Tag: luggage

Don't be Afraid to Step out of Your Comfort Zone and Travel

Crossing the Border

• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• U.S. Border Information: Know Before You Go

TSA Tips for Traveling with Visible and Invisible Disabilities

Those of us with invisible disabilities know how humiliating the TSA checkpoint can be and a long wait in line can build your pain level to much higher levels. I can identify with the terrible experience had by Brittany Quinn that she documents in her post TSA Agent Kruze: "Was the surgery worth the pain?". Hopefully her formal complaint to the TSA and the DoHS succeeded in getting better training for the TSA agents. Since then some improvements have been made that can help you. Before your trip:

1. Apply for a TSA PreCheck™ membership: good for 5 years and is renewable, fee is $85, spend less time in line, you do not have to remove your shoes, light jackets, belts, 3-1-1 liquids, or laptops. You can apply online and get an appointment at your local airport or a TSA enrollment center to have a 10-minute background check and be fingerprinted.
2. Download and print out the Disability Notification Card, fill in your disability, and present it to the TSA agent at the checkpoint.
3. Contact TSA 72 hours in advance: TSA Cares hotline at 1-855-787-2227 or email hidden; JavaScript is required The TSA Cares program can provide a TSA agent to escort the traveler through the airport and assist in the screening process. You can also ask them for advice if you will be travelling with medical supplies.
4. Contact the airline 72 hours in advance about your disability needs. Some airports can provide you with an advocate when you check in who will go through security with you.

Tips about Air Travel if you are Blind

Another frequent traveler is Tom Babinszki, who was born blind. Tom has a passion for travel and blogs on his website Even Grounds about traveling the world. It is not so easy when you are blind but it is not impossible. In his blog he shares his experiences and provides some tips for blind travelers. His latest post in February 2020 is "Air Travel", in which he describes getting around the airport, going through security checkpoints, waiting at the gate, and entertaining yourself during the flight.

TSA Tips for Traveling with Medical Supplies

• TSA Tips for Traveling with Medication
• Screening for Passengers Requiring Special Assistance
• Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions
• 3-1-1 Liquids Rule
• Traveling with Formula, Breast Milk, and Juice
• Traveling with Children
• Screening for Passengers Who Require Medically Necessary Liquids
• Screening for Passengers with Medical Devices (catheters, tubes, ports)

Air Travel and the TSA

• TSA Disability Notification Card: Individuals with Disabilities and Medical Conditions (.pdf) Fill in your disability, print the card, and present it to the TSA agent before going through a security checkpoint
• Tips from the Feeding Tube Awareness Foundation for disabled passengers at TSA checkpoints:
  • Get a travel letter from your doctor explaining your medical condition. Also make sure to document all the medical supplies and equipment you will be traveling with. This can assist you through security and act as a form of advocacy. See the Sample Travel Letter for Feeding Tube and IV Consumers page for sample letter.  Updated
  • Talk to your homecare company. It's possible they can deliver supplies right to your destination so you don't need to travel with it. This save you the hassle of lugging heavy equipment and avoids the difficulty of getting through security.
• Aviation Consumer Protection U.S. Department of Transportation
• U.S. Department of Transportation Toll-Free Hotline for air travelers with disabilities:
  • TSA Cares hotline: 1-855-787-2227
  • Voice: 1-800-778-4838
  • TTY: 1-800-455-9880

  The Hotline is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, seven days a week. It serves two main purposes: (1) education and (2) assistance in resolving disability-related air travel problems.

• Air travelers who have a disability-related issue must submit their complaint in writing using the
  Air Travel Complaint – Comment Form of the U.S. Department of Transportation, or

  By postal mail to:

  Aviation Consumer Protection Division
  U.S. Department of Transportation
  400 7th Street, S.W.
  Washington, D.C. 20590

  By email to: by e-mail at email hidden; JavaScript is required

• Wheelchair Users' Guide to Air Travel
• New Guidelines Debunk ‘Economy Class Syndrome’

Lost Luggage

• Lost Luggage treasures Unclaimed Baggage Center

Train Travel

• Accessible Travel – ScotRail
• Accessible Travel in Canada and the U.S—see our Accessible Train Travel in Canada and the U.S. page.
  • Canada
  • U.S.A.

