Living with CP: the early years part 41.

I hope you all are having a great day.  Today, I'm going to continue to talk about how our vacations have changed over the years.  I will also explain all the work you have to do to make sure everything goes just right when you go on vacation when you have Cerebral Palsy.

As I got older and heavier, I have to stay in my wheelchair. A lot of people don't have to worry if the hotel room doors are wide enough to get a power wheelchair through or if the room is big enough for everyone to get around in.  Also, consider that if you don't want to drive your vehicle around town there are handicapped-accessible transportation options.

Someone can not just call one time and set up everything and be done with it. You have to call several times to be sure you have planned for handicapped accommodations before you leave.  If you don't do that, it’s likely that when you get there, something will not be right.

Also, it’s difficult to travel by air when you have a power chair.  You have to have special gel batteries.  It's also wise to have a copy of your wheelchair specs to give to the airline and even the captain of your plane.  Some of the smaller commuter airlines may not be able to fly with the additional weight of the power chair.  Be sure that if you have connecting flights that everyone is aware of the wheelchair.  Planning ahead is important.

It is also a good idea when flying to call your insurance company before you leave and see if you can take out a short-term policy to cover your wheelchair until you return.   That way if the airline damages your chair when they load and unload it from the plane, the insurance company can try to get the airline to pay to repair your chair.

You will find that through my experiences I have a lot of good information and tips.

Have a nice day everyone.