There is an interesting thread conversation going on over at another board about hotel/motel rooms and accessibility. That's ANOTHER reason I don't travel well. Many chains advertise non-smoking or accessible rooms, then go on to say that there's no guarantee that you'll get one, even if you request it ahead of time.

I currently am able to make do with a non-accessible room, especially if it's just for one night. I shower before leaving home in case the tub/shower doesn't look safe, etc.

But what do people in wheelchairs (or with less ability than I have) do? Wheel into a hotel and have them say, "Too bad, we don't have any accessible rooms available"? Then what?

Thanks, all of you. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.



I feel like I should be able to do anything, like why am I being such a whimp, it's only a trip. But it does beat me up. It gets me because I don't understand why it's so hard.


Thank you most of all for letting me know I'm not alone in this.



A million years ago, (mom didn't like to drive much) we used to go by Greyhound. It's not glamorous, but it gets you there. Not too expensive and there is a bathroom which ain't much worse than any other public potty.

There is a place in Lake Havasu, AZ not too far from us and they do the bus tours we go on.

There are some in Vegas and all over the country.

I prefer a local company rather than a big one from who knows where.

It works so well for us as DH loves to look all around as he's driving!!

As far as one overnight trips to the grandkids, I keep my little red bag packed all the time, just add clothes. When my toothpaste is almost empty, I just put it in the bag, same for deo. Bag is always ready to go to grandkids!!!!! Going tomorrow!!!!!!!

When we travel, it's by car. Both of us refuse to fly. We've never taken a bus trip, but we've looked into it a few times.

I can't believe how much stuff we have to pack. I've got two lists on the computer that I keep and update, print out a few days before it's time to go, and we use those as check lists. One is Things to Take, and one is Things to Do. Don't know where we'd be without them.

When I got Montana, I was amazed at all the dog stuff we have to take. He's a large dog, and takes up most of the back seat. Can't and won't go anywhere without him, so we learned to scrunch a bunch of stuff in the trunk and on the floor behind the front seats.

I have to stop every two hours, usually at rest stops. Scares me that a lot of them are closing due to the cost of keeping them open. Can't go behind a tree, wish I could!

Also, we pack our own pillows and towels. I've seen cleaning people clean toilets, then pick up and stack clean towels. I also refuse to use a pillow that 1,000,000 other people have slept on. So, that's more stuff to pack.

We've cut our trips way down from what we used to do in the past, the number of them that we take and the length of the trip also. MS and getting older is definitely the pitts!!

We have all three here.

When's your flight?

I love to travel and was one of those who actually lived out of the back of my truck for months on end, working my way across the country, doing different rivers and just having FUN!

I put off kids and marriage and all that and looking back, no regrets. I just wish I could still do it now! The trips are shorter, it takes longer to recuperate when I get there and when I get home, and the costs begin to outweigh the benefits. I go but I don't go as well as I used to!

I don't travel well by car at all anymore. We used to drive halfway across the country without a second thought, but if I attempt a road trip now I can plan on 2-3 days of paying for it. Sometimes we just have to do it anyway. We had to travel up to northwestern Iowa several times last year for funerals and weddings, about a 10-11 hour drive if we go during the day. Between me and the kids, we spend a lot of time stopping for potty breaks, but I still get stiff and tired. I'm absolutely useless afterwards.

I seem to do better with flying for some reason. DH and I went on a cruise last fall. We flew from here to Chicago (3 hrs) to London (8 hrs) to Istanbul (3 hrs) with a layover in Chicago. I was able to sleep some on the planes, but not more than a few hours. I was exhausted when we got to the ship, but there were just so many interesting things to see along the way that I wasn't completely totaled. We weren't exactly party animals that night, though! I think we were asleep by 9:00.

For me, it seems to be about the planning more than anything. I make lists for months ahead of time and try to get as much done in advance as possible. If I can start out rested it's SO much better. And on the cruise, I knew I could go until I dropped and then go to bed - no responsibilities! Anytime we have the kids, I always have to keep something in reserve to take care of them.