Car Travel

• Accessible Rental Vans for Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other states
• Adaptive Vehicle Guide Information Reprinted with permission from the American Automobile Association, AAA World Magazine, May/June issue, 2000.
• Adaptive Driving: Vehicle Hand Controls and Available Products
• Disabled Access in Washington, DC accessiblity information and resources for the Nation's Capital
• Eastern Mobility customized transportation solutions for physically challenged individuals
• From Frank Gorden Auto Service: "The Ultimate Guide To Driving with Disabilities"
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. NHTSA strives to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce economic costs caused by road traffic crashes, through education, research, safety standards, and enforcement activity. The website provides Car Ratings, Recalls, and the Latest Safety News  New
  • NHTSA's Automotive Safety Issues for Persons with Disabilities. People with disabilities can often drive safely by making modifications or adding adaptive equipment to their vehicles to meet their specific needs. As the technology has gotten better and has increased in availability, the number of people using adapted vehicles has also increased. NHTSA supports people with disabilities by offering tips on modifying or purchasing a vehicle to accommodate their driving needs. Safety Fact: The possible cost of a new vehicle modified with adaptive equipment is $80,000.  Updated
  • Adapting Motor Vehicles for People With Disabilities brochure (1 MB .pdf), updated 2015.  Updated
  • Notices and Final Rules Issued by NHTSA for Vehicle Modifications to Accommodate People with Disabilities
• BLVD Wheelchair Van Rentals driving equipment, van conversions, scooters, and power chairs. You Can Buy, Sell or Rent Wheelchair Vans. [Mid-Atlantic region]  Updated
• Ride-Away adaptive equipment, driving controls, handicap accessible rental vans [Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Virginia]
• Wheelers Handicapped Accessible Van Rentals
  • Wheelers all U.S. locations

Emergency Evacuation and Traveler's Services

• Traveler’s Emergency Network (TEN) an international membership organization dedicated to providing the best travel assistance services for a low annual membership fee: 24 hour access to medical experts, emergency evacuation, repatriation home after stabilization, transportation home for dependents, return of mortal remains, Seven Corners International, and many other travel benefits.
• Fire Safety for Wheelchair Users (.pdf)

