25+ things that can go wrong when traveling with a disability in europe

25+ Things That Can Go Wrong When Traveling With a Disability in Europe

www.sagetraveling.com/25-things-that-can-go-wrong-traveling-with-a-disability

http://www.sagetraveling.com/25-things-that-can-go-wrong-traveling-with-a-disability



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Any number of things can go wrong when traveling in Europe with a disability. The 25 Things That Can Go Wrong When Traveling With a Disability described below are based on my wheelchair travels to 70+ European cities as well as planning countless trips for other disabled travelers.

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Blowing an electric charger on a motorized wheelchair or scooter

Sage Travel Tip: Be prepared for things to go wrong or your one week vacation can turn into a week-long nightmare!

Sage Travel Tip: Be prepared for things to go wrong or your one week vacation can turn into a week-long nightmare!

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I heard this story after the fact from a client who only booked part of their Belgium trip with us. The hotel staff gave him some bad advice, and they ruined the only electric wheelchair charger they had brought on their trip! They had to delay their travels to the next city and wait for a super-expensive part to be shipped from the US…all the while using a manual wheelchair.



This happened to me at Ephesus. The driver dropped us off at the top gate and I had to roll over ancient ruins all the way to the lower gate. That was a tough trip! Be sure you know the accessibility of every site that you visit.

Entering ancient ruins with no easy exit 2

Sage Travel Tip: If you have an essential ingredient to your trip,bring an extra or be sure you can easily replace it!

Sage Travel Tip: If you have an essential ingredient to your trip,bring an extra or be sure you can easily replace it!



It’s very easy to arrive in Venice expecting to use the wheelchair bridge lifts you read about on the internet, only to find out that they were taken out of service years ago. And you might show up excited about the accessible portion of the Pompeii ruins only to find out it has been closed for renovations.

Relying on outdated internet information3

The internet contains a great deal of accessible travel advice, but unfortunately no one is there to keep it up to date! You might skip the Roman Forum if you read an old article written before the elevator was installed (shown in the photo on the right).



Unfortunately, this happens far too often to people traveling with a disability. Someone working at the front desk doesn’t see the computer remark that you’ve requested an accessible room, and they put you in the wrong room! Be sure that you have a list of nearby accessible hotels so that your vacation can continue uninterrupted!

Hotel staff gives away your accessible room to another guest4

Sage Travel Tip: Double check that all accessibility information that you read is up to date.

Sage Travel Tip: Double check that all accessibility information that you read is up to date.



A few years ago, I had a woman call me who had booked a hotel in Paris months before her trip and, just before she was about to leave, she spoke with a different person at the hotel and found out there were 2 steps to reach the elevator! Many people working at hotels aren’t fully aware of the accessibility needs of disabled travelers. You should double-check all accessibility features far in advance or rely on someone who has seen them first-hand.

Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information5



Unfortunately, even the best of hotel search engines or hotel websites doesn’t give an accurate description of the neighborhood surrounding the hotel. You might pick a 5 star hotel that is located in a terrible neighborhood!

Staying in a dirty or non-wheelchair accessible neighborhood6



Do you want to stay in this dirty Venice neighborhood (on the left)or this Athens neighborhood with sidewalk steps (on the right)??



When I was traveling in a wheelchair alone in Normandy, I managed to get a flat tire on my wheelchair. Like a good Boy Scout, I had brought a spare inner tube…but I managed to puncture that one too! Bike shops were closed on Sunday, and I learned a can’t-miss way to fix a flat (listed in my 101 Disabled Travel Tips).

Needing a replacement wheelchair part7



We get requests all the time from brick and mortar travel agents who need our assistance. A disabled traveler asks for their help and, instead of referring them elsewhere, the travel agent will book the trip through us and put their own 10% mark-up on it…without adding any value to the trip!

Over paying #1 8



As mentioned in my Top 10 Europe Handicapped Travel Tips, the best accessible hotels sell out many months in advance. Many people traveling with a disability will wait to book their hotel 2 or 3 months before they arrive and will pay far too much for accessible accommodation!

9 Over paying #2



This happened to me in London in 2012, and I learned how to get money even when you’ve cancelled all of your credit and debit cards and no banks will take a foreign check. You will need somebody back home who can go to Western Union and you’ll need your passport.

Losing your wallet10



If you were in Athens in June 2012 when the riots broke out (shown in the photo on the right), what would you have done? If your travel agent has an extensive network of a local contacts, they could have gotten you out of there!

Riots in Athens11



We had a client traveling with a disability whose trip got delayed because all of the New York airports were shut down for “Super Storm Sandy” in 2012. Fortunately, the client had booked with us and, because we send tour guides, hotels, and drivers so much business, we were able to reschedule the trip for free! One of the many benefits of booking through a travel agent!

Natural disaster delays your arrival in Europe12



Travel agents really prove their worth when your plans get completely interrupted. In 2010, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland shut down all transatlantic flights for 6 days! Numerous stories emerged how people who had booked through travel agents were provided with last-minute suitable hotel accommodation and train travel to other destinations during this unexpected trip interruption.

Natural disaster delays your departure from Europe13



I spent Bastille Day in Paris and all of the tourist attractions were shut down. And the military parades had blocked many of the accessible bus routes. Be sure to check the local holidays before selecting your trip dates.

Choosing the wrong travel dates14

Sage Travel Tip: A good travel agent can solve problems during your trip and offer you peace of mind.

Sage Travel Tip: A good travel agent can solve problems during your trip and offer you peace of mind.



