TRAVEL TIPS FOR YOU WITH YOUR FAMILY MEMBER WITH ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS
- When booking your flights, consider comfort and convenience as much as cost. Smaller airports are easier to manage than larger ones, and the service personnel will often be more accommodating and friendly. Make sure you have extra time in the big airports when making connections and going through security.
- Consider the airline. Some offer Customers of Size policy that allows individuals who have difficulty fitting in one seat to purchase a second seat in advance. After completion of the flight, they will reimburse you for that second seat.
- It's nice to fly first class, but a good alternative is booking a seat in bulkhead or as close to the front as possible. You can use the first-class bathrooms. It's easier to stand up and transfer a senior if there is no seat in front of him or her. Alternatively, the first row after the bulkhead works well because it usually has aisle armrests that lift. I recommend that the senior have the aisle seat for mobility and window for quiet. If you are buying economy, you can call the airline (ASAP), and let them know you are with a (mentally or physically) challenged person. In compliance with the Air Carrier Access Act, the airlines have systems to accommodate a disabled person with a specific seat, even if they say you can't book it in advance. Plan to be the first people on and the last people off the plane.
- Bring just a carry-on and a purse or briefcase. You avoid lost luggage and waiting at baggage claim. If you don't want to put your carry-on in the overhead compartment or there isn't enough room for it, you can gate-check your bag, and it will be outside the door of the plane when you disembark. However, be aware that many airlines now are charging for carry-on luggage. It is sometimes less expensive to pay for a large checked bag than a carry-on. Check the airline's policies. If you have a direct flight, you generally don't have to worry about losing your luggage. Also, it's nice to have one extra empty duffel or another bag along, just in case you buy a bit of stuff or if your family member has poor or inadequate luggage.
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I RECOMMEND BRINGING THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR CARRY-ON OR PURSE:
- Identification (current and easily reachable; I always take both my license and passport)
- Medications (enough in a pillbox to last the trip plus extra days in case of a delay)
- A change of clothes (a flight attendant spilled tea all over me on an international trip...)
- An empty water bottle (you can fill it up at the water fountains after security and before you board)
- Something to read or watch, plus earbuds or earphones
- A micro-fiber towel (It packs small and doubles as a blanket, wrap or pillow)
- An eye mask and earplugs (such as Mack's AquaBlock ultra-soft plugs), especially good for international flights and noisy hotels
- Currency local to your destination (Wells Fargo customers can get popular currencies at the teller or pre-order unusual currency) so that you don't have to find money after a weary flight
- A snack and mints/gum (clears ears)