Venturing out for the holidays? More power to you; you're going to need it. Going on a trip this time of year can be a huge hassle for the most hearty of travelers, let alone those with disabilities. High gas prices, overcrowded roads and planes, weather delays, striking airline workers and diminishing luggage allowances might make us want to huddle up at home and hibernate. However, if you're like the 5 plus million of us who will be heading elsewhere to celebrate the season, you'll be happy to know there are ways to help ensure the smoothest transit possible.
The first trick in minimizing your travel worries is to schedule your trip for the right day. Do not start your journey when everyone does; stretching your vacation by half a day may cost you more time in the end. Rather than traveling the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and returning that Sunday, two of the busiest travel days all year, try going early Thursday morning and returning home Saturday night. You may lose a few hours visiting with your family, but you'll save yourself many hours of aggravation in traffic or delayed flights. The same is true of Christmas; slide your holiday plans forward or back a day to avoid a travel crunch.
If you plan on flying, there are a few tricks to guard against the chances that your flight will get delayed or canceled. In general, nonstop flights cause the least problems. Connections, or even just layovers at an airport, can result in missed flights or your plane's getting caught up in a morass of backed up flights. If you must take a flight that stops en route, try to find one that goes to the least
trafficked airport with the most temperate weather. Another tip is to get an early flight; the later in the day, the more chance that previous delays will impact the departure of your plane.
On the days you do travel, call the airline to check your flight's status, and make sure you arrive at the airport extra early. Flights are regularly overbooked during the holidays and showing up early is your best defense against being bumped. Try checking your luggage curbside. Besides being quicker, the skycaps don't work directly for the airlines and, with a nice tip, are often more willing to overlook bags which exceed the weight limit.
While making your reservation you should have alerted the airline to the nature of your Disability and any assistance you'll require. Reconfirm this upon check-in, along with a review of the equipment you use (wheelchair batteries which comply with flight regulations, service animals, oxygen, etc.) so that everyone is clear about the procedures well before boarding.
Airlines often cut carry-on limits to a single bag during the heavy holiday season. Equipment necessary for a disabled traveler does not count against this limit, nor the two checked bag limit. So, if you carry-on a bag of fragile components detached from your wheelchair, you are still entitled to another carry-on, despite the one bag rule.
If your flight is delayed, try to find out how long the delay will be so that you can make other arrangements if necessary. If worst comes to worst and your flight is canceled, or you miss your connection, airlines will rebook you on the next flight if space is available, or will refund your ticket. An option you can request, however, is for the airline to see if there is space on another airline's flight. If there is, you may then endorse your (non-electronic) ticket to be used on the other airline at no additional cost to you.
After reading all of this, you may decide that flying during the holidays isn't for you. Depending on the length of your trip, you might want to look into traveling by train. Amtrak has made a concerted effort to accommodate disabled passengers, going so far as to offer a 15% discount to them and an accompanying passenger.
With regard to early arrival, off peak travel days, and prior notification of disability, the same rules apply to both air and rail travel during the holidays. Although less popular than catching a plane, trains do fill up and delays
aren't uncommon. However, the trade-off for the slower speed of travel is often a more comfortable trip.
Wheelchair users are able to remain in their chairs with ample seating spaces in coach and accessible overnight
compartments. Unlike most planes, the bathrooms in Amtrak trains are accessible with grab bars and extra space.
