Author: youshouldgoanyway

Getting from Miami International Airport to the Cruise Port

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Cruise ships in the port of Miami.
The view from the back of our Carnival Victory ship.

This strategy will work for anyone who wants to avoid taxis or Ubers, not just wheelchair users.

If your cruise line offers shuttle transportation from the airport but you are coming in earlier than the day-of the cruise, you can simply find your way back to the airport and pick up your shuttle there.

On a recent trip to Miami, I was concerned about arranging accessible transportation since it was difficult and expensive the last time I went there. I don’t like waiting for taxis or worrying about them canceling.

This time, however, I flew in a day before the cruise and got a room at the MIA Sheraton which is just a quick airport tram ride away. The MIA Mover takes you from the airport to the car rental, train, and bus station.

From there, the Sheraton was a block’s walk/roll which made our late night arrival much faster than trying to get a cab to a South Beach hotel. There are a few other hotels near the bus station that are slightly further walks. There is also a hotel right at the airport terminals.

Additionally, the beach bus from that station takes you right to Miami Beach down to South Beach for a few bucks. It’s accessible and air conditioned and takes only slightly longer than a car ride. This is also a great way to save $100 or more per night. The hotels near the airport are much cheaper than the beach hotels. So if you can deal with a 25-35 minute bus ride each way, you can still get to the beaches easily.

Here’s a link to all the MIA public transportation information.

A dying man flew from Minneapolis to Hawaii and so can you.

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I am usually the only person carried onto a plane because I use a wheelchair. This time I was flying from MSP to HNL and there was a second person who was brought on after me.

This little beach is right in front of the Sheraton Waikiki

He wasn’t talking. He was mostly grunting in response to things that were said and the jarring movements of the guys helping him board. A small commotion ensued when they realized his Delta One seat had a very high and wide console to lift him over. After a few minutes, another passenger got on board and was able to switch with the man so the configuration was a bit easier.

Meanwhile his wife and two caregivers were nearby, waiting for the assistants to lift him. The caregivers eventually came to help lift the man over a lower, more narrow armrest and they got him comfortably in his seat.

From what I overheard, his wife and he were flying to Maui where he would spend his final days. When we got off the plane, one of the very nice flight attendants was crying and complimenting the caregivers on how thoughtful and helpful they were to both the man and his wife.

Hawaii would be a wonderful place to spend your last days, right? How about you go there now though, when you’re not about to die?

How to leverage airport hotels to make your trips easier

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Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi on Pexels.com

Not all airports have hotels inside their terminals but there is a huge advantage to travelers when they do. If you get stressed about traveling, an airport hotel can help make your trip much easier.

Stay the night before your trip

Whether you are on the way to your vacation destination or returning home, staying at an airport hotel can save you time and stress. Including being at the airport already, there are a few extra bonuses to doing this:

  • You are forced to pack the day before your flight. Instead of rushing around the morning of a flight to finish filling your suitcase, you can leisurely pack the day before and then go check in at the hotel.
  • There is no stress about transit to the airport. If you have to take a train or taxi to the airport, any surprise delays can be dealt with the day prior instead of the morning of an early flight.
  • Airport hotels are often cheaper than hotels in the city. Staying your last night at a cheaper airport hotel can mitigate some expense to save you money on your trip.

Stay upon arrival or return home

Sometimes the best airport transit options aren’t running late at night or very early in the morning and checking into an arrival hotel at the airport terminal can be a fast and frustration-free way to get get comfortable and rest after a long flight.

Another occasion you can use an airport hotel is when accessible transit cannot be scheduled at your arrival time. For example, when accessible options for transit aren’t available from O’Hare (due to limited schedules or unavailability), I can stay at the attached Hilton until the morning and then deal with getting home while I’m in a better mood.

Book wheelchair space on Amtrak trains

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Trains are a great way to travel while remaining in your wheelchair. I take the Milwaukee to Chicago Amtrak route several times a year. It’s easy, accessible, and once you get the hang of it you will wonder why you never did it before. I’ve also taken a much longer overnight journey from Milwaukee to Portland in addition to a shorter LA to San Diego trip.

Amtrak has some very spacious areas on their trains for chairs. They’ll also coordinate getting you on board with manual lifts. The Milwaukee and Chicago Amtrak crews are amazing at making this easy for me.

When you want to reserve a wheelchair space on Amtrak, it’s as easy as selecting the correct option on their home page. After you enter your train options, just make sure you specify wheelchair space. Click on the “Adult” link in the Traveler box.

Then select “Passenger with a Disability” under the discounts area. If you are traveling with a companion you can get a discount for them too. Just make sure you select two adults and make one a PWD and one the Companion.

It’s a small discount but it’s definitely better than nothing! In the pages that follow you will be asked about your chair and any service animals. Then you’ll buy your ticket.

Check out Amtrak here and enjoy the ride!

Scott’s Cheap Flights is a life changer

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Scott's Cheap Flights logo

The thing that changed my travel life was subscribing to Scott’s Cheap Flights. I don’t recall how I even heard of the site, but it was probably while killing time on Reddit. Since I signed-up, I have taken advantage of at least 3-4 offers every year. Here are some of my best deals:

  • Round trip from Chicago to Lima, Peru: $246
  • Round trip from Chicago to Quito, Ecuador: $296
  • Round trip from NYC to Madrid: $396
  • Round trip from MKE to Singapore: $600

These are all main cabin, with baggage, on Delta or partners.

When you have a disability and travel, you will often incur expenses that able-bodied travelers don’t have to deal with like more expensive accessible transportation, convenience-saving stays at hotels, additional baggage, and tickets and accommodations for caregivers. So saving money on airfare is super important.

I also am not super picky about the places I want to visit. Except for a cruise to Antarctica, I’ve already been to my bucket list places. So now, I want to go where the deals take me, sometimes no matter where they take me.

What I like about Scott’s is that it’s purely a fare announcement service. I signed up and set my home airport, or any airports I want to see deals from, and if something spectacular comes up, Scott’s emails me. They don’t try to sell me tickets. They just tell me how to buy them. Usually I go straight to Google Flights and see what dates are available. Then I try to convince someone in my circle of family or friends to go.

Thankfully I have a very flexible schedule since I work from home and can work anywhere, so dates aren’t a huge issue for me. But often the Scott’s has discovered wide date ranges for the deals.

The other great thing is that if a deal comes up, usually you can buy it from the airline and get a refund if you change your mind in 24 hours.

This site is hands-down the top recommendation I give people when they ask how to travel for less. It’s also the tool I use to save the most money traveling.

Check out Scott’s Cheap Flights now.