An Oxford sunset
Photo by: Sara Haj-Hassan (Stock Exchange)

Howdy, all! It’s been great sharing travel tips with you and whipping up access guides for your exotic travel destinations.

I do hope you’ve found Disabled Travelers useful, and that you’ll keep rolling wherever your urge to travel takes you!

Sadly, this will be my final post on our blog, so I thought I would take the time to share a couple of personal memories about my favorite travel destinations.

Naturally, I’ll include some accessibility information so you can join in!

Oxford: Oxford is the first “university town” in the English-speaking world, and has been hosting international scholars — the first of these from France — for thousands of years. The university buildings are spread out across a bit more than seventeen square miles, and are totally intermingled with the town proper. Students are divvied up into “colleges,” all with their own focus and culture. Tourists come from all over the world to see the ancient buildings, housing research libraries, meeting places, and living space. I can honestly say that Oxford was the origin of my love of travel, as my first trip abroad was to study as a history student there as part of Trinity College.

Official accessibility info from the city here. Transport, including accessible taxis, here. Accessible hotels through AOL Travel here. London-area airports service Oxford; a bus service is available that makes the complete journey in a very short time. See National Express Coach for information on this, and our earlier London post for disabled travel resources focusing on the local airports.

Stockholm: Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. The city itself is located on 14 islands, so ferry accessibility is both a necessity and a priority for the locals. It also features some of the lowest income inequality in the world and a widely bilingual population. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to get around and communicate. In fact, in my entire time in Sweden, I never looked at a map for more than two minutes without being helped by a friendly local. Be sure to visit the Kingsgarten area, a wonderful place to while away the day; home to beautiful fountains, historic statues of famous kings, and outstanding local and American cuisine. Though I only stopped a few days on a whirlwind tour of Scandinavia, I can’t wait to get back!

Disabled Travelers has done Stockholm here.

Dublin: No matter where you come from, Ireland is truly the greenest thing you’ll ever see. Flying in over that patchwork of amazing emerald shades is a great experience, and that’s before you even get where you’re going. I definitely recommend setting at least part of your Emerald Isle journey out in the countryside, among the rolling hills. (Frankly, even the golf courses are pretty amazing.) Accessibility can be patchy out there, but that’s why there’s a thriving business in bed-and-breakfasts that cater to your every need, including your mobility impaired access needs. This is truly Irish hospitality at its finest, and something I enjoyed recently in a trip to Cork and Blarney.

Disabled Travelers has done Dublin here.

Boston: If you’ve never been to Boston, you might think of it as an immense, rushed, and kind of impersonal city, the way New York can be. But in fact, Boston has a style and a flavor all its own, and often “acts” like a much smaller town. With northeastern influences, a distinct love of seafood, and a long intellectual tradition intertwined with the founding days of the nation, you’ll be amazed at your first visit. While you’re in the neighborhood, please don’t forget to visit Cambridge, home to some of the largest and oldest bookstores in the United States, including a thriving community of family-owned and secondhand stores like you can’t see anywhere else! I definitely recommend a guided tour to point out the historic sites and locales that are literally around every corner. During my wayward history days, a Ph.D. candidate in American history showed me around, and it was truly amazing.

AbilityTrip provides good “one stop shopping” on accessibility in Boston.

Well, folks, that’s it for me! Thanks for joining me on this great trip, and as always, adventure on!

Si

The Louvre at dusk
Photo by: Jan Jelnek (Stock Exchange)

Hello, hello!

Today on the Disabled Travelers blog, we continue our journey through the beautiful city of Paris.

There’s so much to experience here in the capital of France that I’ve decided to break things down a bit more than usual for our Paris access guides.

This time, we’ll be focused on accessibility in transportation; how to get around easily so you can take it all in and enjoy your visit.

If you’re like me, then mobility impaired access in public transportation is important to you, and I’m here to give you the inside scoop.

As astute readers have probably realized by now, I have, indeed, been to Paris. Much of the city is designed to be walkable, and that’s good news for wheelchair users. The tricky part is, with so much of the city retaining Old World-style cobblestones, pavement can be uneven and inhospitable in the less-modern sections. Though it’s a wonderful city to walk or roll, and you definitely get more of the local flavor that way, sooner or later you’ll want to know about your other options. Let’s take a look at some of them now.

