Comments on: Getting the Airport Wheelchair…

By: Air Travel Comfort, Redux « Travels With Pain

Air Travel Comfort, Redux « Travels With Pain — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:12:10 +0000

[...] 3: Get a wheelchair to take you from curbside all the way to the door of the plane. Note to my other readers: I know [...]

By: lizscott

lizscott — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:08:57 +0000

lol…thanks much for reading!

After your first vacation, ping me if you’d like to do a guest post about it here. I’d love to post your experiences and what you learn.

By: lizscott

lizscott — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:06:21 +0000

Thanks so much for reading and felling your story!

I do hope that I’ve changed your mind about air travel–I’ve found that a few days lounging about on the beach in Hawaii is extremely beneficial to my health. If you know what I mean.

And…I thought I was the only one who ever had to sit down on the floor while waiting in lines. Guess not. Really, the wheelchair is soooooo much more comfortable.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:55:57 +0000

Fabulous blog, great post, inspiring message, awesome ideas.

I’ll dedicate my first vacation with chronic migraines to you.

By: fibrofatty

fibrofatty — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:10:04 +0000

This is a great post. One travel experience I had (pre-disability) left me with a broken foot at the start of the day of my return trip. I was underinsured and couldn’t afford to see a hospital away from home, and back then I was Super Tough Girl, so I managed to drive and return my rental car, and get through security, before collapsing in a chair and telling the airline attendant that I thought I had a broken foot, and if she could let me board early, I would appreciate it.

Those amazing employees brought me bags of ice and tiny packages of ibuprofen, and they arranged a wheelchair at my connection. On the plane, the attendants reseated me in an empty row, brought me more ice, and were generally just amazing.

The wheelchair was no big deal (although my driver was a bit dangerous, heh), and everyone was respectful and kind.

Fast forward a few years, when travel has become incredibly taxing. And my own pride has kept me from calling for a wheelchair even though I’ve been there already, and I know it’s not that bad. Your post has made me think twice next time, though, because just the security line is hellish– by the time i’ve waited in line for 15-20 minutes (and by “wait in line” i mean “lean on every post I can, sit on the floor for awhile, bitch and moan, and end up practically in tears before having to wrestle my shoes on AND off without falling flat on my face”), i’m in agony, and hoping like crazy the gate is close. the whole experience has made me say i don’t want to travel anywhere by plane ever again.

but maybe i won’t swear it off if i can find cheap tickets to hawaii