Travel Tips – Page 7 – You Should Go Anyway

Ask for what you want when you travel. You’re worth it.

April 20, 2019May 10, 2019youshouldgoanyway

I don’t know if it’s my need to stay independent or just a generalized feeling of anxiety, but asking for help has always been a difficult thing for me. I realized this was a problem when I didn’t even want to bother the front desk at a hotel for a toothbrush. I mean, it’s literally their job to answer the phone and ask what a guest wants, but somehow I thought I was being a pain in the ass.

Calling the front desk isn’t a problem. The phone and the agent are there for a reason!

I’ve observed pains-in-the-asses and I guess I didn’t want to be like them. You know these people, the ones who think the world revolves around them and everyone else is put here to serve them. They’re not gracious, kind, or grateful at all.

Finally I made a distinction between those people and myself. Even though we might ask for the same things, I was gracious, kind, and grateful, so in essence I was a guest the front desk people were happy to help. I wasn’t being an inconvenience. I was being a breath of fresh air. Nobody was going to look over to their co-worker and mouth, “What an asshole!” when I was asking for something.

I have noticed this trait in a lot of my family and friends. There’s a certain mix of graciousness and politeness that not everyone has, but I’ve always been surrounded by it. In some cases, this can be taken advantage of. However, with customer service situations it’s a necessary part of the interaction as far as I am concerned. Respect is important.

Be nice, be direct, be grateful

Here’s how I operate, whether it’s with a hotel front desk person, an airline check-in agent, or someone on the phone.

Smile and ask how the person is.
Engage in banter if it feels natural.
Ask specifically for what you want.
Be grateful they consider your request.
Thank them for doing what they can.
Be gracious if they cannot accommodate.
Be thankful if they are able to help you.

For example, this is me checking into a hotel when I am there way before my check-in time.

“Hi, How are you?”
“I know I am here early, but I was wondering if I could check in or leave my bags here?” (Handing them my ID and credit card.)
“Also, I hope this is already in the system, but if you could make sure I have an accessible room with a roll-in shower, that would be great. Thank you for checking.”
Banter here while they type and click and type and click and type and click and type and click. Hawaii. Wisconsin. Price of milk. Family. Blah, blah, blah.
“If you have a room on a high floor, I wouldn’t be against that.”
“Oh that’s okay. Thank you so much for checking.”
“Great! I wasn’t expecting to be able to check-in so early, but this is awesome. I really appreciate it. Is there someone who can help me get my suitcase situated up there?”

Being a decent person isn’t that difficult. If you are already a decent person, then asking for help shouldn’t be difficult and you shouldn’t feel like you’re being a burden.

Wheelchair Sports — A cheaper way to travel and have fun.

April 19, 2019youshouldgoanyway

I started playing wheelchair tennis in an electric wheelchair back in 2005. From 2007 to 2009, even though I was playing out of my league, I gave up my apartment in Hawaii and traveled the world as a pro (technically) quad wheelchair tennis player.

Not sure who I lost to in this match, but it was probably my friend Jeff who beat me several times 6-0, 6-0.

I totally sucked. I won two matches at that level in two years. I lost most of my matches 6-0, 6-0. In one match (Thanks, Nick Taylor) I won one point. ONE POINT. I like to tell people there were wildfires burning close to the courts in Sydney, Australia, and I just really wanted to get out of there but frankly, Nick is an amazing player and kicked my ass.

Because of wheelchair tennis I was able to go all over the United States and the World, including Italy, S. Africa, and Australia. Since I usually lost quickly, that meant lots of time to work and go sightseeing. I went on a mini-safari in S. Africa and held a Koala in Australia. I also pocketed prize money just for showing up sometimes.

Nowadays there are wheelchair sports organizations popping up all over the place. It’s easy to find wheelchair basketball, rugby, tennis, lacrosse, and even sled hockey teams to play on. These teams do fundraising and travel, often with subsidized expenses. Some of these teams and athletes even go to the Paralympics.

I saw a lot of cool stuff, met a lot of cool people, and learned a lot about how to operate life with a disability. It was the best support group I could have joined and made a huge difference in my life.

I didn’t finish last in my first event, which was nice.

Nowadays I play Boccia, which is essentially adaptive bocce ball for athletes with more challenging disabilities like muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy. It’s a Paralympic sport too, which is awesome! Thanks to the Challenged Athletes Fund, I received a grant to use to travel to a few events this year.

So yeah, traveling a lot using out-of-pocket money can get expensive fast. But if you can find a sport, you might just find yourself in a lot of places you never thought you could get to thanks to tons of great people who want to see you succeed.

Proof of Disability Card

April 19, 2019April 19, 2019youshouldgoanyway

In some countries you can get into museums and things with special rates if you use a wheelchair. Unfortunately and somewhat idiotically, you can’t always just roll up in your wheelchair and ask for the discount. Some anal-retentive museum workers will ask you to prove your disability with a piece of paper.

I don’t have any such thing for myself except for my parking placard and I’m not gonna bring that around with me. So to counter the stupidity, I created a fake proof of disability card that can do the trick. (Use at your own risk, this is mostly a joke but honestly it does work for me. If you aren’t actually disabled and you try to use this, then you’re going straight to hell.)

Print your Proof of Disability Card Here

You can also just save the image to your phone or take a picture of it and I’ve shown that as well.

