The Flying Circus 7 - Coping with jet-lag

There is no easy solution for jet lag with the kids. I have read that it takes roughly one day to adjust to a one hour shift in time, and my experience backs this up. As an adult you can do various things (ensure you sleep and wake in the new times as fast as possible, get plenty of sunshine and fresh air during the day in you r new time zone etc.) but your kids won’t do this. They will go to slepp when they are tired (their old bed times) and wake when they’re not (they’re old wake times) and this can really screw up your day. All you can do is try to work them into the new time zone a little bit every day, putting them to bed as close as possible to an appropriate time for your new time zone and insisting they stay there (even if they don’t sleep). Get them into the fresh air and outside as much as possible during the day in your new time zone. Try to maintain a routine as much as possible. It definitely helps if you are staying at the same location (hotel or friends’ house) for the first 3 or 4 nights to establish a routine. Make sure you bring some night-time stuff from home – a favorite teddy, or blanket, or pajamas, and try to keep the same night time routine as you use at home.

Frequently, my wife and I end up staying in the same hotel room as the kids. We learned quickly that they simply will not go to sleep if we are in the room. This has led to several unromantic evenings spent in the bathroom of the hotel room with the lights off waiting for slumber to settle in the bedroom. Nothing like sitting on the toilet sharing a glass of wine with your beloved! If you can afford a suite take it!

The Flying Circus 6 - Landing

A good trick is to give the kids lollipops when descending. This helps the pressur eon their ears and may reduce the discomfort. I have constantly tried to make landing exciting by telling them to prepare for the “bumpity-bumps” and talking about what we can see through thee windows. The result is that this is now the favorite part of the journey for my tiny tots and they laugh themselves silly during landing and decelerating.

As a wheelchair user who needs an aisle chair to dis-embark, you are going to be last off the plane. So just sit back, relax and let everyone else get off first. My wife and the kids usually get off ahead of me and wait on the air-bridge or in the lounge.

Disembarking is the reverse of boarding. The ground staff come with an aisle chair and you have to transfer into it. Again, it’s great if you can do that yourself. If not you need to depend on the sometimes poorly trained ground staff. In Europe it is usually no problem – in the US it is usually a scary and dangerous moment. If you need assistance, insist that at least two people are available. Very often they send just one person with the aisle chair, and they may or may not know what they are doing.

They wheel you off the aircraft and with luck your wheelchair will be waiting for you on the airbridge. Once you are in that you are home and dry and back in control of your destiny. I usually ask for a push to the top of the airbridge (it can be steep) and then dismiss the ground staff as I have found it easier and faster to get through the airport myself. But in a strange airport it can be useful to have someone guide you.

Another circumstance where having a guide is very useful, is if you need to go through passport control at your destination. The guide can usually fast-track you and your family through the lines.

The Flying Circus 5 - Boarding the plane

This is how boarding works when you are traveling in your own wheelchair. Firstly, and most importantly, be at the gate early. Domestic or local flights usually start boarding 20 or 30 minutes before departure time. Long haul usually starts 45 minutes before departure time. Be at the gate ten minutes before boarding starts – at least. As soon as you reach the gate, talk to the personnel on the podium and tell them you need an aisle chair to get on board the plane, and any other assistance you may require. This is essential. It doesn’t matter if the check-in said it would be okay, or if it is written on your ticket. The only person who needs to know is the gate manager, and invariably they never do. I don’t know why. It helps if you can let them know at least 30 or 45 minutes in advance. The other thing you need from the gate agent is a “gate tag” for your wheelchair. This should ensure that you get it on arrival – doesn’t always happen.  