The Paris Metro: Paris’ citywide train system is the second-most used of its kind, just behind its Moscow counterpart. Most trips through the city will require at least a few short hops on the Metro, which can slash your travel time. But how is it on accessibility? The official page on the topic isn’t much, and extended visits to the Metro should be avoided for most passengers who cannot stand. Users of automatic wheelchairs should also take a “pass” on the Metro. That said, many Metro stations throughout Paris are extensively equipped with accessibility features. Consult the Paris Metro map, available in both full- and wallet-size, to figure out the best route for you before you go.

At the time of this writing, only Metro Line 14 is fully accessible.

Buses: Many of Paris’ bus lines are accessible, and you’ll definitely want to choose one of these over the Metro where possible. More and more buses are being equipped with ramps and have ample space for a wheelchair user to be situated near the door for easy exit, though in most cases, you will have to face backwards and back into the space. For an excellent source, try this local transportation guide. From there, you can see routes and schedules, and plan your journey from end to end.

Taxis: Unlike the selection above, taxis are not administered by RATP, Paris’ transportation authority. For that reason, they can seem like the “lost” option, but no more! There are wheelchair accessible taxis in Paris, and they’re convenient and easy to use. There’s only one dilemma: to the best of my knowledge, the company behind it all, G7 Taxis, doesn’t offer any information in English on their website. You can, however, contact them by email to find out more about pre-reserving taxi service throughout the city. As is often the way in Paris, English-language assistance may be provided on contact or by arrangement.

Passerelles: Something should be said about the pedestrian bridges that crisscross Paris over the Seine. There are two in central Paris, both quite extensive. Though they present some challenges, they’re not as daunting as they might seem at first. Global Access News has two articles focusing on accessibility around the passerelles: one from 2003 and an update written in 2005. Merchants and others who spend their time on the passerelles are often more than happy to help you get around.

For our next go-around, we’ll be looking at places to stay in Paris. Our tour de France will continue on from there when we discuss accessible places to eat. Finally, we’ll discuss all the handicapped travel resources in the city that don’t quite fit anywhere else before we bid the city a fond adieu. Once again, au revoir and adventure on!

Si

Lazienski Palace, known as "The Palace on the Water", in Warsaw
Photo by: Robert Parzychowsk (Stock Exchange)

Howdy to all our loyal Disabled Traveler readers!

Last time around, we hit the streets to look at the best access guides for Krakow. As planned, we’re forging ahead to the majestic city of Warsaw, capital of Poland, to continue our journey.

As a reminder, this series is a little precursor to a trip I myself am taking in June, and I’ll be revisiting it to provide first-hand perspectives after I get back to the States.

For today, it’s on to the “phoenix city” to enjoy the wonders of Poland!

I’d like to begin by pointing out the helpful handicapped accessible information provided by Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin Airport. I’d also be remiss in my blogging duties if I didn’t mention Accessible Poland Tours, an established and trustworthy tour operator that exclusively provides customized itineraries for handicapped travelers. Accessible Poland visits Krakow, Warsaw, and many sights in the countryside, such as Auschwitz, which can be difficult to get to without help from local experts. The agency also maintains a Warsaw Without Barriers guide: it has overviews of public transport, museums, religious buildings, theatres, and restaurants. The English is a touch spotty, but don’t pass it up: it’s the best local guide online right now.

Warsaw is a city of theaters, which just happen to be among my favorite attractions of all. Though many of the thirty or so venues are housed in older or ancient buildings, a few have been retrofitted for disabled access. This includes the iconic Grand Theater, one of the most recognized symbols of Warsaw’s grandeur and perseverance. There are also splendid performances at the National Philharmonic, Roma Musical Theatre, and The Ester, Rachel and Ida Kaminska Jewish Theatre. In addition to wheelchair accessible seating, many of these fine institutions offer discount tickets to the disabled. If you’re looking for something a little spicier, Entertainment and Nightlife in Warsaw is for you. It lists several hot venues, some of which have disability access.

