While we know we CAN and SHOULD travel with Parkinson’s, it can be intimidating. We can watch NeuroLifeOnline webinars (like How to Travel Better with Adam Rog: Insider Travel Tips) to make it easier, but you have to decide to do it. Mike and I did, and we learned a few things along the way.
So, this post combines a travel professional’s webinar tips and insights from the DePorter’s who don’t pretend to be travel professionals.
Let’s start with the travel professional…
Communication is the foundation of success when traveling. A few things to keep in mind:
1. Plan ahead.
Airlines have a process. If you communicate your needs when you book your trip, you are more likely to be successful. Arriving at the airport and making your request will yield different results in a less timely manner.
2. Request a wheelchair and/or pre-boarding.
Wheelchairs are the best way to get accommodations and secure pre-board for any, including those with orthostatic hypotension. There are 3 levels of service: cannot walk long distances, cannot do stairs, and cannot walk at all. Requesting a wheelchair ahead of time will ensure a staff member is ready to assist you from the terminal, through security, to the gate and boarding the plane. You can also have a walker with a wheelchair.
3. Consult a travel professional.
They can provide beneficial information like plane and aisle sizes, tour information, and ADA information for lodgings.
4. Avoid busy seasons and select ADA-friendly places.
Cruises can be great options for travel, and I personally recommend looking at Carribean cruises in the winter to avoid crowds. Smaller cities can sometimes be better travel locales for people with movement disorders, but for those looking for a major metropolitan center, London, Paris, Dubai, and Toronto are all known to be ADA friendly options.
5. Enroll in TSA PreCheck or Global Entry to expedite your experience with security and customs.
These are both Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Trusted Traveler Programs. TSA PreCheck provides expedited security screening benefits for flights departing from U.S. Airports. Global Entry provides expedited U.S. customs screening for international air travelers when entering the United States. Global Entry members also receive TSA PreCheck benefits as part of their membership.
6. Stay on top of your medicine schedule.
Consider time changes and travel arrangements and set reminders to ensure you take your medication at your normal times.
7. Utilize the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower and related services.
I learned about the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, a program using the sunflower as a tool to help people with not-so-obvious disabilities. According to their website: “Businesses from every sector have been joining the global sunflower network – ranging from retail, travel, tourism, and transport, including over 200 airports – as well as railway networks, coach and bus services and ferries, education (universities, schools, and colleges), healthcare, central and local government agencies to football teams, theme parks, theaters, and financial institutions.”
AMTRAK also has the Red Cap Service, which I have used frequently and have had excellent service.
Some takeaways from the DePorters…
1. Change your mindset to overcome perceived and real stigma.
“Those who matter don’t mind; and those who mind don’t matter.” – Dr. Seuss
I am self-conscious of what others think of my sometimes invisible disability. However, our summer concert adventures taught me that I could walk, but different from what I did a few years ago. I needed to wrap my head around that and change my mindset.
2. Asking for accommodations is not being defeated.
It’s empowering myself and helping anyone with me. Accessible parking and seating are reasonable accommodations that I will pursue to continue enjoying live music – an activity Mike and I do together, and those are important.
3. Sometimes needing to slow down will offer new opportunities to be with loved ones.
We all have days when the stars align, and we are at our best. However, there are the “off” times when our body says, “Nope. Not right now.” I experienced one of those moments one afternoon at the beach with my family. Walking home, my meds had worn off, and I needed to return to the house. As much as I wanted to go back, walking to the beach was not in the cards for me that day, leading to a pity party.
However, watching my son and daughter-in-law work together to deliver my granddaughter to naptime, I realized I could be helpful and offered to babysit. Mike and I had a camera view of our granddaughter sleeping, and we relaxed on the porch while we wrote this post. The afternoon started with a weepy pity party but became a great day, and I managed some extra snuggle time with my granddaughter after naptime.
4. Celebrate the small joys when they come.
Parkinson’s or not, life is one challenge after another, but sometimes you get lucky and find the extra tater tot at the bottom of the bag—and it’s the best tater tot you’ve ever tasted. Why? Because it’s exciting and unexpected. So, travel, have fun, and find those tots!
