Candy Harrington has been covering accessible travel exclusively for the past 15 years for her magazine Emerging Horizons. Traveling for as long as she can remember, the only continent she has not been to is Antarctica.

Please tell me a little about yourself and your magazine, including where you have traveled to:

I’m a travel writer, with a specialization in accessible travel — that’s travel for people with mobility disabilities, from slow walkers to wheelchair-users. I’ve been a travel writer for some 35 years, and have covered accessible travel exclusively for the past 15 years. I’m the founding editor of Emerging Horizons (www.EmergingHorizons.com), a magazine that focuses on travel for wheelchair-users to slow walkers, and the author of several accessible travel titles, including Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers  (www.barrierfreetravel.net), which is now in it’s third edition. I also write regular columns for other outlets, accept feature assignments and craft web content — all on the subject of accessible travel. My goal is to describe access so travelers can decide what options are best for them. I’m also very big on people learning about their rights and the logistics of accessible travel, so they’ll know what to expect and be prepared when they hit the road.  I can’t really list all the places I’ve visited, (again, I’ve been dong this for 35-plus years and the list would be pretty long) but I can say that I’ve traveled extensively.  I’ve visited all 50 states and have been to every continent except Antarctica.

What is your favorite part of running Emerging Horizons?

Well, it’s never boring, and I enjoy a challenge.  That’s why I got into accessible travel in the first place — I was bored covering mainstream travel. That’s certainly not the case today.

When did you begin traveling internationally? In general, how do you think traveling has improved for someone in a wheelchair? What obstacles are still being faced?

Well I visited Canada and Mexico when I was about 7 years old, but didn’t take my first international journey beyond North America until I was almost 17. I graduated high school early and pretty much just bummed around Europe for a year. That’s what we did in those days. We called it “finding ourselves”. Unfortunately I found myself broke in Paris, so I also had to work a bit!

I think accessible travel has improved over the years because more disabled people are out and about and the market has somewhat responded to it. For example, there’s more wheelchair-accessible ground transportation available today than 25 years ago.  I remember one of my wheelchair-using friends telling me that the only way he could get to the airport back then was in an ambulance — not exactly a great start to a vacation. Could there still be some improvement?  Sure. I’d like to see truly accessible restrooms on the wide body planes; and it appears the new Dream Liner will give us that. All in all, I think things are moving in a positive direction.

Are you still traveling? If so, where is your next trip planned for?  How do you select your next travel destination?

Of course!! I don’t think I’ll ever stop traveling.  Plus, you can’t exactly cover accessible travel from behind a desk.  I don’t think I’ll ever totally retire either. Our next trip is a western states road trip (about 3-4 weeks long), with lots of outdoor time and national parks. Also considering a short hop up to Quebec for their summer festival in early August. Then in the fall we’ll do a longer road trip to Texas, followed by a jaunt over to Germany (Saxony), and then on to North Carolina for my husband’s family reunion (our only personal trip for the year). Beyond that we don’t have any firm plans.

Generally speaking I look at reader interest to select my editorial research trips. Right now there’s a huge interest in US driving trips, so we’ve been doing a number of those. I get suggestions from readers, and of course PR professionals also contact me. And sometimes I just stumble over something blindly. I do a lot of research before I even begin to plan my editorial research trips. Hotel selection depends on the type of article I’m writing — sometimes it’s a city center property, while other times it’s a secluded country inn. It all depends on the destination and the slant of the piece — there isn’t really a norm for that at all.  But I have selected properties before (especially inns and B&Bs) based on reader  recommendations. I did a whole book on accessible inns and B&Bs (www.accessibleinns.com) and I took ever suggestion and lead I could get. It was a massive project.

What place was so wonderful and accessible that you have gone back more than once?

Well, we don’t usually re-visit a destination for editorial research unless there’s been some huge changes or access upgrades; however that’s not to say that I haven’t seen some pretty cool accessible things along the way — sites or attractions that go above and beyond in the access department.

Take the accessible tidepools at Yaquina Head up in Oregon, for example. You can just roll right down to the tidepools at low tide; and if you want to stay overnight, there are wheelchair-accessible yurts located nearby, just south of Waldport at Beachside State Park.

And the then there’s  the accessible treehouse at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia. It’s huge, and again, you can just roll your wheelchair right up into it.
And last year, I stumbled across a rafting outfitter that is able to accommodate wheelchairs on their Colorado River day trips. Black Canyon Adventures is based outside of Las Vegas, and they have four-hour trips starting just below the Hoover Dam. It’s a nice easy float and because of the design of the raft, you can just roll a wheelchair right down the center aisle. And they’ve also installed a great ramp an their put-in/take-out spot. It’s a fun trip and seeing the Hoover Dam from below is awesome.

