This was published 14 years ago
Roll around the world with the best-laid plans
A little help ... Penny Crittall gets a lift from a local in South Africa.Credit: Ron Crittall
There I was at Lusaka Airport, waiting to disembark, or rather to be disembarked. We had just flown up from Johannesburg where I'd been loaded on to the plane by the regular hydraulic lift truck. But this is Zambia. No hydraulic or forklift trucks here but “Ezuke indaba” (local equivalent of "No worries!"), a team of four strapping, smiling Africans appeared and I was lifted into my wheelchair and carried down the steps. A perfect time for my best Queen Mum regal waves!
It's a case of expect the unexpected when you're in a wheelchair – and not just in Africa. I have MS and can no longer walk, so my husband, Ron, has to be my carer. He and I have always loved travelling, but for us "adventure travel" now has a different meaning.
There are times when all your planning goes astray. It happened in Copenhagen. Our plane had landed and at the aircraft door we could see the angry faces of passengers waiting to board for the next flight. We were the only passengers left and the wheelchair assistance was nowhere to be seen. Eventually the emergency first aid crew arrived and instead of an unexpected DOA they found me.
It's not all horror stories – in Rio de Janeiro we'd booked an escorted tour in a suitable vehicle. And it came to pass that I needed a "comfort stop" and the official toilet nearby was up too many steps.
So our resourceful driver arranged for us to be let into a big private gallery nearby. And while we were there, the caretaker showed us around. Ohmigod, that's a Picasso. And there's a Modigliani. And best of all were coloured sketches of Don Quixote and his windmills.
The big thing is never to surprise people. As long as you've started planning early, asked all the questions and explained to everyone what you can (and, just as vital, can't!) do, everything should go well. It's also important – from both sides of the equation – to remember that every person in a wheelchair has different abilities and difficulties and that the operator may be making assumptions based on their experience with other disabled travellers.
Can you walk at all? Can you, or your carer, cope with steps – even one or two? Is it a battery-operated or a collapsible wheelchair? Do you need grab-rails in the toilet? Do you want a roll-in shower, and with a seat? On aircraft, do you need assistance to the seat, one that's adjacent to the toilet? Can you travel in an ordinary car or does it have to be a specialised vehicle? Are you able to climb aboard a tour coach or light aircraft (I can't)? These are just some of the issues when travelling.
Gone are the days – fortunately – when all questions were put to the carer as if the one in the wheelchair was incapable of understanding. A friend with cerebral palsy was travelling: "Would she like a drink?" the rattled hostie asked the carer. Then she grabbed a toddlers' colouring-in package and thrust it at my friend. “I'd like a scotch,” my friend said. “I always have a scotch before I start my colouring-in.”
There are some advantages, however, which seems only fair. Did you know that your Australian disabled parking sticker is valid in many overseas countries? We found parking a breeze in Norway and even Portugal. In airports, wheelchairs are pushed past long queues to Customs and Immigration. Museums and galleries will often let you in free or two-for-one.
This is the 21st century and most travel businesses have realised that we're a large group of people who love to travel just as everyone else does. There's usually a way and if there isn't, keep asking because someone, somewhere, is working on the answer right now.
Being in a wheelchair doesn't have to restrict your ability to travel. It can be tricky, but as long as you've warned everyone and done all your homework, the world is at your feet – or, rather, wheels.
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