A long-awaited combination of innovations, inventions and improvements is set to transform holiday options for travellers with disabilities this summer.
Even better, it’s not just planes, trains and (off-road) cars that promise easier access and more comfortable travel.
As travel industry executives wake up to the size of the market for disability travel, hotels, beach resorts and cruise lines are announcing sweeping changes.
“While many challenges remain for disabled people and their families, the travel industry is moving in the right direction and the world is slowly opening up to everyone,” says Angus Drummond of Limitless Travel, which specialises in disability-friendly and accessible holidays.
Perfect for the beach
Helping each other: Travel companies are trying to make holidays more accessible, comfortable and enjoyable for tourists with disabilities. In Greece, new wooden decking is helping disabled tourists avoid “sand traps” navigating wheelchairs on beaches.
Greece is leading the way with an ingenious scheme to help wheelchair users get close to and swim in the sea: a new wooden deck helps disabled visitors avoid the “sand traps” that force wheelchairs onto the beach, and the end of the deck has a solar-powered seat that lowers users into waist-high water.
Tobea, the local company behind the scheme, has already installed more than 200 Seatrac chairs in Greek resorts and is set to expand to Italy and Cyprus this summer. Spain, Croatia and the Caribbean are next on the list. A list of locations can be found at seatrac.gr.
Sand deposits have also been smoothed out at a series of inclusive beaches in Northern Ireland.
The charitable Mae Murray Foundation provides the beach with disabled access and parking, lift-equipped toilets, adult changing benches and equipment to hire, including wetsuits, new seated surfboards, floating chairs and thick-wheeled beach walkers. Visit maemurrayfoundation.org for facilities.
In the sky
These renderings show Delta’s new wheelchair-accessible seats, which will save passengers from having to stow their chairs in the cargo hold or board the plane in a cramped “aisle chair” and then slide into a regular seat for the duration of the flight.
Delta Air Lines is planning new aircraft seats that will allow passengers to remain in their wheelchairs on board.
To be installed, the back cushions of economy seats near the exits and toilets will be removed and the bottom sections will flip up to make room for chairs.
This means passengers won’t have to stow their chairs in the cargo hold, but can instead board the plane in narrow “aisle chairs” and slide into a regular seat for the duration. Safety testing means the new cabin’s first flight is about 18 months away, but the good news is that Delta’s design partners will be licensing it to other airlines in the meantime.
Another innovation is on the horizon in Germany: Revolve Air, a folding chair for travelers (described as a Brompton for wheelchairs) with wheels that fold up small enough to fit into an overhead airplane locker, due to go into production this winter.
On Safari
New accessible vehicles with ramps for power wheelchairs make trips to game reserves in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia possible, and 2by2 Holidays’ experienced staff have been providing disability friendly holidays for over 20 years.
Holidaymakers who travel in manual wheelchairs and can transfer into the front seat of a four-wheel drive safari vehicle can also consider the company’s Botswana safaris and tours to Victoria Falls.
Each destination offers a customized mix of accessible hotels and lodges, and airport assistance and accessible transfer vehicles can also be booked along with your flight.
Holidays include wheelchair accessible seven-night breaks in the wine region of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, from £1,995pp (including flights) (2by2holidays.co.uk).
Parklife
This year, some of America’s toughest terrains are just more accessible with all-weather, off-road wheelchairs available for rental at visitor centers in beautiful locations from Colorado to Lake Michigan. Described as the “Land Rover of wheelchairs,” the Minnesota-made Action Trackchair can safely navigate rocks, roots, streams and sand while also tackling gentle inclines.
The USA is particularly friendly to travelers with disabilities, so villas with fully adapted beds and bathrooms are a good accommodation option.
A four-bed villa with an outdoor ramp, hospital-quality bed, overhead gantry hoist in the main bedroom and a hoist by the private pool, near Florida’s theme parks, is available to rent from £2,100 per week. Compare villa options at enabledholidays.com and disabledholidays.com.
On the high seas
“While many challenges remain for disabled people and their families, the travel industry is moving in the right direction,” says Angus Drummond of Limitless Travel, which specialises in disability-friendly, accessible holidays.
When Sun Princess launches its inaugural Mediterranean cruise in February, there will be an exciting attraction for everyone: a clever adaptation will allow thrill-seeking passengers with disabilities to experience the top-deck Roll Glider, a cross between a roller coaster and a hang glider.
Passengers can also choose wheelchair-accessible rooms, including roll-in showers, wheelchair-accessible desks and wardrobes with pull-out rails.
P&O ships’ pools and whirlpools are equipped with seating so all guests can enjoy water fun on board, and cruises from the UK take the stress out of navigating airports in a wheelchair. A 14-night, fully accessible, non-flying Mediterranean cruise on P&O’s Arvia with expert staff from Limitless Travel starts from £4,059pp (limitlesstravel.org).
High door thresholds can be an issue in some corridors, but there are lifts on all decks, making an ocean cruise a good option for many wheelchair users. Equipment that cannot be used in your cabin can be hired from Mobility At Sea and other companies (mobilityatsea.co.uk).
Perfect package
This summer, Tui has teamed up with research group AccessAble to help travellers know exactly what to expect during their trip and at their destination, with AccessAble’s staff having spent years first-hand researching hotels, attractions, restaurants, pubs, train stations and more across the UK.
Overseas expansion will include a similar treasure trove of facts, figures and photos on everything from staircases to showers at holiday resorts.
Tui also employs an in-house support travel team who can provide guests with visible and invisible disabilities with smooth travel (including important but often overlooked transfers) and the best hotel rooms and in-resort support.
Barrier-free rooms
In the UK, a bespoke hotel chain is taking a new approach to accessibility by turning to Blue Badge Style Group for interior design advice.
The aim is to make accessible rooms just as chic as the rest. Bespoke has even created an accessibility charter for its properties to ensure staff know how to accommodate guests with special needs (bespokehotels.com).