Now that the borders are finally slowly reopening after over a year of the Covid19 pandemic, many are thinking about hitting the road and charging their batteries up in an exciting travel destination.
But if you, a friend, or a family member of yours have some sort of disability, then you know how difficult finding the perfect place may be. Many popular tourist attractions and must-see cities do not have the proper infrastructure to accommodate a disabled person.
More and more cities and countries are making adaptations to overcome this problem, yet, many of them are still inapproachable for the disabled. To avoid your long-desired vacation from becoming a catastrophe, here is a list of some of the world’s most accessible countries and cities.
Spain is a country with the most Access City Award prizes. Avila, Vigo, Malaga, and Bilbao are only some of the cities that earned at least an honorable mention, not to mention the two biggest and most famous cities of Barcelona and Madrid. Granada, Cordoba, and Seville are also must-visit places for all those who want to enjoy the rich culture, warm climate, good cuisine, and friendly people.
Spanish cities are not all fully accessible for the disabled, but much has been done to improve on the field. Most of the landmarks and museums, such as Bilbao’s Guggenheim, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, or Seville’s Alhambra, are adapted for visitors with impaired vision and hearing, as well as for wheelchair users. Tourist offices in Barcelona and Madrid offer special tours for those with disabilities too. Most of the newer hotels are wheelchair-accessible, and the same stands for transportation. Apart from some old metro lines, most of the metro platforms are wheelchair-friendly, and so are the busses and Euro taxis.
All the airports in Portugal are adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities, and a service called MyWay can be booked with the flight for further help around the facilities. Most public transport is accessible, including taxis, and special services can help organize the journey if you have special requirements. Finding a place to stay when you’re a wheelchair user is not a problem, especially in the newer hotels. Over 200 beaches on rivers and on the coast are marked as accessible.
The vast majority of famous attractions, including the Buckingham Palace, National Gallery, British Museum, Tower Bridge, Madame Tussauds, Kensington Palace, Tate Modern, and even the famous London Eye, can accommodate tourists with mobility, hearing, and visual impairments. But why stop in London? Head to the cities of Brighton, Lincoln, Nottingham, or Birmingham – all included in the Tourism for All charity program.
Tourism for All offers guides, accessibility maps, and travel planners for people with all kinds of disabilities. With this, you can, for example, quickly find out which hotels have rooms with ceiling hoists or how to move through any city step-free. National program Wheels for All offers rentable adapted cycles, which are available in over 50 centers across England and Wales. In several centers, it is even possible to get a specially adapted, hand-crafted Wheelyboat – a boat designed for people with mobility issues - and have some fun on the water!
Disabled Sailing Thailand is the first Asian sailing club for people with disabilities. It is based in two small cities in Thailand: Pattaya and Phuket. The club offers a six-week sailing course, after which the participants can even acquire an official sailor ID and take part in competitions! No matter where from, anyone with a disability is welcome. Paraplegic, quadriplegic, and amputee sailors push boundaries and show that, with effort and will, physical defects can be overcome.
So go ahead and visit the museums and monuments of Washington D.C. Take a ride on the zip line, or try your luck in some of Las Vegas’ famous casinos. Enjoy the sight from the top of Seattle’s Space Needle. Have some fun on the famous Ferris wheel in Chicago. Swim with fishes and turtles in Honolulu. The options are numerous and disability must be no barrier to having a fun and enjoyable vacation!
