~ ~ ALLISON'S TRIP~ ~

by Allison McCaughey

As promised, I've documented the events that occurred when my husband and I embarked on our first vacation to Florida together. We have a condo down there, but I decided we would stay in a hotel, because I needed a vacation too, and I didn't want to cook, clean, and have to make sure everything was hunkydory before we left.


PREPARATIONS, PACKING, HEADING TO AIRPORT
Two weeks before we were to depart, we were packed. Jill's travelling tips saved our lives!! I called the hotel, airlines, and rental car agency and asked a zillion questions before we left to be sure we were all set, explaining that I was travelling with a "special needs" person. I THOUGHT we were all set...Here's our tale...

I asked our friend that was giving us a ride to the airport to arrive at 9:30 am. I was up at 6:00 am. I showered and dressed, and then proceeded to wake David to begin our long routine of eating, showering, and dressing. The doorbell rang at 9:00 am, 1/2 hour early! Oh Well, we were thankful for the ride. But I'm sure you can imagine I was then frantic. David wasn't fully dressed yet, and I still had to close up all the luggage. Our friend decided to help us. She closed up the luggage and threw them all in the car. Thank you very much, but I still had some lat minute things to go in the bags. It was acually comical.


AT THE AIRPORT
We arrived at the airport at good hour and 45 minutes early. I scrambled to get the wheelchair, and our friend got the luggage out. We checked the luggage at the skycap, said goodbye to our friend, and proceeded into the airport. All we had to handle was the wheelchair, cane, foot rests, cushion, and a backpack. Yeah that's all!

We proceeded through security, where David was taken to the side and frisked. I went through the normal procedures with backpack, my purse, and the cane.

We then checked in at the gate. We were given a special tag for David's chair. We still had about a 45 minute wait, so I thought I would read. Well, guess what I forgot....my book. It was going to be too long a flight without something to read, so I ran to the bookstore and paid $13.95 FOR A BOOK. Forget #1.


BOARDING THE PLANE
Now it was time to board. We were boarded first. David was wheeled down the ramp to the plane. When he got up, I put the backpack over my shoulders, and ... I nearly fell over backwards because it was so heavy. I felt like I was in a comedy show. I then attempted to kneel down, with this 200 lb. pack on my back, and remove his foot rests and cushion, which feels like it weights another 30 lbs. I went backwards in front of David down the aisle. Of course, the backpack was getting caught on all the seats as I backed up. Our seats in the first row after first class. Great, there was more leg room and more room for my husband to slide in. The rest of that flight was uneventful. Now it was time to disembark. We waited until everyone was off the plane. Then I dreadedly put the backpack over my shoulders again, almost falling into the seat behind me. I then grabbed the foot rests and cushion. David's cane was in the closet and the flight attendant delivered it. (quad canes don't fit in some of the overheads). The wheelchair was waiting for us. The flight attendant told us we needed to get to gate B13 for our connection. We were in C13. O.K. We decided to take the moving walkway. That was o.k. for David in the chair, but I almost ended up with my head in his lap and my feet sticking straight up a couple of times on the on and offs. Then came this monstrous ramp to get down to the next level. I grabbed on tight, and held my breath. I thought I was going to lose him for sure. My arms and legs were like mush by the time we got to the bottom. When we got to the gate, there was an announcement that said all passengers on flight #____ to West Palm Beach should proceed to Gate C13. There has been a Gate Change. That's where we just came from!! Now we had to go up this monstrous ramp. Again, I grabbed on tight, and just ran. If I had paused for a minute, we would have both been going backwards. I told David he was no longer allowed to gain anymore weight!!


CHANGING PLANES
We had to use the moving sidewalks again, but I had those mastered. We returned to Gate C13 to find we'd been moved again, to C31. By the time we got to C31, I was perspiring and exhausted and I knew this was just the beginning. Ugh!

We boarded the plane the same as previously, with no problems, except for that one big step my husband had to take from the ramp to the plane. That was a little hairy.

