Accessible Travel Guide
How 2 trips to California, 5 years apart, stack up in terms of accessibility.
For myself and others with moderate distance mobility challenges, travel and public transportation can be..interesting, and requires some extra planning beforehand. Here’s how I worked with what was available in 2017 and 2022 to minimize inconvenience when possible, and get the most out of each travel experience.
Trip 1
When: February 2017
Who: Myself, and my now husband, Shaun.
I had been staying with my parents in northern Illinois during the first year of recovery from the blood clot caused oxygen deprivation brain injury that was the inspiration for this accessibility focus.
It was a big deal, being my first time on a plane post-injury.
How: Southwest was our airline of choice. Shaun bought the tickets for both of us. We couldn’t synchronize our mobile check in timing exactly for the flight out of Midway in Chicago, though initially we both got into the B boarding group, just with separate reservations.
Note: with accessibility needs, it’s especially good to be with a travel buddy for assistance with luggage and mobility around the terminal.
Getting the wheelchair from an airline rep on arrival put us at the front of the security line and in the priority boarding group for both trips.
Compression socks in flight were recommended, and I didn’t wear them.
transportation
Shaun reserved a rental car online with Dollar and we took a shuttle between the airport and rental lot.
*In retrospect, from a general travel standpoint, it would have been easier to use one way car rentals between LAX and. our destination of Long Beach, using ride sharing everywhere else.
Accommodations
For an economical stay in Long Beach over the better part of a week, the Super8. Our room happened to be on the first floor, exterior corridor, usually with parking right near the room. Breakfast was in the front lobby, a moderate walking distance.
(I love the vintage postcard art of a place I’ve been)
Attractions
The Queen Mary: A “bring your own mobility aids” situation. There were ramps, and. walking was easier where there were handrails.
Travel Town: drop off option near the entrance, some walking in the vintage rail car display area. The train ride around the property was the highlight of the day, with small scale town buildings arranged along the tracks.
Griffith Park: The best chance to go in the observatory is during the week, and not on a holiday. School groups and different open hours make that challenging and to be honest, it wasn’t worth the hike up the hill from the car, and not even going in.
A view into the valley from the road near the observatory.
Santa Monica Pier:
This involved a lot of walking …and frequent rest breaks. I’ll just say that that even a public scooter rental location at the pier would have been nice. Yes, the weather was cloudy and wet for most of the week.
Shaun was interested in the Route 66 terminus.
Knott’s Berry Farm
This was the only place we went that had wheelchair rentals, though no parking lot shuttle tram. I got dropped off at the park entrance and waited for Shaun, then we walked to guest services and got the wheelchair. The upside of using a wheelchair or scooter at a theme park is much less of a wait for rides, and the accessibility entrance waiting areas aren’t out in the sun like the standard line.
Camp Snoopy, from the scenic railway
Dining
Depending on the restaurant location, the main question was, “does the flow of traffic allow for slowing down to find and get into the parking lot, and/or left turns to do so?” (The answer to all of those turned out to be “No” in one instance, and was the reason we didn’t go to Soup Plantation on Hollywood Boulevard)
Of note, an ice cream place in Long Beach-Frost Bites (best ice cream on the Pacific coast, according to us)
Local carry out pizza near the motel. was and is a good option.
Trips 2:
Where:: St Louis-San Diego
When May of 2022
Who: myself and travel buddy husband, Shaun
At the airport:
Official dog-approved carry on bags & person check =security walkthrough, outbound from St Louis.
Official dog-approved carry on bags & person check =security walkthrough, outbound from St Louis.
Slip on sneakers generally make shoe removal situations easier.
Additional carry on packing details: my dental appliance for sleep apnea easily goes in a carry on bag with the rest of my toiletries. The CPAP would have been an additional carry on to keep track of more than complicated to pack.
accommodations/ local transportation
The event venue hotel was outside of our budget. We reserved a nice 1 bedroom condo unit. at The Venetian on AirBnB that was an affordable ride share distance down the street from the Hyatt Regency La Jolla, the conference. venue. It was a bit of a walk from the clubhouse parking area along the paved path between buildings to take our luggage to our ground floor unit. Not as much distance to meet the driver at the front curb in the mornings. (When we left at the end of the week Shaun walked with me and our carry on bags down the front sidewalk to the clubhouse parking lot, and then went back and got our suitcases.)
Front door, adjacent patio view
Event:
It was best to have someone to walk with through the hotel (to the conference room, elevator, restroom and lunch break) until a wheelchair was available.
Event future pull photo op
Dining
Snacks by Southwest…does that count?
At the San Diego airport, Pacifica, located past security and baggage claim, had table service and a seating area convenient for the wheelchair and luggage.
The menu was viewable by QR code.
Hearing that coastal California sushi is the best, I had to find out, and got some on a grocery run on the afternoon we arrived to stock the kitchen with snacks, breakfasts and that night’s dinner.
At the Hyatt, the first conference day’s lunch involved a hike down to the quick service cafe, and then to an outdoor courtyard seating area. Tiring.
The following 2 days of buffet in the hallway outside the room were more convenient tolerable for my feet. The menu was excellent.
A locally authentic Cinco de Mayo dinner at Rubio’s Coastal Grill
(Convenient curbside ride share drop off and pick up)
In terms of basic accessibility, a good number of mobility assistance arrangements can be made on request at places like airports, train stations and theme parks.
Things to keep in mind: most home use portable medical equipment that fits in a travel case goes in addition to the. free carry on bag numbers on airlines, though it’s also good to verify for your individual situation.
Portable scooters. and travel by public transportation with one are. currently outside of my experience and I haven’t had any to review yet.
Plan timing of activities, visits to attractions , and rest breaks according to what you know about your energy and stamina levels in the course of a day.
These tips will be useful in planning your next trip with an accessibility focus.