Now, on to the hotels! Something our American and European guests should keep in mind: the Polish zloty, still in use in the country, trades favorably with the dollar and Euro; even on a budget, it’s easy to find an affordable, feature-rich place to stay. The Radisson Blu Hotel Warsaw comes with my recommendation. With over 300 rooms, it offers four suites for disabled travelers and a huge number of amenities: like complimentary wireless Internet, a sauna, pet-friendly accommodations, and more.

Hotel Rialto is situated in Warsaw’s business district. It boasts close proximity to the Palace of Culture and Science, and can deliver Turkish and Finnish sauna treatments, as well as full-body massage. One room is adapted for wheelchair users, and the building and grounds are fully accessible. The Aramis Hotel also claims to have wheelchair accessible rooms and facilities, but doesn’t provide detailed information I could find. For full access to an extensive database of national hotels, click to StayPoland. It has a fair-sized compendium of information on attractions in the various cities, and includes accessibility info in search results, though not in the search function itself.

(On an interesting side-note, quite a large number of Polish hotels are pet-friendly, and that just means companion animals. I suspect, though I don’t know Polish laws on the subject, that most hotels welcome service dogs even if they don’t have specific features for handicapped guests.)

That’s it for Poland, and also the last leg of my trip that we haven’t covered yet on the ol’ blog. I’ll be reviewing London and Dublin quick-like in future posts to highlight new developments; and you’ll be hearing more about my voyage once it’s actually complete. Stay tuned for the Disabled Travelers News Round-Up for May, and plenty of new destinations and helpful tips. Adventure on!

Si

The Reichstag building in Berlin
Photo by: Matthias Choules (Stock Exchange)

Hello, everyone! Today is the first post in a series I’ll be doing with an eye toward my own upcoming trip, where I’ll be visiting London, Berlin, Stockholm, Krakow, and Dublin. Now, we’ve already covered London and Dublin in previous posts, of course (and they’re known to be two of my favorite destinations) but in the upcoming posts we’ll be looking at access guides and handicapped travel resources for the rest. Then, once I’m actually on my way, a second series of posts will highlight some of my journey. We begin in Berlin, a melting pot containing residents from over 200 nations.

Of course, air travel isn’t all it should be throughout Europe right now. Thanks to ongoing eruptions of an Icelandic volcano, dangerous ash has spread across the airspace in many countries, grounding plenty of flights! Hopefully, this will be resolved soon and Berlin’s three major airports will be back to work. Schofield, Tegel, and Templehof Airports are all located in the Berlin area, and have a joint accessible travel page. If you’re starting off from London, as I will be, you can avoid some air travel with how to travel by train from London to Europe.

Luckily for us, Berlin is one of the centers of the handicapped traveler movement in Europe. Come to Germany’s accessibility page is a valuable hub on accessible attractions, restaurants, accommodations, and more; but it’s hardly the only great resource around. Also swing by Sage Traveling’s Berlin Page for a recommended itinerary for disabled travelers and information on travel agents and tour operators, among others. Just about any topic you can think of is covered within several separate topic pages.

For a variety of tips on transportation and other topics, including facts for deaf and blind travelers, drop by Visit Berlin, which provides a lot of context on the city’s many integration and barrier-free design efforts. AngloInfo’s coverage of Berlin includes more on disabled transportation. Luckily, there seems to be a lot of good public transit, and the overview on AI is thorough enough to help with planning from the comfort of home.

As for hotels, there are plenty to choose from. Sage Traveling also offers a page on accessible hotels. Disability World has a description of a Berlin hotel run by disabled people, and Accessible Accommodations has more info on places to stay. Many upscale hotels, and even some hostels, throughout Berlin have accessible features: for a budget-conscious hostel option with an accessible room, try Baxpax, which offers three locations in the city. And don’t forget the new accessibility search functionality at Hotels.com!

Though no longer updated, Berlin Eating, a section of Gablinger Berlin Tours, discusses many dining spots and includes information on accessibility. Try “The Wheels Come Off” from the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper for a perspective from disabled rights’ lawyer John Horan, who went on a quest to see how well wheelchair travelers can really get around in this historic city. The answer? Mixed results, but several useful links!