The second flight was again, uneventful. We arrived on time in West Palm Beach to blackened skies that were ready to open any minute. Now the fun begins. Where do we go first, the car rental agency or the luggage. We chose the luggage. It was already waiting for us since we were the last ones off the plane. I grabbed the luggage and found a porter to put them on a luggage rack for us and wait while we rented the car.


RENTAL CARS AND SHUTTLE BUSES
We were told the car would be right there in the airport, and that we wouldn't have to take a shuttle. Wrong! We had to take a shuttle. We went out to the middle island with the porter and waited. When the shuttle arrived, it was NOT handicapped accessible. I tipped the porter too soon. I should have had him put the luggage on the shuttle. Too late, he's gone. The driver then came out and picked up the luggage. I helped David climb up those 3 deep stairs into the shuttle. When he was ready to sit down, I had to ask the people that were sitting right by the door to move down so he could sit. Then came the chair. I grabbed the backpack, cushion, and foot rests and threw them on, then folded the chair, and pretty much threw that on too! No help from the driver for the chair. The bus was full of impatient travellers by the way!!

The driver dropped us off at our car first. He had to, there was no way anyone was going to get by all our stuff. I got the chair, cushion, rests, and backpack into the trunk. The driver put the luggage in the backseat. Then down the stairs came David. He did great! Then I got him in the front seat, locked him in, and we were off.

There's always been a joke with us with this airport. My husband always did the driving and had terrific sense of direction, but we could never get out of this airport the first time. It always took 2 circles around. Well the joke was, if it took him 2 times, it would take me at least 3. We were right! I couldn't find the exit!


VALET and HANDICAP PARKING
When we finally made it out of the airport, we headed for the hotel. It still wasn't raining yet, but looking very threatening. We pulled into the one handicapped space available. I don't do Valet. I noticed that none of the cars had handicapped permits that were in the handicapped spots. That's when I saw the Valet park in one of the handicapped spots. I couldn't believe it! I didn't dare say anything because I was tired, hot, and hungry, not to mention cranky. I left my husband in the car while I proceeded to check in.


HANDICAP HOTEL ROOM?????
When received our room keys, I confirmed again that we had a handicapped room. I was told, NO, and none of the handicapped rooms were available. I then asked for the Manager. Paul (I didn't get his full name) appeared and explained that a handicapped room would be available the next day. I explained that a regular room would be very unsafe for my husband. He apologized and said he would make sure our room was available the next day. In the meantime, he would make sure a shower chair was delivered to our "temporary" room and a rate adjustment would be made for that evening. He instructed the desk clerk to make a note in the "diary" that the handicapped room was not to be rented out when it became available. After Paul left (I later found out he was the banquet manager), the desk clerk said "I used to work for another hotel whose policy was never to rent the handicapped rooms unless requested. But not here. They rent them to people who don't need them just to be full." Bingo! That was going in my letter.

A porter helped with our bags and my husband and I proceeded to the "temporary" room. By the way, when I got back to the car, I was told that his limit for waiting was 20 minutes and I can't just leave him like that. Uh, hello, I've been fighting for a safe room for you!!! The aisle between the bed and the dresser was not even wide enough for his chair to get through, and of course, the bathroom was as unsafe as we expected it to be. Then the shower chair arrived. It was a BANQUET chair with cloth on the seat. We couldn't believe it. We didn't have the heart to use it. But it gave us a good laugh.


DINING ROOM AND LOBBY
That evening we ate in the dining area. The food was delicious and the service was great. Paul was there. We then proceeded to the pool area. We found we had to exit a door that was not automatic onto a sidewalk in the parking lot. We followed the sidewalk to a small gate that we had to open, hold it open, and pass through. We then had to proceed past a number of tables and through another gate to get to the pool area. It was not "easily" accessible as was described to us, but accessible enough. Going forward we used the lobby doors because they were automatic and the wind didn't blow it shut when we were trying to get through with the wheelchair. Besides the fact, that the other door gave me a flat an scraped the whole back of my foot! OUCH!


