One of my pre-disability favorites was travel. There is something about seeing new things, meeting different people and sharing the novel cultures that worked well for me.
Sadly, when I slowed down, travel became complicated and burdensome. Returning from Europe the autumn before the pandemic’s onset made me come to realize that what I had grown to love was slipping away.
The lengthy quarantine did not do much to boost my level of confidence. I was hurting.
When things started moving again, I realized that I needed to find a new way forward. I was scared, and not sure how to move things along. I realized that the only way to get past this was just to do it, but with a bit of an insurance. I called my childhood friend Golf and did something I rarely do; I asked for help.
My thinking was that if I had Mr. Golf by my side, if things did not go quite the way I wanted, he’d be there to pick me up. Seemingly always ready for adventure, he was on board. The question was, where would we go? I had mentioned wanting to get back to Ireland, drink some good whiskey and tell lies. Nothing better than time spent in an Irish pub, so I mentioned this to Golf, and he got after it.
He called back in a few days and asked if I wanted to take a cruise, visiting Ireland and Scotland. I was disappointed, having decided years ago that I was not interested in taking a cruise anywhere. The concept just did not align with what I wanted. He persisted, and I begrudgingly agreed. He had been on a cruise, and assured me that it was highly accessible. I started to think that maybe he had a point.
The trip to Ireland did not pan out- it is tough to find accessible cabins on short notice. He continued to work it, eventually giving me a choice: Italy and Greece or Turkey and Israel. I started warming to the idea.
In a bit over a week’s time, I was on my way to Rome to see if this idea had legs. And despite my clear bias against it, I kind of liked it. There were challenges, many, many wheelchair breakdowns, but we made it work. We capped the 10 day cruise with a long weekend in Rome, further wrecking my wheelchair on the cobblestone streets. I was still not sure if I liked this cruise concept, but the trip was about what I needed. I had not laughed this much in a very long time.
We took a few more cruises. Truth be told, I likely met more disabled, wheelchair-bound people than I had ever met in my life. Some taught me new tricks, while others seemed miserable with the challenges presented. Despite my strong protests, I found myself warming to the concept.
It is certainly imperfect, still, it is not bad. In fact, it is likely the most relaxed mode of travel that I have found since moving into my chair for good.
So, what does that mean to you?
I realize that travel is a solid source of anxiety for many of us. What I have learned, though, is that a cruise ship vacation might be a partial solution for those of us with wanderlust In October of this year, we fly to Barcelona for a week in the Mediterranean, then New York by way of the Azores. This time, I am truly looking forward to it!
Reflecting on my own apprehension and initial non-interest in cruising, I decided that I should at least share some of my experience in the hope that maybe I can help a few with the travel bug that are wondering how to do it? Of course, I do not have all of the answers, probably none of them. Yet, in an effort to help answer a few queries and laugh over our struggles and victories, we have had a lot of fun with our podcast. I encourage you to have a listen https://evigild.podbean.com/
Lastly, please don’t be offended by the title. Disabled Cruising with Kilo and Golf just did not sound right.
Happy travels, keep it straight. Brad
Walking the Rails 