On a personal note, I totally enjoyed our three-week driving vacation through Ireland. Again, we did absolutely no work on it, and my husband and I just loved it.  We’d definitely go back.

For a wheelchair user traveling for the first time, what destination would you recommend?

Well that depends entirely on what they like to do.  There’s no one correct answer for everybody. For example, if you like the big city and museums and shopping, you’d probably be pretty disappointed with a national park vacation, no matter how accessible it was.  And although many theme parks have good access, they’re just not everyone’s cup of tea.. So I really hate the “theme park” answer to that question (which seems a common answer given by many travel agents — they think that you’ll love Disney World just because you’re in a wheelchair). Truth be told, there are lots of accessible choices out there, which is why I wrote 101 Accessible Vacations; Travel Ideas For Wheelers and Slow Walkers (www.101accessiblevacations.com) — to give people accessible choices based on their own personal tastes, likes and dislikes.

I would however recommend that first-timers take a shorter practice trip near home, before setting out on an international adventure. That way you can work out the kinks, and if things really go wrong, you can just pack it up and head home. It’s also a good learning experience, because no matter how well prepared you feel you are, it’s always a different experience when you’re actually doing it in real life! Some people need a few practice runs, before they feel comfortable with the concept. It all depends on the person. You’ll know when you’re ready for the big trip.

What are the worst obstacles to overcome when traveling for a wheelchair user? Please explain why.

Well, if I have to pick the worst obstacle, I’d say it’s bathrooms. True, there are a lot of accessible facilities out there, but if you can’t find one when you have to go, well, that can pretty much put a damper on the day.  Nobody likes to have an accident in public. So my advice is to plan your day in advance and try and figure out where you can take restroom breaks. Some cities have accessible pay toilets, and most large hotels have accessible restrooms in their lobby. And most newer fast-food joints have pretty good accessible restrooms. Just don’t wait until the last minute to make your plans.

And when reserving an accessible hotel room, make sure you find out the bathroom details. There are many types of accessible guest rooms. For example in Europe, an accessible guest room merely has good pathway access, while an adapted room had an adapted bathroom. And even in the US, not all accessible guest rooms have roll-in showers. If you need a specific feature, you should specify that when making your reservation. Otherwise, you may end up with a bathroom that won’t work for you.

What are your thoughts on the current setup for air travel for those with physical handicaps, such as a wheelchair?

Well, I’d say most first-world countries do a pretty good job, especially on the larger planes. I know a lot of folks would like to be able to just wheel their own chair on the plane and lock it down for the flight, but that’s something that’s just not going to happen.  That’s not me speaking, that’s the DOT and FAA — it would be a huge safety issue. Of course when you get to smaller planes, there are even more obstacles. But compared to 25 years ago, I’m thinking we’re light years ahead — look how many wheelchair-users you see in airports these days. In days of yore, many times the airlines denied wheelchair-users passage. But a change in attitude, coupled with updated access laws has helped alleviate many obstacles previously encountered by wheelchair-users.

Have you ever needed to use the medical system of another country while traveling?
If so, what did you think of the experience?

I’ve had to use medical services around the world many times over the years, and to be honest I’ve really never had a bad experience. But the incident that left the biggest impression on me is when I was traveling in a remote part of Northern Thailand, and ended up getting Cholera. I’ll spare you the graphic details (a lot of folks eat at their computers!) but the owner of the guest house I was staying at summoned the local medical practitioner to tend to me. I was a bit hazy for a few days, as he treated me with herbal concoctions and alternative remedies. I’ve never been a big fan of Western Medicine (I think drugs are over prescribed and in some cases end up hurting us more than helping us) but that experience sold me on alternative treatments and Eastern Medicine. And that’s something I still practice today. So it was a good learning experience for me.

What would you say of attitude while traveling?

I don’t really understand the question, but if you’re asking what kind of attitude I think folks should adopt, well I think the first thing they need to realize is that travel is unpredictable, and you need to be prepared for that. I think you need to plan for the “what-if” situation and develop some solutions to possible problems.  That way if disaster strikes, you’ll already know what to do. For example, what would you do if your wheelchair broke while on vacation? A good solution to that problem would be to find a wheelchair repair facility at your destination and take your wheelchair there. So if you find an appropriate facility in advance and carry their contact information with you, you’re one step ahead of the game.

What is something you always travel with and something you are happy to leave behind?

Well, I never leave home without my husband Charles (who also illustrates all my work — he’s a photographer). We made an agreement many, many years ago that we wouldn’t ever travel alone — and we never have. And I always leave checked baggage at home.  I’m a totally carry-on gal — 2 days or 2 months if it doesn’t fit in the carry-on, it just doesn’t go!

bought to you by:
wheelchairtraveling.com
making adventure accessible