THE BEACH EXPERIENCE
The next day we thought we would go to the beach. I helped David with his bathing suit, and I had bought some of those diving shoes he could wear over his brace. I had to buy 2 different sizes for his good and bad foot. Uh oh...I packed two lefts! BIG LAUGH!!! The beach was NOT "easily" accessible. There were three stairs leading to a long deck that had three more stairs leading down to the beach. There were also no beach wheelchairs available. We live in New England, and we have them here, I couldn't believe they were unavailable at the hotel-owned beaches, but they were available at the county and state beaches. Going to the beach was out of the question.


ALWAYS CHECK THE BILL!!!
We enjoyed our stay but when it was time to check out and I received the bill, I noticed no rate adjustment had been made for our first night in the "temporary" room. I inquired. I was told there was no notation in the "diary". I was then told that I was already getting a discounted rate of $145.00 per night. My response was "Yes, but not because of you. We received this rate through our travel agent. I was then told they could not go any lower than the lowest rate of $129.50. So we received $14.50 off our "temporary" room stay. I informed the clerk that that evening could have been much more expensive to them if my husband had fallen in their non-handicapped room.


FOOD TROUBLES
We had some friends surprise us while we were there, which was great! We went to breakfast, showed them around, went to dinner and had a lot of laughs.

Unfortunately, dinner didn't agree with my husband. I don't have to tell you about blowouts! It's not easy in a hotel room with none of the luxuries of home like new sheets and lots of towels! Ugh!


INPLANNED "Trip"
We visited our condo and I think David was so glad to be there, he didn't pay attention when he was walking around and fell. He hit his head on the door jam, and lost his memory for about an hour. I called his doctor who said....you won't see any signs of a bleed in the brain for at least 6 weeks...just keep an eye on him. I love doctors!


RESTAURANT PRE-CHECKS
Here's a tip...if you're just pulling into a restaurant, you, as the caregiver, should go in real quick and check it out, and even tell the host your coming in with someone in a wheelchair. They will get the table ready while you're getting your spouse. We wanted breakfast, so we stopped at an I-Hop. I ran in, and NO WAY. There was no room to get his chair down the aisle. So we went next door to Denny's and it was all wheelchair accessible.


RETURNING THE RENTAL CAR AT THE AIRPORT
When it was time to leave, I decided I would drop the luggage off at the skycap first, before returning the car. That way, there would be a lot less stuff to deal with. When we returned the car, I asked if they had a handicap shuttle. The clerk said, no, but they would just drive us to the airport in the car we rented. That was great, but I guess stopping at the airport was wasted time. Oh well, it was good thinking anyway.


THE SAGA CONTINUES: FLYING HOME ON THE EXPRESS FLIGHT
The flights home were a little harried because of delays and not much time in between. The first flight was fine. The second was not fun! We found out we had been booked on an express flight. Which means, having to take a bus out onto the runway and climb stairs into a 40 passenger plane. NO WAY! The flight was already an hour delayed, so the other passengers were pretty irate. Now they had to wait for the attendants to put my husband into a wheelchair van, shuttle him to the plane (10 minutes away) and then strap him into an armless chair and physically carry him up the stairs and transfer him into the seat. We were supposed to be in row 8 at the back of plane and I just told the attendant we were going to sit in row 2. She told the passengers they had been moved.

Needless to say, my husband didn't like that part of the trip, and unfortunately, it's what happened last, so it's very vivid in our minds. Don't forget, we had to go through the same procedure getting off the plane in RI, and then all the doors were locked to get to an elevator, so we were being shuffled all over the place to find an open door.


SUCCESS!!!!
All in all, we had challenges, but we also had some great laughs. Our trip was a success in that it gave us time away from our troubles. We had a great time and now we're thinking about moving to Florida. It's just too much to think about right now, but maybe...





I'd love to hear from you. Please let me know if some of these tips have helped you, or if you have some ideas or experiences of your own that I might share with others.

Drop me a line!