The guys with the aisle chair eventually turn up. Airlines like to board the wheelies first, but this is not always possible. If the plane is re-fueling, or if the ground guys are late, they will start boarding the walkies first. The important thing is to stay close to the gate and ask questions. Once they are ready to board you, you can take your own chair all the way down to the aircraft door. At that point, you transfer from your own chair to the aisle chair (sometimes called a “straight-back”). The aisle chair is a very narrow chair that fits down the aisle of the aircraft. If you need assistance you will need to direct operations and give very clear instructions about what you want to happen.  You kiss your wheelchair goodbye. Make sure there is nothing left on the chair that may fall off – side guards, cushion, back-pack etc. Take everything removable with you onto the aircraft. I just pull everything off and throw it in a heap on the ground and tell the guys that all of that needs to get on-board. At this point you are at the mercy of the handlers. You have no control over the aisle chair as they man handle you on-board. My experience has been that European airports do this really well, and US airports are terrible. It helps if you can make your own transfers. If not, ensure there are two people and that they are trained – ask them. IN the US the invariably are not trained and treat you like a piece of baggage. In Europe they are usually para-medics that know how to safely transfer you from the aisle chair to your seat and vice versa.

It would be really nice if airlines always assigned wheelies to a seat that was easy to get to – near the front, with an arm rest that went up. They don’t. You just have to kind of go with the flow and try to remember that your goal is to get  into a seat – any seat – safely.

Now, add some children into the mix. The good news is that, if the airline is properly organized, they will invite wheelies and their companions to board first. My wife and kids go on board ahead of me, giving them time to get settled and get all the bags organized while I’m transferring to the aisle chair and dismantling my wheelchair. Like going through security, it is better to act as two separate groups at this point. Otherwise, staff will stand back and expect your spouse to carry your bags – and they have enough on their plates with the kids’ paraphernalia. 

A notable exception to all this palaver is the domestic US airline Southwest Airlines. They fly Boeing 737s exclusively, and the particular configuration they use means that I can get to the first row of seats in my own chair (680mm/27.2" wide). You have to do a near 180 degree transfer to get onto the seat but if you can mange that then Southwest is by far the fastest and most efficient boarding system I know.

The Flying Circus 4 - Going through security

Just assume that this is going to be a nightmare and you will not be disappointed.

Plan it out in advance. Discuss it with your partner. Who is going to carry what, who is going to go first etc. etc. Review the plan twice before you get to the line to ensure you both understand what you are going to do. This is how we do it:

-          Spouse walks behind me, with kids in between. Wheelchairs get priority (usually) at security lines, so this allows us to move quickly to the security area as a family.

-          Once at the x-ray scanners, I assist my wife with getting the kids ready: shoes off, coats off, carry-on bags on the belt. She folds the buggy, gets it on the belt, pulls out the little 1-quart baggie with liquids, gels etc. (tow of these – I have one and she has one) until finally my wife and the kids are ready to go through.

-          My wife walks through the x-ray first (and again and again until she no longer beeps). I hold the kids back until she is ready at the other side. Then the kids walk through to her, one by one. Then, and only then, I start getting myself through security.

-          Often, when going through, security will ask if you are travelling alone. I always say yes. If you don’t, they expect your wife to capture and look after all your stuff after it has gone through the x-ray belt. She has enough to do with her own mountain of stuff (see the section on packing!) and the kids!

For a wheelie, going through security always involves a body search. So the routine is to prepare all my bags, remove laptops etc. just like anyone else. I cannot easily remove my shoes and this is usually okay. Although security will ask, and sometimes try to insist, if you are firm about your needs and abilities they will let you keep your shoes on. I don’t use a back-pack on my chair as it wrecks the upholstery, so instead I use a bag that hangs under the chair to carry bits and pieces. My one (from Adaptable®) can be quickly un-clipped and I bought it specifically for security purposes. I have never had any problem bringing medical necessities through such as catheters (even the pre-lubricated type sealed with their own liquid) or urine bottles (I use standard Rubbermaid® 1-litre liquid “serving saver” bottles).  

So once you have all your stuff on the belt, it goes through just like everyone else’s. Then you wait until a security person opens a little gate beside the scanner and waves you through. The body search is pretty thorough and you will be asked to put your arms out to each side, lean forward in your chair, lift yourself if that is possible. Training of personnel varies from place to place, but by and large I have found that the staff are considerate and sensitive to my needs while still doing a thorough job. You are entitled to a private screening if you want one, but I never bother. The staff will also swab your chair, hands, and shoes for traces of explosives. Sometimes they “wand’ you and may ask permission to lift your legs off the foot-rests to do this.

