Smooth travel requires a little pre-planning on your part

I love my home town, but I would not appreciate it so much were it not for travelling elsewhere. I have been organizing out-of-town adventures for myself since the age of thirteen. Granted, travelling with wheels, or another assistive device, may require more planning than travel typically entails. However I’ve always found a way to ensure safe travel for me and my wheels. 

For travelling in Ontario I use the trusty Greyhound bus line. I’ve already provided them with the measurements of my wheelchair, so all they ask is that I book my ticket a week in advance. They also make a point of notifying me if there will be an accessible coach on the route I requested, within forty-eight hours of receiving my booking. This would be helpful if they couldn’t accommodate me, as I would have 5 days to make other arrangements, but I’ve never had that problem. On departure day, I make sure to arrive at the station half an hour early, to allow the bus driver enough time to load and secure my chair. Then I simply sit back, and enjoy the ride in the comfort of my own wheels. 

Coordinating local accessible transportation within the city I’m visiting is sometimes a little trickier. Even though I find that the difficulties incurred are well worth the experience, I find that a little pre-planning can make all the difference in a smooth journey. For example, for affordable exploratory freedom I prefer to use public transit, and depending on accessibility it may be even possible to use the regular city bus. 

Keep in mind that it’s important to investigate safety laws and other policies before travelling, as they vary between cities. This means you can’t just assume you’ll be using public transit. You may need to register for a parallel transit service that can accommodate your wheelchair, and your needs. The registration process for this can be as simple as forwarding your information from the parallel transit system of the city in which you live, to the city you’re planning to visit. Or you could be asked to provide a doctor’s note. Other processes are quite lengthy, and some cities don’t even have an accessible visitor’s policy in place. This is why special arrangements should always be looked into and made in advance. 

In my experience travel arrangements are best negotiated over the phone. Be sure to speak to someone with the proper authority about registration, as well as payment options. I have run into difficulty with public transit systems that use only tokens, which can’t be purchased at the time of travel. Take note of any agreement reached, so you can verify exactly what is expected of you. 

Finally, remember that the more you can plan ahead, the smoother your trip is bound to be. Regardless of all planning you do, in unfamiliar situations challenges will always pop up that you couldn’t possibly foresee. These, when viewed in the right light are not glitches, but rather interesting twists in your adventures. In the end, they should be well worth the experience. 

So don’t be afraid to keep on rolling in your city and in others.