Finally, a few of our favorite tour operators have service to Berlin. Visit World on Wheelz and Accessible Journeys, both of which have organized outstanding trips throughout Germany in the past and can always help to meet your special needs. I’ll be “going it alone” this trip, but these two companies come with high recommendations.

In our next post we’ll be moving on to the next leg of my trip: Stockholm. This is one place I’ve wanted to visit for many years, and I’m very excited! Stay tuned for access guides across Europe, and some insights and pics from me once my odyssey begins! Cheers, and adventure on!

Si

Prague in the early evening
Photo by: Michael Mogmil (Stock Exchange)

Hello, everybody! Since I’m in the middle of planning my own trip to Poland and its surroundings, I thought I would tap the old mailbag to talk about wheelchair travel in Prague. Known as the “Mother of Cities” in its native Czech, this city is saturated in its long history. Now, granted, a lot of ancient cities leave something to be desired when it comes to handicapped travelers; but it’s my job to make sure you can know before you go, and besides, we’ve been pleasantly surprised before – now is one of those times!

Prague is an international crossroads that’s attracted big-name guests like the International Olympic Committee and the International Astronomical Union. When visiting here, there are so many beautiful museums, castles, and cathedrals it’s hard to name them all. Luckily, Prague.Net offers a useful sights by wheelchair access guide. You can dig deep into the site for detailed descriptions of some of the attractions, and breathtaking, high-resolution photos. The same site also has a listing of wheelchair accessible public transport routes to make getting around that much easier.

Despite some complaints about the modernity of their transport facilities, the official travel site of the Czech Republic does not disappoint in its treatment of disabled guests. The country is now participating in a wide-scale disabled access project, and working to make its characteristic towers more accessible to people of all abilities. Prague’s tallest tower, as well as several others, already have wheelchair elevators and other useful accommodations. Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Botanical Gardens and Zoo at Troje are also accessible to different degrees.

10 Reasons for the Disabled to Visit Czech Republic is an outstanding resource. In addition to all the information displayed above, it covers accommodations and transport, local UNESCO sites that offer access, access for concerts, theatres, and cinema, natural sites, and even sporting events. There’s enough information here to figure out exactly what you want to see, both in Prague and throughout the country, and it’s really obvious the government is making an effort to extend new opportunities to all.

The Prague Post is the Czech Republic’s English-language newspaper and offers a surprisingly broad range of news stories and information for the disabled. A quick search of the archives reveals fairly frequent stories about disabled rights and the growing handicapped organization in the country. Check out this article on access improvements on the country’s ubiquitous trams.

For more news on accessible hotels, restaurants, and attractions, stop by Prague Guide’s Travelers With Disabilities page. Traveliana, a site for Prague hotels and apartments, also has a guide to accessible accommodations. These offer wheelchair access, but for valuable info on specifics, you’ll have to contact the properties directly. A few properties do mention how many rooms they offer and what the features include, but many just have a range of icons that are meant to represent features – kind of baffling! Luckily, the site is available entirely in English.

That’s the story on Prague, but keep those questions and travel destinations coming, and we’ll keep the posts rolling on Disabled Travelers. Next up: wheelchair accessible national parks! See you then, and adventure on!

Si

A harbor in Monaco
Photo by: getye1 (Stock Exchange)

Howdy, all! Since wandering through the Pyrenees and discovering wheelchair accessible hotels in Andorra, I’ve decided to take up the challenge of working on some of the world’s smallest countries. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we now have the power to learn more about these destinations than ever before, so why not? Monaco is our next stop: Monaco. Found on the Mediterranean in southwest Europe, Monaco is influenced by neighbors France and Italy, and is known for Formula One racing and frequent visits by American and European “high rollers” to the “Las Vegas of Europe”, Monte Carlo.

AngloInfo starts us off with facts on accessible transportation and more. This covers nearby airports as well as train service, ferries, car rental, and priority parking for disabled people. There is even a handicapped accessible beach catering wheelchair users and those with visual handicaps. It offers specially equipped wheelchairs for enjoying the surf and is open every day from June to September.