Travel Destinations

• Currency Conversion Calculator for current and live exchange rates, and exchange rates from 1990 through yesterday
  • Today's Currency Exchange Rates for both Canadian and US dollars
• Australia:
  • Insight – The accessible tourism opportunity by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, 1 December 2022. After a challenging few years, tourism businesses are looking for opportunities to recover and grow. The long-term strategy for Australia's visitor economy, THRIVE 2030, nominates accessible tourism as a priority.  New
  • Accessible Tourism. Accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavour to ensure tourist destinations, products and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical limitations, disabilities or age.  New
  • Accessible travel around Australia. Australia is committed to accessible tourism, providing equal opportunities for every traveller to play, explore and discover the wonders of the country.  New
  • Accessible Tourism &mdasg; Northern Territory. People with access requirements include those with young children in prams, seniors with mobility requirements and people with permanent or temporary disabilities. With an estimated 20% of Australian adults having a disability or long-term health condition, and an ageing population, the sector is set to grow. Many destinations have laws and policies around services and buildings being access. Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 calls on all Australians to ensure people with disability can participate as equal members of society. The Northern Territory (NT) Disability Strategy 2022-2032 and the 3-year Action Plan 2022-2025 is the first of its kind for the Territory. It demonstrates the NT Government’s responsibility and accountability to all Territorians with disability.  New
  • Accessible Tourism in Victoria. The Victorian Government is supporting the development of inclusive experiences, ensuring that the state's tourism destinations and events can be enjoyed by all visitors and participants. (Download the PDF: Accessible tourism in Queensland and Victoria.)  Updated
• Accessible Europe tourism for all
• Accessible Travel Hub – Scotland
• Access Northern California
  • San Francisco: A Transportation Guide for People with Disabilities and Older Adults Accessibility for All
  • San Francisco—Options for Getting Around
• Accessible Cruises in the Mediterranean Disabled Holidays – Travel without Limits [Greece]
• Accessible Island Tours: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Roatan, Honduras, Wheelchair Transportation Service
• ADA Stories: Four Communities Improve Civic Access, an ADA report: San Antonio, Texas | Springfield, Missouri | Summers County, West Virginia | Fernandina Beach, Florida
• Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) Facebook page
• Mobility Scooter Etiquette tips for individuals with special needs to help make life safer and more enjoyable for everyone from the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH)
• Europe Wheelchair Accessible Hotels  New
• Maps for Getting Around France
• Greece Wheelchair Accessible Hotels [Greece]  Updated
• Old Town Nice France Accessible Guided Tour This accessible Nice walking tour can begin from the Nice cruise dock or your accessible hotel in downtown Nice. During your half-day walking tour you'll stroll along the famous Promenade des Anglais boulevard that runs along the ocean. Your accessible Nice tour will also visit the narrow winding streets of Le Vieux Nice including the colorful markets, Baroque churches, and pastel houses. The tour has a 3 Star Sage Accessibility Rating because it uses step-free routes along the tour route. It did not receive a higher rating because you may encounter cobblestones and hills during the tour. If you are arriving at the Villefranche cruise dock, the Monaco cruise dock, or the Cannes cruise dock, you can book a Nice accessible van tour instead. Some entrance tickets are free for disabled visitors if they have an ID card from their home country stating the percent of their disability.

Encouragement and Guides

• Travel questions, tips, and publications, U.S. State Department passports, visas, foreign adoptions, and tips for residents and nonresidents
• Consumer Affairs Travel News the latest travel news
• "Traveling With A Disability" on the United Spinal Association Spinal Cord Help Desk website has an excellent page that lists many resources for travelling with a disability. This website also provides a printer-friendly version.  Updated
• Disabled Travelers Guide to the World get rid of your fear, follow your dreams, and trust that a solution will be found. This travel guide shows how a couple visited many countries, tells you how to plan, where to stay, and what to take.
• Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Room Downside
• Emerging Horizons—Accessible Travel News since 1996 by Candy B. Harrington
• Eight Reasons Why Disabled Travelers Should Hit the Road by Candy B. Harrington
• Accessible Travel Guides traveling with disabilities guidebooks from BootsnAll Travel, "the ultimate resource for the independent traveler"
• Armchair World: Handicapped-Accessible Tours fishing, kayaking, white-water rafting…
• Wheelchair Travelling: Access Your World
• The National Ability Center offers a wide variety of programs both seasonally and year-round. Activities include alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, horseback riding, hippotherapy, indoor rock climbing, swimming, archery, sled hockey, cycling, water-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, and challenge course activities. In each of the last three years, individuals and their families participated in more than 19,000 lessons and outings. Because safety is the first priority, instruction is provided by professional, certified instructors and complemented by trained interns and volunteer assistants. More than 850 volunteers contribute over 20,000 hours annually. Many of the instructors and volunteers are also individuals with disabilities and serve as role models for our participants.
• National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)
  is working to increase access to transportation for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) is a program funded by the Federal Transit Administration and administered by Easterseals and the USAging  Updated with guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living.

Related Travel Information on This Website

• For more Canadian and U.S. train travel information, see our page at Accessible Train Travel in Canada & the U.S.
• Beach Wheelchair Available for Community Use
• Disabled Sailing
• Mobi-Mat Makes Beaches and Trails Accessible
• New Regulations for Disabled Air Travelers
• Protections Increased for Air Travelers with Disabilities
• Walkers, Wheelchairs, & Scooters Resources
• Whirlwind Roughrider Wheelchair for Rough Terrain

---