We have had some horrendous experiences. One horrible incident where my toddler fell off my lap because I was trying to get my bags done (without assistance) and no one would help him or let my wife back out to pick him up and tend to his bleeding lip. Only fellow passengers came to our assistance. That’s what I mean when I say assume the worst. Staff in some locations are notoriously rude and unhelpful (Dulles International for example, although it seems to be improving over the last six months) while in other locations they are a pleasure to deal with (Baltimore/Washington International for example). My advice about all this is to just do what you can to make their job easier. It is no fun for anyone, and the person you are dealing with doesn’t make the rules. Your goal is to get safely through with minimum stress.

The Flying Circus 3 - The airport

We live too far from the airport to get a taxi, so we usually drive. I drop off the family at the departures door, then park the car and return to meet them. We always give ourselves plenty of time – aim to be at check-in no later than two hours before the flight. Sure you can cut it finer than that, but is the stress and risk of delays worth it?

We do not hang around. We go straight to check-in and then straight to security. The aim is to get “air-side” as fast as possible.

When you check-in tell the check-in person your needs. If you can walk a few steps onto the airplane, say so. If you need an aisle chair (carry-on, straight-back or lift-on are other terms that are used) then say so. If your chair is an electric chair you will need to tell them so that they can follow the appropriate procedures.

When you get your boarding passes, check them to make sure you are all actually seated together. You would be amazed at how often the kids end up seated elsewhere! Pleasant and all as that would be, I don’t recommend it.

If you booked your infant as a lap child, ask the check-in agent if they can block a seat beside you. If the flight is not full they may oblige and you end up getting a free seat for your infant. They will still need to be on your lap for take-off and landing.

Some airlines offer bassinets or cots. Ask at check-in if this is an option and see if you can get one for your baby. This means that the airline will seat you at a bulkhead where the cot can be mounted. This is a mixed blessing. Bulkheads are not great unless you really need them. Because the armrests don’t go up, transferring in and out of the seat can be very difficult. In addition, the extra space allows toddlers to “escape” easily. Our littlest was an active crawler before he could walk. One unfortunate passenger spent most of a transatlantic flight stopping his escapes with a judiciously placed leg as he took advantage of every time we were distracted by the other to slide away and make a break for freedom.

The Flying Circus 2 - Packing

I'm talking here about what you bring onto the plane - not what you pack for your trip. Diapers (nappies), wipes, a change of clothes snacks, sandwiches, drink, books, crayons, small silent toys, a favorite teddy and a blanket or cardigan. And that’s just for the kids! They will get too cold, or too hot.

I used to scoff at my wife for packing enough snacks and sandwiches to feed a small army for every flight, saying that we could get food on-board. I changed my mind after we were stuck on the ground for two plus hours after boarding – not once, but twice. In this limbo between boarding and take-off the airline staff cannot serve food or drink. Two hours in an eternity for a toddler or baby. Had we not had our rations, the children would have gone off the deep end with hunger and frustration. So now I smile benignly as she stuffs her carry-on bag to its limit.

Be alert to the likelihood that whatever book or toy or teddy is brought aboard stands a good chance of being lost unless you are exceptionally vigilant. So if it’s the favorite teddy tie it onto something!

Also, be aware that you cannot bring drinks through security – so plan to buy them on the other side. Other things subject to confiscation are yogurts (the tubes seem to be okay) and play-doh.

The Flying Circus 1 - Booking your flight

Planning for a successful trip begins right at the earliest stage - booking the flights. Don't just go by price. You may save a few dollars up front but believe me, when you have missed your connection in some ice-bound airport at 2am you would happily pay hundreds of dollars to be somewhere else! I book based on connections, airports and times - price has the least input.

Usually I use a search site like www.sidestep.com to find out what airlines fly to where I want to go and to get a feel for the prices. Then I go directly to the airline sites and search by schedule to find the best flights. What I'm looking for is:

Connections:
Preferably none. In fact, always none. Unless there is no direct flight, the risks of taking a connection are too high. I have arrived at one airport while my wheelchair went to another. I have arrived at airports and been left waiting for forty-five minutes before the staff turned up to lift me off the plane. I have had to wheel from one end of an airport to another in an effort to make my gate for the connecting flight. None of this is pleasant when you are travelling alone, but with children the stress levels are just not worth it.

