Take Me Away

I've always loved traveling. Whether it was for a camping trip at the beach or a plane trip to Florida or a cruise through the Caribbean, as a young adult I could plan vacations at the drop of a hat. All that changed though once I had children with special needs.

Since I first adopted Ashley and until now, the biggest trip we have ever taken was to Disney World in Florida. And that was all planned out by the Make A Wish Foundation. They arranged for all our needs, including anything related to accessibility. Now that I am on my own for arranging vacations, and now that I have two children in wheelchairs, I'm just overwhelmed and can't seem to make anything actually happen.

We have made some trips to a rented house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but even then we have to make sure we find an accessible house, and I have to have names and phone numbers for medical professionals and pharmacies in the area. I want to be able to plan something bigger - a trip to a far away destination - a place none of us have ever been to but have always wanted to see.

I found a website that may be able to help with the planning. It's called TravelinWheels, and it's tag line states, "Encouraging Disability Travel Around the Globe." There's lots of information on the site and even reviews about different locations. What I would like to know if whether or not any of you have ever used TravelinWheels or a similar service for planning a vacation? If not, what have you done on your own to ensure a fun and accessible vacation for yourself and/or your family?

Have you found locations that are more accepting and accessible than most? Do you have lists of places a person in a wheelchair should definitely avoid? And, if you have gone of vacations and needed the services of an interpreter or medical professionals, what have your experiences been finding those people?

Please share!