Beach Holidays with Your Wheelchair

Each year in the summer, millions of us try to flock away and get a good holiday in. Whether that’s staying in the UK or venturing abroad varies from person to person and most people have little difficulty in getting those few days rest or adventure that they crave.

Holidaying is a universal phenomenon and perhaps the most popular resorts are those with beaches and they should be free for everyone to take advantage of, including wheelchair users. With a solid plan of action, chair users can easily enjoy the beach and other resorts, just as everyone else does.

Do Your Research

A pretty obvious place to start when considering your well-deserved holiday is researching the places you would like to go, including accommodation, and checking their disability access arrangements. You should find out the exact arrangements too – not all self-claiming accessible places will be up to scratch, especially if they consider a ramp full and proper access.

If you find something or somewhere you are interested in, it’s probably best not to go all gung-ho and book it without further investigation. Be sure to talk to somebody at the hotel or facilities or read reviews from wheelchair users who have previously stayed where you’re planning on staying and look for exact measurements for access methods. This is essential to ensure that you have the freedom you need to get around and most importantly, have a great time.

Find a Beach Wheelchair

In all likelihood, your wheelchair isn’t very well adapted to the tough sandy terrain and wet environment of the beach. One wrong move and it could be it for your mode of transport.

That’s where specialised beach wheelchairs come into play. They have bigger, thicker wheels to deal with the beach surface and enable you to enjoy the place as you should be able to. We now live in an ever progressing world where wheelchair users are consistently thought about and many beaches in the UK and overseas have beach wheelchairs available when you get there.

Of course, it is best to check this before making your way and if not, you can just as easily hire an adapted model before or during your holiday.

Don’t Forget the Sun and the Beach Itself

Amidst all of this research it can be easy to forget the dangers of the sun and the beach for wheelchair users. Of course it’s important to use sun cream, take advantage of shade and drink plenty of water but there’s a few more concerns if you’re in a chair.

Pressure sores can be a nuisance and the presence of the sun and sand can increase the chances of these unwanted pests. Remember your movement exercises and wear appropriate footwear to help your cause and stop sand and water entering your feet.

Travelling

When it comes to travelling, you’re going to want to do some thorough research. Hopefully you’ll be able to reach your destination with ease but if you’re going on a long journey, you may need to hire a wheelchair accessible vehicle if you don’t already own one.

WAVs are designed specifically for carrying wheelchair users and come in a range of options including driving options depending on who is going to take charge of the vehicle. This will undoubtedly be easier than relying on taxis or public transport but of course that doesn’t mean that you should dispel other modes of transport – they may be just as easy to utilise in some cases.

Enjoying Your Holiday

If you’ve done all your research and planned your holiday, you should find that you have no problems whatsoever with enjoying your break.

All that’s left to do is sit back, relax and take in your surroundings, safe in the knowledge that you can revel in your time away from the real world.