Good day from Denver, Colorado!

I arrived to the Mile Excessive Metropolis with two aims in thoughts: attending my very first live performance on the iconic Purple Rocks Ampitheatre, and assembly up with two Wheelchair Journey readers, Karen and Steve, who will likely be becoming a member of me on the Wheelchair Journey Group Journey to Spain subsequent week!

Karen and Steve invited me to their house, the place we loved a late lunch of freshly baked pizza and drinks. I had the pleasure of assembly their son, and all of us shared tales about our accessible journey experiences. One among my favourite issues about this work is the chance to satisfy and join with individuals who have an analogous ardour for exploration and journey! It’s much more of a pleasure when good individuals like Karen and Steve journey to discover the world with me on a gaggle journey!

The Purple Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is situated about half-hour’ drive from Downtown Denver, and I had deliberate to get there by way of a shuttle bus. The shuttle, operated by an organization whose enterprise is transporting concertgoers between Downtown Denver and the enduring venue, refused to supply service to me on account of my wheelchair (a really clear violation of the People with Disabilities Act). I’ve the receipts and will likely be digging into this additional subsequent month.

When it grew to become clear that the shuttle bus firm wouldn’t take me to the live performance, Karen stepped in and provided to drive me — she made positive that I didn’t miss the live performance, and I’m so grateful for her assist!

Performing was one among my favourite people rock artists, Gregory Alan Isakov. I had bought tickets practically a 12 months prematurely, and was capable of rating seats within the first row, which is wheelchair accessible!

Purple Rocks is broadly thought to be one of many world’s high outside music venues — its 70 rows of seats are chiseled into the facet of an historic rock formation, the ampitheatre overlooks the Metropolis of Denver’s colourful skyline, and its acoustics are unmatched. Seeing one among my favourite artists carry out there was a bucket checklist expertise! It was a very magical night time that I cannot overlook.

Russ, a veteran who I struck up a dialog with on the live performance, purchased me a beer and, if he’s studying this, I might merely wish to say — thanks! I really like how journey and music carry individuals collectively, and it’s all the time my objective to satisfy a brand new individual daily. Even higher to take action at a spot like Purple Rocks!

Commuting to save lots of on accessible lodge rooms

When touring, I desire to remain within the metropolis heart — being inside strolling, rolling or wheeling distance of common sights is extraordinarily handy, and it actually affords some worth. However after I traveled to Paris final month for the Olympic Video games, I needed to weigh the price of that comfort. Accommodations on the heart of Paris have been extraordinarily costly, priced a whole bunch of {dollars} greater than is typical for late summer time, they usually have been merely outdoors of my funds. I wanted to broaden my search.

In preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Video games, Paris expanded its wheelchair accessible metro Line 14 in each instructions, with the southern terminus now extending to Paris Orly Airport, the place many low-cost airways function. This enlargement offered me a handy approach to get across the metropolis — and to the lodge I finally chosen close to the Orly Airport.

Quite than spending $500+ per night time for a lodge in central Paris, I commuted about 45 minutes every means utilizing an accessible tram and metro Line 14, and was capable of safe a really accessible Hilton Backyard Inn for lower than $200 per night time. These financial savings have been crucial to creating my journey attainable, and within the course of I discovered a lodge that I can most actually suggest.

Take a tour of my room on this Wheelchair Accessibility Evaluate of the Hilton Backyard Inn Paris Orly Airport — maybe you may think about it on a future journey to the Metropolis of Lights!

A fast notice on synthetic intelligence: Clearly, the picture of a wheelchair consumer holding a cardboard signal featured above just isn’t me — or any residing individual, however it’s actually an AI-generated picture. I’ve sometimes taken to creating photos with providers like OpenAI’s DALL-E, however stay dedicated to publishing content material that has been written by human beings with lived expertise of incapacity. You may examine my ideas on the hazards AI may pose on the earth of accessible journey on this article: Impression of AI on Accessible Journey Will Be Adverse Earlier than It Is Optimistic. It’s an fascinating article, and I sit up for listening to your ideas!

I’ll acquire my ultimate European passport stamp this 12 months

Renewing my passport is bittersweet — on the one hand, I’m comfortable to have a brand new ebook of empty pages ready to be stamped, and on the opposite, I’m unhappy to retire a passport already full of stamps that remind me of my adventures.

My final renewal, in 2017, got here not as a result of the passport was expiring, however as a result of I had run out of house for entry and exit stamps.

A latest determination by the European Union to eradicate passport stamps all however ensures I’ll by no means run out of house once more. On November 10, 2024, the EU will transition to an digital Entry/Exit System (EES) which can make passport stamps out of date — from that date, stamps will not be offered to vacationers coming into or exiting its 27 member states.

The brand new system goals to extend effectivity for vacationers at border checkpoints, however it’s nonetheless a tragic finish to an period of gathering ink in our passport booklets. It leads me to marvel, as extra nations undertake digital techniques, how for much longer will passports as we all know them exist? Might the passport booklet be decreased to an identification card — or worse, a digital ID — that’s acknowledged in every single place, even at worldwide borders? We’ll have to attend and see.

For now I’m left to think about, which European nation would be the final to stamp my passport? Might it’s Spain or Portugal, the place I’m quickly touring with a gaggle of Wheelchair Journey readers, or will I handle to sneak in one other European journey earlier than the November 10 deadline?

What number of European passport stamps have you ever collected, and which is your favourite, or related to recollections of a visit you particularly loved? I might like to know!

Boston, then Spain

I’m returning to Boston tonight, and getting proper again to work tomorrow in close by Cambridge, Massachusetts. The All Wheels Up World Discussion board on Wheelchair Accessible Air Journey is going down on the U.S. Division of Transportation’s John A. Volpe Nationwide Transportation Techniques Heart and, over the following two days, I will likely be busy discussing accessible journey with business leaders and incapacity advocates from world wide.

You may examine what occurred ultimately 12 months’s occasion in my Recap of the 2023 All Wheels Up World Discussion board, which attracted particular friends together with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senator Tammy Duckworth.

With lower than every week till I depart for Spain, my consideration will shortly flip to getting ready for the arrival of Wheelchair Journey readers, who will get pleasure from an accessible tour of Barcelona and Madrid, with some following me into Portugal thereafter. I anticipate it is going to be the very best Wheelchair Journey Group Journey but, and I’m trying ahead to saying the primary of a number of 2025 excursions later this month.

Wishing you protected travels and a terrific week forward,
—John