If you do need to make a connection then leave at least two and a half hours between flights. I know that hanging around an airport for two plus hours is no fun, especially with little ones, but anything shorter is really too risky. Consider this – a lot of flights these days take off late (although this trend seems to be improving as airlines cut back on flights and capacity during this downturn). An "on-time departure" to an airline is anything less than fifteen minutes late. Many flights I have been on are between 15 and 45 minutes late leaving the gate. So, assume you will be thirty minutes late taking off. The pilot may or may not make up time so assume you are thirty minutes late landing. Now, everyone on the plane has to get off before you do. I have noticed that, if there are 180 people on the plane, 177 of them will disembark within a few minutes of landing. Two will take another ten minutes. And then there's you. So, about twenty-five minutes after landing you are finally able to transfer to your chair (assuming they deliver it to the gate. I have also had the chair arrive at the right airport, but then get delivered to the baggage hall!) You are now 55 minutes behind schedule, you need to be at the next gate forty minutes before they take off. So you pat yourself on the back for leaving two and a half hours between flights because you now have just under an hour to find your gate, go to the restroom, change diapers, and so on. To be fair, this is the worst case. But I prefer the buffer of time to the rush of adrenalin as you race for a connection with screaming kids in tow.

And all of this planning goes to pieces if your flight is significantly delayed or, worse, cancelled. Really - you don't want to connect if you can possibly avoid it. I will pay a few hundred dollars more to avoid a connection.

Airports:
Small is good. If you want to go to LA, consider Orange county airport. If flying to the Washington D.C. area consider Ronald Reagan (DCA) instead of Dulles. I find the staff are better trained and the airport easier to navigate when it is small. If you are connecting then avoid Northern airports (Chicago, JFK) in winter and Southern airports (Atlanta, Dallas) in Summer - both because of weather delays. Be aware that large sprawling airports (such as ORD) can be very difficult to transfer through quickly if you are in a wheelchair.

Times:
Try to think through the kids' schedule. The important thing is to try to keep the food and nap schedule as close to normal as possible. You will board the plane possibly as much as forty minutes before the scheduled take-off, and the "fasten safety belt" light will be turned off about ten minutes after take-off, which could be about thirty minutes after the plane has left the gate in a busy airport. So that 60 or 90 min period is one in which the kids won't get uninterrupted sleep and you will be unable to feed them properly or change diapers. So try to plan the flights so that these are normal "awake times". This is really difficult to do, but you will be rewarded if you can manage it by kids that are minutely less grumpy than they would be otherwise.

If you can't get ideal times (and who can with schedules?) then think through the consequences of the times. If you are due to take off right at dinner time, arrive early at the airport, go through security and give yourself time to have an early dinner before you board.

If your child is under 2 years old, he can be booked as a “lap child”. This means they don’t get their own seat, but travel on one or the other parents lap. This is worth it as ti saves a significant amount of money – but you have to decide if you can deal with an infant on your lap for the flight. If you do book a seat, remember that you will need a flight approved child-seat for an under two.

Most airlines ask you to call in advance and inform them that you are in a wheelchair and what you requirements are. This is a good idea – although frankly I never do it. But my requirements are minimal as I have a manual chair and can do most of my own transfers. However, if you do call, do not assume that the information you provide will get imparted to the check-in staff, or ground- or air- staff on your flight. It might – but it might not. Incompetence is rife in the airline industry.

The Flying Circus - Introduction

This series of entries is a summary of the lessons learned while flying with a wheelchair, a patient walkie (my wife) and two kids under three. Getting this whole show through an airport and onto an airplane is definitely a circus but we have flown internationally many times with (reasonable) success. And it definitely gets easier the older the kids get! If you use a wheelchair and plan to fly, with or without kids, hopefully these notes will help you!

In 1969 the BBC first broadcast Monty Python's Flying Circus. It exemplified an off-beat, surrealistic sense of humor. Such a sense of the absurd is a valuable skill to have if you are contemplating air travel with two tots and a wheelchair. Anyone who travels in a wheelchair  knows that it is no joke. And anyone who has traveled with tiny children knows that it too is no joke. But combine these and you get a true Flying Circus, complete with performing animals and a clown!