For that all-important personal perspective, Global Access News is there with Nice and Monaco, February 2008. The article discusses transportation, lodging, and travel between Monaco and Nice, a city in southern France that’s a common jumping-off point for those visiting the neighboring principality. Incidentally, since France and Monaco are so closely linked, you can actually visit the country through Accessible Journeys’ Accessible France Tour. One of the tour operator’s eleven-day package plans in France includes a full day in Monaco, and customized plans are also possible.

You’ll definitely want to consider basing yourself in France, as Monaco itself has some rough terrain and relatively few ramps. You can learn a lot about the country and ways to connect to it from Getting Around in Monaco, part of the unofficial web guide to the city-state. Though there is not much accessible information in the rest of the site, it does reveal that there are some disabled access facilities at beautiful Larvotto Beach on the Mediterranean. The website is also useful in its detailed discussions of attractions and annual festivities, such as the Grand Prix, Yacht Show, and Monaco’s cathedral and palace.

Even if you’re using France as a home base, it’s always good to know about accessible hotels in the area you’re visiting. Thanks to Monte Carlo and its hot gambling scene, there are lots of luxury hotels that pay a fair bit more attention to handicapped travelers than Monaco’s city planners did. Try Vista Palace Hotel Monaco for three wheelchair accessible rooms with bathroom facilities. There’s also the Carlo Alanya, which claims to be wheelchair-friendly and has beach access.

Stay tuned for the upcoming France series for even more information that can make your trips to Monaco and Andorra that much easier and more enjoyable. We’ll be scooting through some more “small countries” and also checking in with the ol’ mailbag in the next few posts. ’til then, adventure on!

Si

Snow-capped Andorran peaks
Photo by: hawkeye197 (Stock Exchange)

Good morning, folks! A little while ago when we did access guides for the Spanish and French Pyrenees I promised a post on accessible travel in the Principality of Andorra, but I honestly didn’t know if it would work out. After all, it’s a beautiful country, but there’s not a whole lot of it! But in such a small area, with only about 80,000 people (about nine times less than New York City!) I discovered two things I hadn’t counted on: remarkable diversity (local languages include Catalan, Spanish, French, and Portuguese) and a formidable number of accessible hotels. Let’s check it out!

AndorraMania is the main website you want to check out on this trip. It’s the Internet directory of Andorra and is very thorough! It includes hotels, apartments, and campsites with detailed information on each one. Though the search function is not especially helpful, many of the hotels have disabled access facilities; it’s just a matter of poking around a little. Since the information is available in all of the native languages as well as English, it’s much easier to navigate this than many of the other Andorran sites out there, which may only provide Spanish and French.

Here are some of the top choices I found for handicapped travelers:

Hotel IBIS: Near the center of the country; 6 disabled access rooms;

Petit Hotel: A smaller, three-star offering in the northeast; 1 disabled access room;

Hotel Carlton Plaza: A five-star hotel in the capital, it has spacious suites for wheelchair users.

Ski Plaza Hotel: A four-star hotel with 115 rooms total, and an unspecified number with wheelchair access;

And there are also some leads on accessible attractions in the country:

The National Automobile Museum: Offers a history of vehicles from 1880s-era steam engines to the modern era. The official site touts it as one of the most important collections in southern Europe, and it includes 60 vehicles, 80 motorbikes, and 100 bicycles. The museum offers “partial” disabled access.

The Rossel Forge: Built in the 1840s, Rossel Forge was one of the last functioning forges in Andorra at the time of its closure in 1876. It now serves as a museum that unveils the secrets of the modern iron ingot industry, with equipment demonstrations and an audiovisual tour. The facility has disabled access.

For more information on culture and goings-on in the principality, check out About Andorra, a public initiative to improve tourism and raise awareness about the country. Once again, the search functions provided throughout the site makes finding accessible restaurants and attractions a snap. With over 200 restaurants in the database, you can find over 100 that categorize themselves as offering disability-friendly dining. This includes French, Spanish, other European cuisine as well as pizzerias, family-style restaurants and many more, a huge variety to choose from for any gourmand.