Here’s a sample but you can put your own name and country on it if you use the link. Use at your own risk of being dragged out by some idiot who thinks you spent $15,000 on a wheelchair just to save $20 at the Louvre. Actually the Louvre is pretty cool about just letting you roll in if you have a chair.

Accessible things to do in Honolulu/Waikiki, Hawaii

April 19, 2019April 19, 2019youshouldgoanyway

I used to live in Hawaii and moved like an idiot. Now I go back for work, visits with old friends, and some tourism as often as I can. Most recently I was there a few weeks ago (April 2019) and thought I’d share a few cool things I figured out this time around.

Accessible Beach Paths

There are several new beach paths for wheelchairs at Ala Moana Beach Park and Waikiki. I can’t guarantee that man will be there during your visit, however.

I was so happy to discover several accessible beach paths at Ala Moana Beach Park and in Waikiki. These blue paths were perfect for rolling my power chair out onto the beach. While the paved walkways are very nice to cruise around, it was so neat to be right on the beach and feel the breeze and hear the wave sound so strongly.

Free Hula and Hawaiian Music Show

Check out the International Marketplace Hawaiian Show every night! You can see all sorts of hula and some great singing an storytelling.

My friends were visiting when I was there and tried to get to a free hula show to no avail. I took them to the International Marketplace which has a Hawaiian show every night at 7pm. It starts at the Kalakaua entrance of International Marketplace with torchbearers and hula dancers who lead you to the center stage which is a magical little spot for the 30-minute performance.

Affordable Accessible Hotels

I am not a huge fan of the big resorts in Waikiki but I have stayed at two places now that were under $200 a night, comfortable, and accessible. I would stay at both of these hotels again.

Ilima Hotel — Older, but very clean and spacious hotel with affordable prices. The rooms have a full kitchen. A short walk or roll to the good stuff, but definitely an affordable option in Waikiki that won’t make your skin crawl!
DoubleTree Alana Waikiki — The accessible suites are very nice and much larger than the standard accessible rooms here. Situated right near Fort Derussy Park which is great for a quiet roll on paved pathways.

Fort Derussy Beach Park

There’s a smooth pathway along the water that gets you this close to the ocean. It’s really cool at night when there aren’t any kids screaming.

This area along the west side of Waikiki is one of my favorite places to roll on my chair. You can get very close to the waves crashing and there is a large grassy area as well. There are several hotels nearby and beach rentals too. You can also hit the Army Museum for free or take the path to the Hilton Lagoon in time for the Friday night fireworks there.

Japanese Garden at the Honolulu Airport

The Japanese Garden at Honolulu International Airport. The fish may/may not be used to make airport sushi.

I have no idea why I never spent time here in the 20+ years I’ve been flying in/out of Hawaii. In the center of the airport, one level down, there is a wonderful Japanese garden with water features and koi fish, plants, flowers, and ducklings (if you’re lucky). I had a long delay this time around on the way home and found it a very pleasant place to enjoy the last bits of sun before flying back to colder temperatures.

How to plan (or not plan) an accessible adventure

April 18, 2019April 19, 2019youshouldgoanyway

I used to plan as much as I could about a trip. I’d make sure everything was accessible and figure out how to get there, where to go in, how to get around, where the bathrooms were, and the best way to get back to my hotel. I soon realized a couple things. First, I didn’t need the exhaustion or stress that accompanied this without even having left yet. Second, my anxiety got pretty high if the plan didn’t go as expected. Lastly, things often didn’t always go as expected.

Then I realized some of my best travel days were the ones with no plan whatsoever. No route. No specific trains. No tickets to anything. No to-do list. No must-sees. I could create my own accessible adventure just by going where the sidewalks, paths, roads boats, or trains could take me.

One of my best unplanned days around Auckland including a ferry to and bus ride around Waiheke island. I had no idea if the bus there was accessible but there one was, waiting for me when I got there!

Here is the extent of my planning nowadays after I buy a ticket:

Find an accessible, well-located hotel.
Figure out how to get from the airport to the hotel and back.
Get an overview of the taxi, public transit, and train situation
Create a short list of places or events I really HAVE to see or go to.
Figure out any possible day trips

The details can just fall into place. I know this would drive some OCD, planning-type people crazy which is why I don’t travel with those kinds of people. Or if I do, I send them on their own way.

I went to the port ticket office, eeny-meeny-miney-mo’d, and ended up on Waiheke. I went anyway even though the previous day someone said it was not very accessible. The public buses there have ramps and it was one of the most scenic bus routes I’ve ever ridden.

Unless there is something I absolutely HAVE to see or something that requires tickets, I don’t worry about it. For example, the last time I went to Paris I had to pre-buy tickets to the French Open. I also knew I wanted to go back to l’Orangerie and see Sacré-Cœur. The rest was up in the air. I did everything I wanted to and more (the museum of hunting and nature was a gem!)

The worst thing I can do is over-plan an itinerary for a trip. Instead of enjoying the things I am seeing, I am worrying about the time, where to go next, and then feel like I’m missing out if I have to skip something. Having a minimal “must-see” lets you make sure you get to those things and allows for some flexibility to see things you might never have known about until you get there.

If you prefer to have things planned-out for you then working with a tour company might be a good option for you. I have found that most pre-planned bus tours are not wheelchair accessible, however. If you need to get a wheelchair accessible tour then your best bet is to work with specialty tour companies who focus on wheelchair travelers.