We have made the journey from Washington, D.C. to Dublin, Ireland several times with the kids. We have also flown to San Diego and Aruba. This entry is an attempt to share the (little) advice I can offer after these experiences. I'm not saying that you will be guaranteed a pleasurable and stress free journey if you follow these steps - such a thing is impossible - but they may help ease the pain a little. The following entries cover booking your flight, packing for the flight, dealing with the airport, going through security, boarding the plane,  landing and finally dealing with jet-lag. Note that these notes assume a long-haul flight, possibly over night. Short haul is definitely easier!

San Antonio, TX, USA - Riverwalk

I have written about San Antonio and the Riverwalk before (see here) so this is just an update on two particular points.

Firstly, I found an elevator just by the junction of St. Mary's St. and Houston St. I have rolled past this point at least twenty times before and never noticed this elevator (lift) so I thought I'd mention it!

Secondly, on this occasion I took a barge ride on the river. These barges have fairly level access (you might need to negotiate a level difference of a few inches) and there is space at the back by the guide to sit in your wheelchair. (Getting out of the chair into the main seating area is not really an option unless you can walk a little or are very dexterous). The downside is that you are sitting right by the diesel motor and the noise can drown out the guide's information. I found it a pleasant enough way to pass 30mins though and would recommend it. It is a good way to get oriented with the riverwalk also. I had the pleasure of doing it at Christmas time which, although cold, was well worth it for the lights!

On paying grumpy taxi drivers who don't want to take a wheelchair

I needed to take a taxi from Bradley International Airport (Hartford, CT) to a local hotel (Holiday Inn Express) since they don't have an accessible shuttle. The taxi controller offered to call a handicapped accessible taxi but I opted for a car that was already there. Boy - did that guy not want to take me! He made every excuse, insisting that the chair would not fit etc. etc. But I forced the issue and off we went on a short, grumpy ride to the hotel. But then I had a dilemma - do I pay him well to show him that us wheelies reward service, or do I give him the fare and no tip because of his grumpy attitude and unpleasant manner?

I paid him well in the hope that he would change the next time he was faced with a chair. But did I do right?

Utah, USA - Bryce Canyon National Park

These wheelchair access travel notes refer to Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah and my experience visiting the park as a wheelchair user. Hopefully, they will be of some use to any other disabled traveler interested in visiting the park.

The US Parks service is generally pretty good at providing information about their parks and accessibility. Before visiting any national park I recommend checking out their web site (and gleaning as much information as you can).

For Bryce, you can drive into the park ($25 charge per car). I stayed in the park lodge accommodation run by Xanterra (see this review). There are also many accommodation options outside the park (for example, the Best Western Bryce Canyon, see review here).

The park is set on the edge of a plateau, and an 18-mile road stretches along the edge with many lookouts to see the incredible scenery. Most of the main action takes place in and around the park lodge location.

The visitors center (at the entrance gate) and the lodge are both handicapped accessible and have accessible restrooms. There are also accessible restrooms at Sunset Point lookout. There are accessible campsite locations also.

There are not a whole lot of options for hiking (wheeling). There is a paved path between Sunset Point and Sunrise Point lookouts by the lodge. Unfortunately, unlike the Grand Canyon rim trail, this rim trail is raised at both ends and drops in the middle so there is no way of avoiding a climb. (The Grand Canyon rim trail falls from East to West, so if you are in a chair, start at the Eastern end of the trail). Sunrise point has a very steep incline to tech viewing platform that cannot be managed in a chair without assistance. This includes coming down as the path surface is gravelly and very slippy!

The rest of the viewpoints are accessible to wheelchairs only by car or shuttle. All are accessible to some degree although Sunrise, Bryce and Inspiration all have steep inclines that may need assistance. If you have time, see them all as each gives a different perspective on the park. However, if you don't want to haul yourself in an out of a car at every point, then the "must see" lookouts that are fully accessible to a lone wheeler are Rainbow (at the very end of the road), Natural Bridge (don't miss this if you visit!) and Sunset. If you have time for only one, then do Sunset point - it will give you a sense of the magic of this place.