More “small countries” to come on Disabled Travelers. Cheers – and adventure on!
Si

Ready to roll on land, sea, and air!
Photo by: Jos van Galen (Stock Exchange)

Hello again, folks! On today’s Disabled Travelers I want to highlight some good general resources for wheelchair and oxygen users traveling abroad. Though many airlines supply free wheelchairs for handicapped travelers on airport grounds, it’s not always clear where to find medical and assistive equipment once you’ve reached your destination. Sure, we’ve discussed these logistical issues here and there on the blog, but since this is a vital part of travel for so many of us, I thought it should all be in one place. There are also some great NEW resources for your travel use.

Scootaround is one reputable company that constantly comes up in discussion of special needs travel. With over 500 locations throughout the United States, Scootaround will not only provide wheelchairs and ECV scooters, but will actually deliver them to your location and pick them up when you’re done. Wheelchair selection includes both manual and electric models, and there are expanded services for airlines and passengers.

Going on a cruise? Special Needs at Sea is the top choice for mobility equipment rental on the water. They work with you and your cruise line to ensure that appropriate equipment is available to you in a smooth, timely fashion. SNS provides wheelchairs, oxygen, and equipment for the hearing impaired, and are well-established with fourteen cruise lines.

For great information on keeping your wheelchair safe in travel or renting a wheelchair at your foreign destination, read this article. There are lots of great tips here that really give you an insight into the differences between wheelchair designs internationally that might affect what kind you need. There’s also a listing of several rental companies for wheelchairs and wheelchair-equipped vans. For more on van rental worldwide, visit Adapted Vehicle Hire.

For a bigger compendium of wheelchair resources, check out The Wheelchair Site. Providing a great consumer guide to wheelchairs of all kinds, as well as resources that will be of use to just about any wheelchair user, like chair-based exercises to maintain your health, it’s another good way to get to know your chair before you take it out on a major excursion. There are also links for rental and related services.

Traveling with oxygen? It’s now easier than ever thanks to the variety of travel oxygen concentrators you can bring with you on planes, trains, and buses. Oxygen Freedom’s Travel Oxygen Guide gives you all the facts on preparing to travel with medical oxygen. Specific tips are included for bus, train, plane, ship, and long-distance automotive travel. For rental, try TravelO2, which offers services to more countries than any similar provider I’ve seen.

That’s all we’ve got for now, but I’m always on the lookout for products and services to make handicapped travelers’ lives a little bit easier and a lot more fun. If you’ve had a great experience with a reputable supplier, write in and let me know. In situations like these, where integrity counts for everything, there’s nothing better than real endorsements to help people find what they need!

Hope to hear from you soon. Adventure on!

Si

Coastal highway in the Santa Clara gulf
Photo by: Daniel Zamora (Stock Exchange)

Howdy, folks! Today on the blog we’ll be offering some of the latest handicapped travel resources and news from around the world. It’s a new month, which means it’s time to find out what’s hot, what’s happening, and what people are saying (and more importantly, doing) about handicapped travel. Let’s find out what’s got people inspired …

We’ll begin with Challenged Travelers Break Travel Barriers, a very recent post from the immensely popular blog index Technorati. Author Kaleel Sakakeeny offers a glimpse into the ever-growing disabled travel world. There are some real good handicapped organizations linked in here with an eye toward all the great “impossible” things handicapped voyagers are doing: mountain climbing, skiing, and skydiving, for example!

Of course, we’ve known this all along, but it’s good to see others getting into the mix! The more the merrier, I say … incidentally, Mr. Sakakeeny’s other articles, linked to from this one, cover a lot of interesting travel topics. They may be a bit hit-and-miss if you’re looking for something specific, but still come recommended.

Though it’s not exactly the kind of travel we usually talk about around here, I find this news from Britain pretty compelling: Prince Harry of the UK is planning a North Pole expedition with a group of disabled British servicemembers. If successful, the prince’s journey will mark the first time a group of amputees has reached the North Pole. Naturally, His Highness won’t be going quite the whole way there, but he’s using the event to raise money to rehabilitate and help amputees.

Sources in Israel report this February was a record-breaking month for tourism. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism is launching an initiative to attract three million more tourists from abroad in the next three years. To achieve this goal and head off concerns already mounting about a lack of hotel space, the Ministry is undertaking a sweeping plan, which includes investigating and upgrading wheelchair access in six major cities and traditional visiting areas. For more information on visiting Israel, see my Accessible Israel series.

More good news comes to us from this Sydney Morning Herald article. The country’s first-ever disabled access standards for buildings will go into effect for most new construction in Australia from May 2011. While that’s still a while off, the details are bound to bring a smile to your face: all new office buildings, hotels, shops, bed-and-breakfasts, and common space in apartments will be covered. Needless to say, that’s going to bring an Australian vacation a lot closer to reality for disabled travelers. Maybe it’s time to do that Australia series I’ve been thinking about …

That’s the April news round-up, but stay tuned for a heckuva lot more from the Disabled Travelers blog, your number one source for news and information on world travel with a handicap. If you have any news or stories you’d like to share, feel free to write in to us any time. We’ll be real happy to hear from ya, and I just might include your news in a post. Adventure on!

Si

Charles Street Church in Baltimore, MarylandPhoto by: Jacqueline Munoz (Stock Exxchange)

Hello, and thanks for joining us today at the Disabled Travelers blog. By now, Spring has sprung pretty much wherever you are, and I for one am thankful for it. In this visit, we’ll be exploring access guides and vital info for handicapped travelers in the wonderful city of Baltimore, Maryland. Only a short journey from Washington D.C., Baltimore is famous for its Inner Harbor area and also boasts a great array of museums, concert halls, and other cultural staples to choose from. It also has a lively seaside atmosphere that offers world-class marinas and aquariums.

Whether you’re coming in from D.C. or flying in directly, you’ll want to know about Baltimore-Washington International Airport. There’s a good third-party source here, and the official accessibility page is here. Disability services include lift-equipped buses and public telephones set up to serve the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Once you’re out and about, the Maryland Transit Administration operates the local light rail service and is also involved with buses, trains, and subways. There’s a wide range of services for disabled riders, and that page also links you to vehicle-specific accessibility info throughout the transit system.

The real draw for travelers in Baltimore is the Inner Harbor. This is where many of the greatest restaurants, hotels, and attractions are found; but don’t think it’s “just” for tourists, as the locals are in on the act too. For an idea of what’s in store, just glance over the Inner Harbor page at Visit Baltimore. Dinner cruises through the harbor are popular. For wheelchair accessible cruise ships, check out the Inner Harbor Spirit. The Spirit is one of the best-known ships in the Inner Harbor, but any local hotel concierge can help you find out if a vessel is suitable for you.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is one of the most wheelchair accessible, handicap-friendly attractions we’ve seen at Disabled Travelers. It does get extremely crowded, particularly on the weekend, so you might want to plan to visit early (it typically opens at 9 a.m.) but once you’ve mastered this little inconvenience, you’ll find the grounds and exhibits easy to navigate and enjoy. The Aquarium offers a full access guide and map as well as a brief overview. There are services for those with vision impairments, deaf guests, and visitors requiring mobility impaired access. This even includes specially trained tour guides and plenty of features like extensive Braille, assistive listening devices available on request, and much more.

Looking for high culture? Baltimore won’t disappoint you here either. The Baltimore Museum of Art is one of the region’s top institutions and has an amazing collection of paintings, sculptures, and other fine works dating from the 19th century to today. Like the National Aquarium, BMA welcomes its handicapped guests and offers assistive listening devices, ASL interpreters, sculpture touch tours; basically, any option you can think of to help you get the most of your day. The museum and its gardens are fully accessible to wheelchairs and have roll-in restroom facilities on the first floor.

If you’re willing to use mass transit, then basing yourself in Baltimore is a good way to stay out of the crowded, and sometimes less friendly, D.C. area. There are plenty of wheelchair accessible hotels in the Inner Harbor and throughout the city. If you love the waterfront, you’re sure to enjoy the Admiral Fell Inn Hotel. There’s also the Hilton Garden Inn, the Baltimore Hyatt Regency offering 28 accessible rooms, and Days Inn Baltimore, among many others.

Hope you enjoyed the Baltimore tour! Stay tuned for more in the DC area and beyond; and, as we always do, adventure on!

Si