The traveling part of my life has ended. My last trip was a business trip. Despite the wheelchair through the airports, the excellent accessible accommodations, and a fairly understanding team, it took too much out of me, and took too long to recover from. I travel vicariously on YouTube now, having never personally trod the cobblestones, much to my regret.
I've also heard such terrible stories about how they treat wheelchairs on planes that I know many people who use them just stop traveling due to the expense and fear that their Mobility will be taken away. That said I've also heard sometimes VR goggles can be enjoyable to attempt to replicate some experience of travel.
So happy to read this post and hear that, for you, travel is possible with chronic pain. After an injury climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, I struggled with chronic pain so fierce that I was forced to live life lying down. I simply couldn't sit. Travel has always been a passion for my husband and me, and we grieved the wanderlust life we used to have. As I finally recovered 15 years later, our first international trip was to Dublin, where we reveled in the magic of the city, stood up in pubs (I still couldn't sit) and wandered the streets. I was euphoric and a testament to the fact that it can be done. I've just launched a publication LIFE INSIDE PAIN to chronicle the 15 year journey and hopefully share some insights that will help others, as yours does. I hope you'll stop by and check it out.
Thanks for sharing your journey Nancy. It sounds like it was quite the journey but what a joy to be able to get back to travel. I know it's not for everyone but for those of us who light up from seeing the world it's hard when that ability is stopped. We look forward to checking out your publication.
I'm so happy for you both, that you got to travel Europe together. It was always a dream of mine, but I believe that time has passed in my life. We tried Leavenworth, Washington for my 60th birthday a few years ago and found that difficult with my wheelchair...lol I can't imagine how hard Europe would be. I hope to see more of your pictures at some point!
It was our first time there together and we feel so lucky. Yes, wheelchair travel can be so challenging, especially amid cobblestones and steep stairways. We remarked many times about the fact that things were sometimes accessible, but if you have to go to the bathroom almost anywhere, it's down a rickety flight of stairs. I guess the 500 year old buildings haven't been retrofitted :-(. We are lucky to live in an already beautiful part of the world here in Portland.
This isn't an endorsement, but I know there are organizations like https://wheeltheworld.com who specifically support accessible travel. We almost joined a golf cart tour to take us around Rome so we would have easy access/less walking, but opted for the cheaper Hop On Hop Off bus instead.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Travel has always been one of my joys, and traveling with chronic pain has meant adaptations for me but has still brought that same joy. I hope others can also find that joy!
The traveling part of my life has ended. My last trip was a business trip. Despite the wheelchair through the airports, the excellent accessible accommodations, and a fairly understanding team, it took too much out of me, and took too long to recover from. I travel vicariously on YouTube now, having never personally trod the cobblestones, much to my regret.
I've also heard such terrible stories about how they treat wheelchairs on planes that I know many people who use them just stop traveling due to the expense and fear that their Mobility will be taken away. That said I've also heard sometimes VR goggles can be enjoyable to attempt to replicate some experience of travel.
So happy to read this post and hear that, for you, travel is possible with chronic pain. After an injury climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, I struggled with chronic pain so fierce that I was forced to live life lying down. I simply couldn't sit. Travel has always been a passion for my husband and me, and we grieved the wanderlust life we used to have. As I finally recovered 15 years later, our first international trip was to Dublin, where we reveled in the magic of the city, stood up in pubs (I still couldn't sit) and wandered the streets. I was euphoric and a testament to the fact that it can be done. I've just launched a publication LIFE INSIDE PAIN to chronicle the 15 year journey and hopefully share some insights that will help others, as yours does. I hope you'll stop by and check it out.
Thanks for sharing your journey Nancy. It sounds like it was quite the journey but what a joy to be able to get back to travel. I know it's not for everyone but for those of us who light up from seeing the world it's hard when that ability is stopped. We look forward to checking out your publication.
I'm so happy for you both, that you got to travel Europe together. It was always a dream of mine, but I believe that time has passed in my life. We tried Leavenworth, Washington for my 60th birthday a few years ago and found that difficult with my wheelchair...lol I can't imagine how hard Europe would be. I hope to see more of your pictures at some point!
It was our first time there together and we feel so lucky. Yes, wheelchair travel can be so challenging, especially amid cobblestones and steep stairways. We remarked many times about the fact that things were sometimes accessible, but if you have to go to the bathroom almost anywhere, it's down a rickety flight of stairs. I guess the 500 year old buildings haven't been retrofitted :-(. We are lucky to live in an already beautiful part of the world here in Portland.
This isn't an endorsement, but I know there are organizations like https://wheeltheworld.com who specifically support accessible travel. We almost joined a golf cart tour to take us around Rome so we would have easy access/less walking, but opted for the cheaper Hop On Hop Off bus instead.
Happy to share some photos any time!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Travel has always been one of my joys, and traveling with chronic pain has meant adaptations for me but has still brought that same joy. I hope others can also find that joy!
Glad you are still able to travel if it brings you Joy, Michele.It can be one of the harder things to do but also the most rewarding.