There is a short paved path at Paria point that is also worth looking at.

During the summer season a shuttle runs through the park. I am told this is fully accessible although it was not running when I visited. If so, this is a good option for getting around.

The restaurant in the lodge is fully accessible and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (reservations required for dinner).

AS an aside, contrary to what you might expect, Sunrise Point is not the best place to watch the sunrise, and Sunset Point is not the best place to watch the sun set! (Try Bryce point for sunrise, although Sunset Point would be pretty good too, and Inspiration point for sun set. The sun set isn't such a big deal in this Eastward facing park).

There are various ranger led activities. I had a geology talk at Sunset Point, a ranger led rim walk and a night sky presentation by the "Dark Rangers". (Bryce has very little light pollution so it's a good place for star gazing). All of these are accessible although some may have problems looking into the telescopes for the star gazing session if you are small, or unable to lift yourself in the chair. If you are interested in this I would recommend doing what I did not do, and talk to the rangers in advance about your needs.

If you are one of the lucky ones who can ride a horse then a horse ride into the park would be spectacular (I imagine). Personally, I have tried horse riding but with my dodgy balance and lack of sensation I found the experience nerve-racking. I would definitely not recommend trying horse riding for the first time in this park - experienced riders only need apply!

Check out the park web site here, and prepare for a lot of hauling yourself in and out of your car and up and down rough paved paths, and wear old clothes because you are going to get covered in dust! And have fun!

Strongly recommended.

The risks of air travel

Over my years of travel I have had several disasters. In one incident (with an airline, Sabena, now defunct) my chair was returned to me with the camber "reversed". In other words, due to a bent axle, the wheels were closer together at the bottom than they were at the top, the opposite of the way they are supposed to be! The unfortunate truth is that once you say goodbye to your chair and it heads for the hold, anything can happen. It is not practical to expect the staff to be able to bring it on board (especially a rigid chair like mine,which only partially folds) so it is a risk that comes with the territory once you decide to fly.

Recently I had a similarly devastating event on a flight from Dublin, Ireland to Dulles (Washington D.C.) with Aer Lingus. Although traumatic, the whole event was handled very well by Aer Lingus and certainly would give me confidence to fly with them again. Having said that, things would have been a lot worse had I not had access to a spare chair!

My wheelchair was taken, as usual, at the door of the aircraft in Dublin and carried in the hold. On being returned to me at the door in Dulles, the wheelchair was damaged beyond use. Although it looked normal, when I sat into it the left wheel collapsed. Upon examination it was clear that over half the spokes on that wheel had snapped. Furthermore, the axle of the wheelchair itself was cracked, as was the bracket used to mount the wheel to the axle. My chair is a Quickie and is pretty solid. The forces required to do this amount of damage are very high. I have no idea what event on loading or unloading could cause this. I transferred back into an airport supplied chair.

For a wheelie, being in any other chair than one's own is a very trying and unhappy experience. For someone used to independent transport, being in a chair which cannot be pushed independently is frustrating and unpleasant. However there was no option at this time other than to use the airport wheelchair and permit myself to be pushed to the terminal.

After passing through immigration I was met in the baggage hall by the Aer Lingus manager on duty. She was very apologetic and re-assured me that Aer Lingus would do everything possible to assist me. I was impressed that she already had a plan in place (not a very good one, but a plan nevertheless). Her offer was to put me up in a local hotel for the night, and then rent a wheelchair for me the next day until my own could be repaired. For the record, the flaws in this plan were that I was not able to independently operate in the airport wheelchair, so staying alone in a hotel would be difficult. Also, from previous experience, I know that finding a chair to rent in an emergency is not easy. However - I was impressed with the sincerity of her efforts to assist and I was impressed by the fact that she had thought about it and had a plan. I have previously (with other airlines - the Sabena incident comes to mind) been left to fend for myself completely when things have gone wrong in travel.

