Illustration of a group of people waiting at the airport, one in a wheelchair and another with a service dog

Your Great Getaway: Tips for Planning Accessible Travel

You know that traveling can be a learning experience, helping to make your world feel bigger. It also grows your sense of independence — after all, if you can get around a place you’ve never been to before, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence you can carry into other challenging activities.

Did you also know that travel is good for your health and peace of mind? There’s even research that says frequent travel makes you 7% happier, that even short vacations of just a few days improve your well-being and lower stress, and traveling may even help you live longer!

Although travel is clearly good for you, it can also be stressful for people with disabilities. Being in an unfamiliar location where you don’t know the people, the businesses, the streets, or what’s accessible for people with disabilities can create a lot of anxiety that may cause you to avoid it altogether and stay home. 

Taking time early on to thoughtfully plan your next trip can go a long way toward making travel more fun and less scary. Here, we offer tips for planning an accessible getaway.

Deciding on Destinations

Perhaps you already have a destination in mind — a visit to a family member in another state or a lifelong plan to see the Grand Canyon. But if you aren’t yet set on a specific location, you might consider looking at destinations with a strong reputation for ADA compliance or a high level of physical accessibility. 

Nevadans are fortunate that our largest city, Las Vegas, has a reputation for its commitment to accessibility. In fact, the city has taken such actions as installing curb ramps, repairing sidewalks, free parking at meters for those with disability placards and plates, and more.

If the thought of big road trips, airplane rides, and hotel stays make you feel overwhelmed or take too much effort to arrange, consider a journey closer to home. Staycations, where you stay in locations near home that don’t involve quite so much travel, and local parks and tourist attractions provide lots of opportunities to explore and experience nature, without all that stress. Plus, they’re a lot more affordable! 

Take a day to rediscover your community! Plan a picnic, visit a local museum, or take a scenic drive. Many museums and other attractions offer special tours specifically designed for those with mobility challenges or other disabilities. And some locations offer sensory-friendly experiences, including the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas; The Smith Center performance venue, offering sensory-inclusive shows; and many ski resorts at Lake Tahoe, which offer adaptive skiing programs tailored to young people with special needs, including sensory issues. Also watch for festivals, and consider guided tours in your town or others nearby. 

If you are feeling the itch to get outside The Silver State, you’ll be glad to know there are other places around the country that are well known for their commitments to accessibility, including:

  • New York City, which actually has tourism websites specifically designed to assist people with disabilities in planning their NYC vacations, such as
  • The state of Oregon, the first state verified by Wheel the World for accessible travel
  • Orlando, voted the most accessible city in the nation 
  • Your U.S. National Parks website provides details about accessibility features at all the national parks — it even offers information about parks and attractions about people with disabilities in American history.
  • Amusement parks such as Disneyland and Six Flags

Trip Planning Services

Planning a trip sometimes feels like a part-time job! It can take a lot of effort and time. For people with disabilities, there may be even more time involved researching accessible locations and securing needed accommodations. Fortunately, there are services that can help lighten your load.

  • AAA is known for its ability to recommend and book members’ travel, with discounts available for membership. One of AAA’s travel agents can do the work for you, which is more than worth the cost of annual membership, which ranges from $65 – $125 per year. The organization frequently recommends accessible destinations and can help customize a highly accessible vacation for you. And its Trip Canvas service allows you to do this yourself online or read numerous recommendations about accessible locations.
  • Individuals who apply for the free IBCCES Accessibility Card from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards can request accommodations or assistance at any participating amusement park or attraction. If you’re considering a trip to an amusement park, it’s a good idea to start with this card. It works at dozens of locations around the country, including Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando Resort, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California’s Great America, Knott’s Berry Farm, and many more. 

Helpful Websites and Apps

Today, several apps and websites are specifically designed to help travelers with disabilities: 

  • Wheelmap.org provides crowdsourced information about accessible locations.
  • Apps like AccessNow, Friendly Like Me, and iAccess Life allows users to rate, review, and research locations based on accessibility.
  • AccessibleGO allows you to search travel options (flights, hotels, cars) for accessible features.
  • Travel blogs and forums run by travelers with disabilities offer invaluable insights and firsthand experiences that can help guide your planning. These include Curb Free with Cory Lee, Have Wheelchair Will Travel, and Simply Emma,
  • Google Maps offers a terrain map, which can be helpful for those with mobility issues, and businesses listed will show the widely recognized blue wheelchair icon next to its contact information to indicate that they’re accessible
  • Society for Accessible Tourism and Hospitality (SATH), and Wheel the World are great places to find accessible travel tips. 
  • Apps like GalaPro allow deaf and hard-of-hearing users the chance to read captions at Broadway shows if they aren’t already offered. 
  • Many sites such as Yelp and Airbnb are now incorporating accessibility into their platforms, making accessible vacations a lot easier to plan. 
  • You can often find experiences that are accessible by searching online. Sites such as Airbnb and Trip Advisor allow you to filter your searches for experiences and stays for accessible features. Explore these sites for tours happening at your destination city that accommodate travelers with disabilities, including ramps, elevators, and guides that can work with those who cannot see or hear.