Most insurance plans do not cover hospital costs in foreign countries. You may be forbidden to leave until you’ve settled your bill (the example I heard of was that her family had to pay $50,000 before her passport was given back to her.)

Hospitalization15



In 2010, Tiffany and I were in Greece performing accessibility research and heard there was a pending airport strike. We were able to fly to Santorini, and the two days we were there all flights were shut down. We were fortunate that the strike ended by our scheduled departure, but an expert in accessible ferry travel sure would have been handy!.

Train or airport strike16

Sage Travel Tip: Trip Insurance doesn’t cost very much and can be hugely beneficial.

Sage Travel Tip: Trip Insurance doesn’t cost very much and can be hugely beneficial.



We had a client traveling with a disability in Paris whose rental electric wheelchair (shown in the photo on the right) would not hold a charge. It was late on a Friday and the rental wheelchair provider was gone for the weekend. We were able to find a different wheelchair provider so he could continue his trip. You should always have back-up plans for every aspect of your trip!

Battery on an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter won’t hold a charge

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A car rental employee in Nice told me I couldn’t return the car tomorrow because it was a “work day”. Eventually I figured out that next day was May 1….Labor Day! Arrange all your reservations in advance using English and you won’t run into these problems.

Lost in translation 18


This actually happened to me in Istanbul. I started asking a lot of questions and she pulled out a Rick Steve’s guide book to check the facts…not a good tour! A similar thing happened in Barcelona when the tour guide I booked with was out of town and sent a friend to guide us who couldn’t even explain the history of the Roman wall we were looking at. Be sure that your tour guides are good ones!

Hiring a poor tour guide who just walks with you and recites the Rick Steve’s guide book

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We rented a GPS system with our car rental in Tuscany. In Pisa, it kept on steering us the wrong way down one-way streets! Be sure to bring maps for every city and every neighborhood you are going to visit.

Trusting a GPS system that has the one-way streets labeled the wrong way

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If a local knows only a little bit of English, they almost certainly do not know English accessibility terminology like “grab bar”, “flat tire”, and “battery not charging”. When traveling with a disability in Europe, be sure to bring a list accessibility phrases with you on your trip.

Inability to communicate your accessibility needs in the local language

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This happened in Venice for a client who had their flight delayed. She arrived late with no accessible transportation waiting for her! When traveling with a disability, be sure that your accessible van drivers know your flight information.

Book a private transfer who won’t wait for your delayed flight22

Sage Travel Tip: Be sure you know how to communicate your accessibility needs in the local language

Sage Travel Tip: Be sure you know how to communicate your accessibility needs in the local language


When were in Santorini, Greece in 2010, construction was going on and the entire town lost internet access for two days. If I had needed to change a reservation for our next stop in Turkey, I would have been in big trouble. You should always have someone not traveling with you who can make reservations changes for you if needed.

Total loss of internet access23


This happened to me in Les Baux, France. The medieval hill town had cobblestones in town and gravel in the fortress ruins (shown in the photo on the right). Fortunately on that trip I had some strong friends with me! Be sure to research accessibility of all sites before you visit.

Visiting a city that is far less accessible than you expect24


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This happened to a client traveling with a disability who unknowingly booked his trip during “high water” season. If he had spoken to us before booking his cruise, we could have warned him!

Trapped by the Venice flooding


What an adventure this was! Our cruise tender broke down half-way between the Mykonos port and our cruise ship. Those tenders will really start rocking when they’re not moving forward! Another cruise tender towed us to the ship and we didn’t get left behind!

Have a tender boat break down on the way to the ship26


We often get requests from travel agents who don’t know how to plan an accessible trip to Europe. This travel agent had actually met the travelers but had never told us about his breathing problems! We got this feedback from a tour guide.

Book through a travel agent who is not familiar with European accessibility

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We just wanted to let you know that we had the Smith party on tour with us for the Original Florence Walk public tour this morning.

As you would have seen in Florence, the city is not well equipped for wheelchair users. I don’t know if you personally met Mr. Smith to know that he is quite a large, elderly man who has only 10% lung capacity, travels with an oxygen tank, and is not very agile. He and his wife had difficulty with the sidewalks, and several times the guide had to leave the group to get Mr. Smith back to the footpath ramps. Ms. Smith also had to stop to change the batteries on his breathing apparatus in the middle of the tour.

Our guide went exceptionally out of her way to accommodate Mr. Smith and luckily we had a full group of clients on the tour that were very understanding. Nonetheless, it was quite straining on the Smith party to actually do the tour, and also disruptive for the guide and other clients to have to provide such care to Mr. Smith.


A few years ago, I had a woman call me who had booked a hotel in Paris months before her trip and, just before she was about to leave, she spoke with a different person at the hotel and found out there were 2 steps to reach the elevator! Many people working at hotels aren’t fully aware of the accessibility needs of disabled travelers. You should double-check all accessibility features far in advance or rely on someone who has seen them first-hand.

Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information28

Sage Travel Tip: Be sure your travel agent has extensive experience planning accessible trips in Europe!

Sage Travel Tip: Be sure your travel agent has extensive experience planning accessible trips in Europe!


Rely on a local expert to tell you which sidewalks to avoid


This happened when I booked an “accessible” tour of Tuscany. The accessible van would have been the same price and so much easier! If you book through a company that only deals in accessible travel, there won’t be any confusion.

Transportation company shows up with a van without a wheelchair ramp

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25+ things that can go wrong when traveling with a disability in europe

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