Luckily, I was staying within two hours of Dulles airport and have a spare wheelchair at my destination. All I needed was assistance to pick-up my rental car, and I could contact a friend to meet me at my destination and bring the spare chair to me. I explained this to the ground staff and they immediately offered to provide whatever assistance I needed. In the event, two people came with me on the Hertz bus. One pushing me in my borrowed chair. One bringing the remains of my own chair and my luggage. They came with me all the way to the Hertz lot, wheeled me to the car, packed my luggage in the trunk and saw me on my way. Of course, I made sure to have all the details ofthe incident logged and filed a damage report before leaving the baggage hall.

Later that evening I received a message on my answering machine from the ground service manager at Dulles reassuring my that Aer Lingus would pay for any damages to the chair. I admit to being a bit sceptical about this but nevertheless I took the information at face value. I repaired the chair myself, using parts purchased at discount prices on line. Even still, the parts cost more than $800. I sent the invoices and a short letter describing the incident to your customer service address. Within a few days I received a letter of apology and a check for the full amount. I was impressed with the speed of service, and the way it was delivered without a quibble.

I mentioned Hertz in here as they are my car rental agency of choice. This is a loyalty thing. Thirteen years ago, when I first travelled to the US, they were the only agency who offered me a car with hand controls. Even today they make life easy with hand controls offered explicitly on their website when making a reservation. The controls they install are also good quality - not the "thumb and grip" type offered by some budget rentals. I know Hertz cost more, but they have almost never let me down. (Okay - they let me down once in maybe fifty rentals with them, and I'll report it here if I have a problem with them in the future).

For the record, I have no connection with either Aer Lingus or Hertz (other than being a customer) and I will be as quick to complain about them as I am to praise them if the need arises!

Dublin, Ireland - Getting there

Dublin, Ireland - Getting There

The vast majority of people who fly into Ireland arrive at Dublin Airport. (A small number also arrive at Shannon or Cork airports). Dublin Airport is, by and large, a third world airport that accidentally relocated to a first world country and certainly is a contender for the worst managed, worst designed airport in the Europe if not the world. Oddly though, it’s not too bad at handling “special needs” passengers and the wheelchair traveler.

The staff that operates aisle chairs and the lift-on/lift-off functions at the airport is well trained and friendly. There is one special vehicle for loading and unloading wheelchair passengers in the event that the aircraft is not at an air bridge. Facilities within the terminal are okay – there are handicapped toilets in the baggage hall and at frequent locations in the gate areas. Lifts (elevators) are tiny, and the route to/from baggage can be torturous and long.

Almost all public busses in Dublin are wheelchair accessible. The privately run AirCoach that services the airport and most major hotels is not. So to get into the city from the airport means taking the public bus (slow but cheap) or a taxi. Handicapped accessible taxis are fairly common and if you need one the taxi rank operator will get one for you.

The center of Dublin is fairly easy to roll around, although not all street junctions have curb cuts. Modern hotels are usually accessible – pubs, shops and older buildings are frequently not. Always call ahead for restaurants and pubs to see if they can accommodate a wheelchair.

Dulles Airport (IAD) - Washington DC

On the list of the many things I dislike, I keep a special spot for Dulles Airport (Washington D.C.) At least it gets on the list – there are a few airports that no sane wheelchair user should consider, even for transfers, and they don’t get on my list because they are below wasting the emotional energy on them. (For the record: JFK, New York; CDG, Paris; PHL, Philadelphia – until they sort out the baggage handling and stop losing wheelchairs) To be fair to Dulles (IAD on the airport code list) it makes an effort to be accessible. The problem is that it was designed in the 60s and they had no idea of how it would be used in the 21^stcentury. Principle problems are:

• No mass transit public transport access. So you have to take a taxi or your car (the buses are not accessible)

• If you can afford to leave your car in the Daily (as opposed to the Economy) parking lot you have a huge walk to the terminal

• Once you get to the terminal you have to wheel up a tremendously long slope. There is no elevator.

• The TSA (security) staff is by far the worst that I deal with on the many airports I travel through. Actually, that’s a little unfair. It’s a lottery. Some days they are pleasant, efficient, and effective. Other days it’s the complete opposite. No other airport that I know of has the same bi-polar personality.

• The stupid little “moving lounges” that you have to take to get to the gates.

Okay, ranting aside, and to be fair the airport is pretty accessible. There are accessible buses running from the car parks to the terminal. If you park in the handicapped spots in Daily Car park 1, you can take an elevator to an underground walkway to the terminal. It is, as noted earlier, a hefty walk but there are moving travelators to help you along. Access to the terminal is up a long slope. There are elevators to every floor, and all public toilets have accessible cubicles. The public restrooms in the ticketing/boarding concourse are small and difficult to find. Much better are the ones in the arrival hall located near each entrance. In addition, in the arrivals hall, there are "family restrooms" which are large and accessible. These are located between the entrance to the ladies and gents restrooms. The elevators are sometimes tucked away in odd places, but they are there. From the arrivals they are usually directly opposite the entrance as you wheel yourself up that long ramp. You have to negotiate around the escalators to the departures level to see them. The moving lounges are accessible, and each has two spots specifically dedicated for wheelchairs.

I’m in Dulles as I write this – having kissed goodbye to my beloved family earlier to day and left my wife at the mercy of our children for four whole days…

I will shortly board a United flight to Las Vegas. United, in general, has been pretty good for flying, with just the occasional mess. But nothing terrible (not like US Airways who forgot to load my wheelchair in PHL, or Sabena – now defunct – who crushed it in the baggage gate). We’ll see how things go…

The saving grace of Dulles? Vino Volo.

The Auto-Train - Washington D.C. to Orlando with Amtrak

Amtrak (www.amtrak.com) run a train they call the Auto Train from Virginia to Florida. It departs Lorton VA (about 45mins south of Washington D.C.) every day at 16:00 (4pm) and arrives at Sanford FL (about 40 minutes North of Orlando) at 08:30 the next morning. The reverse journey is the same – departs Sanford at 16:00 and arrives Lorton at 08:30. On the face of it it looks like a good way of covering a lot of ground. And that was how it turned out.

They offer seats or sleepers (for an extra charge) and handicapped accessible units are available. However, if you want handicapped accessible they must be booked by telephone (1-800-skip i95) – they cannot be booked on-line.

They request that you turn up about 2 hours before departure, so we did. We showed our tickets to the lady in the booth and she gave us a handicapped sign to hang on the rear-view mirror. We then left the car in the hands of the Amtrak staff and went into the station. In the station you get your boarding pass at the desk. Note that the dining car and lounge car on the train are not wheelchair accessible so you will need to request that you get meal service at your seat or in your cabin. It is also a good idea to request pre-boarding.

There’s not much in the station – a small and very expensive café and accessible toilets. About an hour before departure we were invited to pre-board. Getting on the train was easy, with a smooth and strong ramp provided by the staff.

We had reserved a sleeper. It was a very compact design consisting of a small room (6’9” x 9’5” or 2m x 2.9m) with a WC, a hand-basin and two seats facing each other across a small fold-away table. For sleeping, the two seats converted into a narrow berth (2’4” x 6’6” or 72cm x 2m) while an upper berth (2’0” x 6’2” or 61cm x 1.9m) could be folded down. We made the mistake of bringing four briefcase sized bags on board. There was barely room for them. It is advisable to stick to just one night bag for the journey. With the four bags squashed against one wall I was still unable to turn completely in the room. It is possible to pull a curtain across to separate the toilet from the seating/sleeping area, but nevertheless you need to be good friends with the person you are sharing with – it is a bit intimate!

Each car has an assigned staff member and in our case a very friendly lady called Priscilla looked after our every need. She brought us dinner, turned down the beds, and woke us with breakfast in the morning.

If you want to stay in your chair, there is a simple wheel lock that can lock the chair down. However, I found the rocking motion somewhat nauseating when in my chair and preferred to sit on one of the seats. The bed was comfortable and we slept well. It was pleasant to half-wake up during the night and hear the song of the wheels on the track and know that we were heading South and cutting hours off our driving time!

We reached Sanford about 15 minutes late/ Disembarking was as easy as getting on. The Sanford station has no more to offer than Lorton had, but it has accessible toilets. There is a wait while the Amtrak staff get your car and we did not get on the road until about 10:20.

All in all, the Auto Train was a very satisfactory experience and I would do it again without hesitation. But with just one bag the next time…