Travel has always been important to me, but I had no idea how that would change when I fell in love and married a C6 quadriplegic. Being the traveling companion comes with a lot of emotions.
Excitement, because travel makes me happy. But also stress, because of all the things that could and often do go wrong; a fall, misunderstood needs, or forgetting to pack an essential medical item. To be honest, at times I feel guilty as well, wishing that my husband could do everything that I'm doing on the trip instead of having to sit out on some of the best adventures. Sometimes I just wish that travel could be normal. I have found myself opting for easier trips rather than adventures.
Going on safe, predictable vacations are less complicated. But, my heart wants adventure. I just want to arrive at a destination with a wheelchair in one piece, stay in a bed we can get in without difficulty, travel around cities without hassle, and go on amazing tours without judgement. Is that too much to ask? I finally found the solution.
I stopped trying to do it on my own and started finding accessible travel providers that understood my unique challenges. They wanted to help me have the adventure I wanted with the man I loved. How does it work? I tell the trip planner where we want to go and what we want to do. They will create a suggested itinerary based on what we're looking for. I can accept it or make some tweaks and, well How crazy is that? My first couple trips doing this I was quite skeptical.
I didn't think it could be so simple. Since discovering them, I haven't had to call the hotel multiple times, email back and forth with multiple tour operators, or stress about the taxi situation. Will this work? Will someone actually be waiting at the airport with a sign with our name on it and have an accessible vehicle? Will our hotel have a bed the right height and a shower bench that won't collapse? Will the tour guide not look at my husband as if he has three heads and talk to him instead of me the entire time?
