You can still travel in most of the places all around Europe!!
The summer is already here! If you are a person with disability, this may seem beyond your dreams. But in fact, there are plenty of possibilities for any person of disability to enjoy sun, sea and sports holidays all around Europe at the normal prices. Also the people who take care their people with disabilities are usually family members and they need also holidays too.
CONSIDER YOUR TRAVEL OPTIONS
Travelling is an important factor that depends on your destination and personal needs.
TRAVELLING BY TRAIN
Most of the countries in Europe have accessible trains and there is staff to help passengers with mobility impairments in boarding and disembarking. In most of the times, you need to arrive well in advance and have not only checked the train schedules and which ones are accessible but also to inform the train company prior for an assistance by the staff member. In most of the cases, wheel chair users are allowed to travel in their own wheelchair in a special part of the train with one accompanyning person also travelling at a reduced rate.
TRAVELLING BY PLANE
Flying is the most popular form of travel, especially for long distances. If you need assistance you need to plan your trip very carefully. Airlines have different arrangements regarding special assistance. Before booking your ticket, you need to check whether the any cost for assistance is included in the price (however, airline companies should not charge extra for assistance) and inform the airline in good time of your particular needs.
You need to check the airline policy if you want to use your own wheelchair to the aircraft door and bear in mind that within airports you may need assistance as there often long distances to walk. Flying may require some preparatory procedures but as long as you are well prepared you will manage it.
TRAVELLING BY FERRIES
If you are a wheelchair user, blind or partially sighted ferries also may need in advance notice and may prefer you to travel with an able-bodied travel companion. Some modern ferries have wheelchair-accessible toilets but you should check with your travel agent or the ferry company before booking.
TRAVELLING WITH YOUR GUIDE DOG.
Some travel companies only allow dogs to travel under certain conditions and you may need to follow some usual procedures for taking a pet abroad. Your need to ask your vet for further details.
MOVING WITHIN THE CITY
Almost all European capitals have some accessible public transportation. There are some buses, metro stations, trams that are accessible and are designated as such. In some cities, there is the possibility also people with disabilities waiting at the bus stop to be informed when the next accessible bus is arriving. Also some cities may provide for free transportation with accessible vehicles upon pre-arrangement and pre-booking. Therefore people with disabilities should be able to move around by using public transportation as long as they have made some preparatory steps in advance.
WHERE TO STAY
The choice of accommodation depends on each person’s needs but normally you should be able to select from a variety of options. Of course this depends on the country and city/town you are planning to visit. Some hotels are mainly equipped with lifts, bathroom facilities for people with disabilities and rooms with ample space to move around with a wheelchair.
Another option is the self-catering holiday let. There are such places well equipped with facilities for people with disabilities, including adapted kitchen, extra wide doors, ramps, baths with transfer facility and swimming pools with hoists.
If you were a keen camper but you feel you can no longer enjoy the freedom camping provides, now there are campsites that are realising that people with disabilities can camp as much as anyone else. There are flat sites with adapted facilities in many countries in Europe that allow families with a person with disability member to enjoy camping with their friends and family.
Sailing also is a very good option that a person in a wheelchair can enjoy. Sailing in the Mediterranean Sea or in the Nordic seas is a very exciting way of spending your holidays and there are especially adopted sailing boats that provide ramps to the boats, space for manoeuvring a wheelchair, adapted sanitary facilities and decks.
MEDICAL NEEDS
For travelling in Europe, you need to advise your insurance company of all medical problems that you may have and that you have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued, which replaced the E111 form. Furthermore, you should ensure that you have sufficient medication for your stay and that you take a copy of any prescriptions if possible translated to English. You should also be aware that some medication may require a doctor’s letter certifying you are taking the prescribed medication and it may be relevant to check with your Embassy about taking some medicines into the country.
In case, you require regular health care, for example dialysis, you need to be aware in advance of the appropriate hospitals near the area that you travel.
Furthermore, in case your wheelchair or your mobility scooter breaks down, you can ask at a pharmacy where to have it prepared. Also in case you need specialised equipment for making your staying more comfortable like a crane, you can still contact special agencies that rent such specialised assistive equipment in most of the European countries.
Also, people with disabilities that need a specialised accompanying person or a carer in the place that they travel, they can still contact special agencies that ensure that you can have a person according to your requirements.
CONCLUSIONS
Many resort centers all around Europe offer now diverse holiday accommodation, travel facilities, entertainment and activities for all the people with disabilities that can be found through Internet. Using the Internet as the first source of information and then by making some phone calls, sending emails and faxes, you can take a lot of strain out and really enjoy your holidays. Furthermore, there is a European project financially supported by the European Commission, with more than 50 partners from 15 different European countries that aims to enable people with disabilities to have their mobile phones do all the research, booking and travel arrangements according to their specific personal needs in a transparent and friendly way. The name of this project is ASK-IT and more information can be found at its website www.ask-it.org . Any person now with or without disability can equally enjoy holidays.
Useful Websites
www.ask-it.org
www.equal-access.info
www.access-able.com
www.accessibleitaly.com/
www.accessibleportugal.com/
www.apf.asso.fr/
http://www.polibea.com/
www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/
www.disabilityholidays.net/
http://www.globaldialysis.com/
www.globetrotterclub.com/
www.sailingalternatives.org/
www.guidedogs.org.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/