Pack Smart, Think Ahead

The trip is booked and it’s time to start packing and gathering information you’ll need when you’re traveling. 

Bring copies of medical documents: prescriptions, doctor’s notes, emergency medical card, disability documentation, travel insurance documents, letter for assistive devices, medical evaluation plan information, travel consent forms (for caregivers), emergency assistance plus card. It’s also a good idea to research the access you’ll have to medical care, pharmacies, and emergency services. It’s best to expect the best, but plan for the worst.

You might consider packing a portable ramp or folding cane. Bring backup chargers, battery packs, and spare medical equipment. Carry prescriptions in your hand luggage — don’t check it. Some wheelchair users even pack a small toolkit for quick repairs on the go. 

If you’re traveling with a service animal, call any hotels, restaurants, or other destinations in advance to inform them of its presence and pack the necessary supplies (food, water, leash, and medication). Be sure to research pet relief areas at airports and other attractions such as theme parks.

Finally, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan in mind in case you run into inaccessible roads or attractions. Be prepared, stay calm, and open your mind to other possibilities. Sometimes the unexpected moments are the most special. Even an unplanned, relaxing day spent looking at a tranquil lake can be a wonderful vacation memory.

Getting There

Arranging transportation can be frustrating for people with disabilities, especially in an unfamiliar place. But there are services available, if you know where to look.

Road trips in wheelchair-accessible vans allow for a great deal of independence, and they remove a lot of concern about whether your travel will be comfortable and accessible. Websites such as MobilityWorks, United Access, Wheelers, and BraunAbility offer wheelchair van rentals to users in and near Nevada, so you can access automobile-accessible destinations near and far.

For destinations farther away, it might be best to fly. If you’re worried about getting on a plane with a disability, it might help to know that the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2021 says airlines are required to provide accommodations for passengers who have disabilities.

Airlines can offer wheelchairs and wheelchair assistance, in-airport vehicles for rapid transit, designated seating areas, priority preboarding for those with disabilities, and accessible bathrooms. For some of these services, you will need to arrange them ahead of time by calling your airline. This important early step can make your arrival at the airport much less stressful.

To avoid concerns in the security line, visit TSA Cares for information about security procedures that help passengers with disabilities.

If you have hidden disabilities, you may be worried about struggling to get the accessible transportation and accommodations you need, if people won’t believe that you need them. That’s where the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower can help. This effort works with 327 airports in 70 countries (including the Reno-Tahoe International Airport), and 23 airlines worldwide to provide lanyards and cards that serve as a way to identify yourself as having a hidden disability, and to find inclusive people and spaces that can support you.

When booking your flight, request seating near the front of the plane, where you’ll have easier access to the lavatory. Cabin crew can assist you if you need it; just push the crew button at your seat to receive assistance.

Note that people who use medical devices, such as oxygen tanks, may require additional screening or special accommodations on flights or trains. 

Once you’ve arrived at your destination, explore public transportation options at your location if you don’t plan to rent a car. Car rental and rideshare companies offer accessible vehicles in some locations. 

Where to Stay

Accessibility may not be consistent from place to place. So it’s important to seek out airlines, hotels, and tourist attractions that can meet your needs, through ramps, elevators, wide doorways to accommodate wheelchairs or grab bars in showers, Braille elevator buttons, refrigerators for medicines, and more. 

When booking a hotel, you can either call and speak directly to a staff member about your needs and the accessibility features they offer, or look for these features online. They are usually listed with all the property amenities, either on the hotel sites themselves or on travel booking sites such as Booking.com and Travelocity, etc. Some hotels even have specially designed, disability-friendly rooms, which are often on the ground floor and have widened doorways, roll-in showers, elevators with Braille and audible announcements, and other features that make it easier to get around.

A Word About Travel Insurance

Did you know you can protect yourself against losses with travel insurance? This type of insurance covers things like emergency medical care, medical evaluations, trip cancellations, and other interruptions, such as theft of your belongings while traveling. The policy lasts for the length of the trip, and the cost depends on how long your trip will be and how much coverage you want.

Travel insurance is not a requirement, and for many people, it doesn’t make sense to spend the money on a policy. But for people with disabilities, it can be a valuable purchase. This is because it will cover pre-existing conditions, and in case of a health problem or other unexpected change in your plans, you can recover all the money you spent, even those marked nonrefundable. A travel insurance policy also can ease your mind because it gives you access to health care, medications, and other emergency assistance. There are even specific policies tailored for certain disabilities, such as physical or developmental disabilities and sensory impairments.

Helpful Resources

Looking for more tips on traveling with a disability? The following sites can help: