, minerals and over the counter medications like analgesics, anti-histamines, acid reflux medications etc. If you are travelling out of the country, these things or an equivalent, may not be available so make sure to pack what you think you’ll need.
I’ve covered most of what I think you’ll need but I do want to address the intangible. Fear of the unknown. The best advice I can offer is this. If you believe in a higher power, then its already written how and when you will depart this earth. Why not spend the time in between doing something you’ve always dreamed about? Seeing the beauty this world has to offer. Reliving history, ancient or recent. Spread your wings, the world is waiting.
Next up-Chicago, the Cubs, the White Sox and the tower formerly known as Sears.