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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
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.




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




1 Blowing an electric charger on a motorized wheelchair or scooter
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.

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




2 Entering ancient ruins with no easy exit
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.




                                                        www.sagetraveling.com
3 Relying on outdated internet information
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).
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.

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




4 Hotel staff gives away your accessible room to another guest
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!



                                                    www.sagetraveling.com
5 Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information
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.
                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
6 Staying in a dirty or non-wheelchair accessible neighborhood
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!




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




                                                  www.sagetraveling.com
7   Needing a replacement wheelchair part
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).



                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
8   Over paying #1
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!



                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
9   Over paying #2
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!




                                                     www.sagetraveling.com
10    Losing your wallet
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.




                                                   www.sagetraveling.com
11   Riots in Athens
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!




                                                     www.sagetraveling.com
12   Natural disaster delays your arrival in Europe
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!

                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
13    Natural disaster delays your departure from Europe
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.

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




14   Choosing the wrong travel dates
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.




                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
15   Hospitalization
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.)




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




16   Train or airport strike
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!.



                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
17    Battery on an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter won’t hold a
      charge
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!
                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
18   Lost in translation
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.




                                                    www.sagetraveling.com
19    Hiring a poor tour guide who just walks with you and recites the Rick
      Steve’s guide book
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!
                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
20    Trusting a GPS system that has the one-way streets labeled the
      wrong way
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.




                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
21     Inability to communicate your accessibility needs in the local
       language
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.



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




22   Book a private transfer who won’t wait for your delayed flight
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.




                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
23   Total loss of internet access
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.



                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
24   Visiting a city that is far less accessible than you expect
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.




                                                         www.sagetraveling.com
25   Trapped by the Venice flooding
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!




                                                     www.sagetraveling.com
26   Have a tender boat break down on the way to the ship
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!




                                                     www.sagetraveling.com
27   Book through a travel agent who is not familiar with European
     accessibility
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.



                                                      www.sagetraveling.com
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.


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




28   Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information
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.
                                                       www.sagetraveling.com
Rely on a local expert to tell you which sidewalks to avoid




                                              www.sagetraveling.com
29    Transportation company shows up with a van without a wheelchair
      ramp
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.



                                                    www.sagetraveling.com
 We look forward to making your accessible dream vacation a reality! 

                       Call Us: 1-888-645-7920

              Contact us at info@sagetraveling.com

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

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

  • 1. 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
  • 2. 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 3. Sage Travel Tip: Be prepared for Sage Travel Tip: Be prepared for things to go wrong or your one things to go wrong or your one week vacation can turn into a week vacation can turn into a week-long nightmare! week-long nightmare! 1 Blowing an electric charger on a motorized wheelchair or scooter 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 4. Sage Travel Tip: If you have an Sage Travel Tip: If you have an essential ingredient to your trip, essential ingredient to your trip, bring an extra or be sure you can bring an extra or be sure you can easily replace it! easily replace it! 2 Entering ancient ruins with no easy exit 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 5. 3 Relying on outdated internet information 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). 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 6. Sage Travel Tip: Double check that Sage Travel Tip: Double check that all accessibility information that all accessibility information that you read is up to date. you read is up to date. 4 Hotel staff gives away your accessible room to another guest 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 7. 5 Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 8. 6 Staying in a dirty or non-wheelchair accessible neighborhood 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 9. Do you want to stay in this dirty Venice neighborhood (on the left) or this Athens neighborhood with sidewalk steps (on the right)?? www.sagetraveling.com
  • 10. 7 Needing a replacement wheelchair part 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). www.sagetraveling.com
  • 11. 8 Over paying #1 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 12. 9 Over paying #2 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 13. 10 Losing your wallet 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 14. 11 Riots in Athens 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 15. 12 Natural disaster delays your arrival in Europe 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 16. 13 Natural disaster delays your departure from Europe 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 17. Sage Travel Tip: A good travel agent Sage Travel Tip: A good travel agent can solve problems during your trip can solve problems during your trip and offer you peace of mind. and offer you peace of mind. 14 Choosing the wrong travel dates 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 18. 15 Hospitalization 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.) www.sagetraveling.com
  • 19. Sage Travel Tip: Trip Insurance Sage Travel Tip: Trip Insurance doesn’t cost very much and can be doesn’t cost very much and can be hugely beneficial. hugely beneficial. 16 Train or airport strike 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!. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 20. 17 Battery on an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter won’t hold a charge 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 21. 18 Lost in translation 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 22. 19 Hiring a poor tour guide who just walks with you and recites the Rick Steve’s guide book 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 23. 20 Trusting a GPS system that has the one-way streets labeled the wrong way 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 24. 21 Inability to communicate your accessibility needs in the local language 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 25. Sage Travel Tip: Be sure you know Sage Travel Tip: Be sure you know how to communicate your how to communicate your accessibility needs in the local accessibility needs in the local language language 22 Book a private transfer who won’t wait for your delayed flight 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 26. 23 Total loss of internet access 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 27. 24 Visiting a city that is far less accessible than you expect 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 28. 25 Trapped by the Venice flooding 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 29. 26 Have a tender boat break down on the way to the ship 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! www.sagetraveling.com
  • 30. 27 Book through a travel agent who is not familiar with European accessibility 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 31. 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 32. Sage Travel Tip: Be sure your travel Sage Travel Tip: Be sure your travel agent has extensive experience agent has extensive experience planning accessible trips in Europe! planning accessible trips in Europe! 28 Hotel staff providing incorrect accessibility information 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 33. Rely on a local expert to tell you which sidewalks to avoid www.sagetraveling.com
  • 34. 29 Transportation company shows up with a van without a wheelchair ramp 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. www.sagetraveling.com
  • 35.  We look forward to making your accessible dream vacation a reality!  Call Us: 1-888-645-7920 Contact us at info@sagetraveling.com www.sagetraveling.com/25-things-that-can-go-wrong-traveling-with-a-disability