The next was despatched by Stephanie, a Wheelchair Journey reader from Texas. She wrote:

I’ve been a wheelchair person for nearly two years and I’d prefer to make a journey with my mates…there are numerous tales about issues going horribly fallacious with accommodations, taxis, and flights. I’m fearful if it’s too troublesome to journey that my mates gained’t need to go along with me. Are you able to advocate some locations that can be simple to handle?

When answering Stephanie’s query, I considered a number of the cities that I first traveled to as a wheelchair person — locations with accessible public transport, wheelchair taxis, numerous accommodations to select from, and loads of enjoyable issues to do! Listed here are 5 accessible locations for first-time disabled vacationers in the US (organized alphabetically):

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is my hometown — I’ve now lived right here for almost two years, and have a protracted historical past of visiting town previous to my transfer. In my first 12 months of touring with a incapacity, I visited Boston greater than 10 instances! It seems on this listing as a result of it’s one among my favourite cities in America and, subsequent to Philadelphia, it is likely one of the two most consequential cities in American historical past.

Not removed from right here, in Lexington and Harmony, the primary photographs had been fired to kick off the American Revolutionary Struggle. This metropolis was additionally the location of the Boston Tea Get together and the midnight journey of Paul Revere. The Freedom Path, a must-see survey of American historical past that leads guests to every of those locations and extra is barely a fraction of what Boston has to supply.

Common wheelchair accessible sights embrace the New England Aquarium, Museum of High quality Arts, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston Widespread and naturally Fenway Park, dwelling of the Boston Purple Sox baseball workforce. A lot of the prime sights are inside strolling and wheeling distance of each other — linked to or not removed from the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a public park that runs 1.5 miles by way of town middle.

Boston looks like a small metropolis, linked by a largely accessible subway system, accessible buses with ramps and wheelchair taxis (together with from Uber and Lyft!) — all of this provides as much as an thrilling vacation spot that’s simple to get round. To study extra, take a look at the Boston Wheelchair Journey Information. In case you journey by way of right here, be sure you drop me a line!

Chicago, Illinois

The “Windy Metropolis” is one among America’s hottest cities. Situated alongside Lake Michigan, Chicago provides a wide-range of alternatives with its waterfront seashores, canal boat excursions and dinner cruises.

Different accessible vacationer sights embrace world-class museums, the sky-scraping Willis Tower, procuring on the long-lasting Michigan Avenue, sporting occasions together with Chicago Cubs baseball at Wrigley Discipline, public artwork installations, Michelin-starred culinary experiences and deep-dish pizza. The Centennial Wheel is acknowledged as one of many High 9 Wheelchair Accessible Ferris Wheels within the World. Remember to get the Chicago CityPASS to save cash on town’s prime sights.

With the data contained within the free Chicago Wheelchair Journey Information, you’ll be ready to expertise all town has to supply from the seat of your wheelchair.

Las Vegas, Nevada

The “Leisure Capital of the World” is a playground for adults and households alike, providing unbelievable experiences, performances, meals and actions appropriate for everybody. However significantly, the meals — learn my article on the 15 finest locations to eat on the Las Vegas Strip (it’s one of the fashionable articles on this web site).

Las Vegas is an accessible vacation spot as effectively, attracting extra wheelchair customers than some other metropolis in the US. The town caters to each want, and might even push you out of your consolation zone ⁠— together with on a wheelchair accessible zip line!

The Las Vegas Wheelchair Entry Information is free and can enable you plan the right journey, with info on accessible accommodations (I’ve reviewed the accessibility of 18 Las Vegas accommodations), transportation, vacationer sights and extra.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is likely one of the oldest cities in the US, however the metropolis’s wheelchair accessibility in vacationer areas is kind of good.

Guests to Philadelphia can tour Independence Corridor (the place the U.S. Structure was drafted), see the Liberty Bell, go to greater than 10 unbelievable museums of historical past, artwork and science, attend a Philadelphia Phillies baseball sport and eat an area cheesesteak.

In case you’re on the lookout for a household trip vacation spot that has loads to do and is straightforward to get round, Philly is the place. To study extra, take a look at the Philadelphia Wheelchair Accessibility Information.

Washington, D.C.

The nation’s capital was the second vacation spot I visited in my first 12 months of touring with a wheelchair, and it proved extraordinarily simple to handle!

Washington, D.C.’s metro system is wheelchair accessible in any respect stations, and there are numerous accessible issues to do! Every of the nationwide museums and monuments, together with the Smithsonian establishments, are wheelchair-friendly and supply free admission to all. With some advance planning, guests could possibly take an accessible tour of the White Home and Capitol constructing.

The capital metropolis is one which welcomes all, and it is likely one of the best journeys to take as a wheelchair person — you’ll see many locals and vacationers with disabilities energetic in the neighborhood, driving public transit, and having fun with town’s vacationer sights. To study extra, head on over to the free Washington, D.C. Wheelchair Accessible Journey Information.

Irrespective of the vacation spot, planning for accessibility is vital

No metropolis is completely or “totally” accessible — boundaries exist in even essentially the most accessible locations, and so they typically current themselves abruptly. By researching prematurely of journey and planning in your particular person wants, you’ll have the ability to get rid of a lot of these surprises in preparation for an gratifying journey.

Stephanie’s e-mail contained a line that caught my consideration: “I’m fearful if it’s too troublesome to journey that my mates gained’t need to go along with me.”

That’s considerably unhappy to listen to, however I perceive the place she is coming from — it’s a concern that I’ve had in touring with my very own mates. When issues go fallacious, it’s exhausting for all concerned and your folks gained’t need to go away you behind to cope with it alone.

Relying on the kind of wheelchair you employ, transportation could also be your greatest problem — for me, as an influence wheelchair person, I’ve to journey in an accessible automobile, which suggests I typically need to depend on public transit. Once I journey with mates, I ensure that to analysis public transit’s hours of operation to appropriately plan our itinerary… being caught in a single day with out accessible transport shouldn’t be enjoyable!

Make a plan, have a back-up possibility, and attempt to get rid of the potential factors of failure out of your journey. That can enable you and your folks to have a stress-free journey that’s enjoyable for everybody!

Whereas I wouldn’t advocate beginning off with a world journey, cruises are fashionable amongst disabled vacationers and main European cities like Barcelona and London verify these essential containers for accessible transit and lodging.