Products That Make Traveling as a Wheelchair User a Little Easier

Traveling can be difficult – boarding planes, catching trains, navigating buses, finding hotels, and everything else that comes along with it. However, us wheelchair users face additional hurdles that make travel even tougher (but still worth it of course). Luckily, we don’t have to just sit back and accept the situation as it is. Nowadays, there are a number of really nifty products on the market that can make traveling in a wheelchair a bit easier! Here are some of the best:

 

Cool Product #1: The ProMove Sling

 

 best wheelchair accessible travel products

 

As a wheelchair user, I know that one of the most aggravating parts of traveling is transferring from your wheelchair into the plane – or car, or just about anywhere that transferring is required, but especially the plane. When I travel, taking a hoist with me isn’t usually an option, so I tend to worry about whether or not I’ll receive a safe and dignified transfer. However, that isn’t a concern with this product!

Incredibly light and portable, this sling makes the lifting process go much more smoothly. The sling provides a safe and easy transfer from your wheelchair to an aisle chair, and then to your actual plane seat – so even if you’re traveling alone, you don’t have to worry about those who help you performing the transfer incorrectly and inadvertently harming you. ProMove slings are available for both children and adults, and I’ve read accounts by users that like them so much, they prefer to use these slings instead of hoists for at-home transfers as well.

 

Cool Product #2: Go Mobility Shower Chair

 

 

Another common headache when traveling is showering. If all goes well, your hotels will have shower chairs to suit your needs and there won’t be any issues. However, especially in foreign countries, hotels won’t always have shower chairs available. I’ve heard of some wheelchair users who have always brought their own, even when it meant lugging around a full-sized, non-collapsible shower and/or commode chair – how difficult! But this Go Mobility chair is easily packed and meant to be brought around the world with you.

I bring my Go Mobility Shower Chair with me everywhere I travel, because it folds up quickly and easily and fits perfectly in its own suitcase. When it comes time to use it, set-up is simple (it takes less than 5 minutes!) and doesn’t require any tools. Chairs are customizable; they come in different sizes and colors, and many shower chairs even double as commodes. There are different models, so you can order whichever makes the most sense to you and breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that you can bathe easily on vacation. 

*You can use the promo code CFCL50 to get $50 off a Go Mobility chair of your own!

 

Cool Product #3: Bed Risers

 

 best wheelchair accessible travel products

 

Imagine that you’ve just arrived to your hotel room after hours of travel, exhausted and ready to hit the bed immediately for some sweet slumber. However, for wheelchair users like me, it’s not always that simple. If the bed is at the wrong height, transferring from your wheelchair can be difficult and even dangerous. To avoid hiccups like this, I always bring portable bed risers with me.

Not only will buying bed risers make it easier to transfer into bed, but they kill two birds with one stone by giving you ample storage space under the bed. If you are bringing a portable hoyer lift on vacation and need it to be able to roll under the bed, risers like these will definitely come in handy. While some hotels have them, many don’t, so since they’re small, I think it’s best to bring your own.

 

Cool Product #4: Portable Ramp

 

 best wheelchair accessible travel products

 

Though it depends on whether you’re flying or not, another great item to bring with you on trips is a portable ramp. This will allow you to navigate challenges like curbs and doorways with ease, especially if you suspect that where you’re headed, there won’t be wheelchair-friendly infrastructure. These portable ramps even fold up to fit in your suitcase – very convenient!

 

Cool Product #5: Wheelchair Travel Bag

 

 best wheelchair accessible travel products

 

Chances are, you won’t have your wheelchair with you at all times when you travel. This is especially true on planes – you transfer out of your wheelchair and into your seat, then let your trusty form of transportation go, hoping that nothing will happen to it en route. However hard airlines may try, we all know that there’s still a possibility of our luggage, including the wheelchair, incurring damage during the trip.

This is where the Wheelchair Travel Bag comes in – it’s a suitcase-style protector designed to protect your wheelchair when you’re not in it, thereby giving you precious peace of mind. There are several different travel wheelchair options on the market, with distinct shapes and sizes depending on how your wheelchair folds. 

 

While traveling is always a bit tiring, it doesn’t have to be extra stressful for wheelchair users. In recent years, a number of neat products have hit the market, making often-challenging travel tasks like transfers, wheelchair transport, showering, and getting around much simpler and more seamless. Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite trip-enhancing products with you, I’m curious: What do you bring along to make it easier when traveling as a wheelchair user?



 

 

 

11 Comments

  • Very useful! Thanks for sharing.

  • Thanks for sharing these products. I had never heard of the bed risers, but it seems like a great idea/product. Thanks again for sharing. Happy and safe travels.
    Samantha at Our Traveling Blog recently posted…Win $25 Mongo Money From BD’s Mongolian GrillMy Profile

  • Samantha says:

    Thanks for sharing these products. I had never heard of the bed risers, but it seems like a great idea/product. Thanks again for sharing. Happy and safe travels.
    Samantha recently posted…Win $25 Mongo Money From BD’s Mongolian GrillMy Profile

  • Hazel Owens says:

    These are some great products for people in a wheelchair who like to travel a lot. Even though you may have made your house wheelchair accessible with chair lifts, ramps, and other things, many places aren’t going to be accessible for you. I like that there are portable ramps available to allow people in wheelchairs to access places they wouldn’t normally be able to. Thanks for the information.

  • Silas Knight says:

    I didn’t realize so many cool products existed to make using a wheelchair easier. I have never seen the bed risers before, but that seems like a great idea. My mom uses a wheelchair, so I will have to show her these, thanks!

  • Hi Cory,

    Very nice and informative article to share.

    Yes, nowadays we have got many gadgets and devices that make our life easy, but now also for a person who can’t walk, travelling is a very stressful task. There are things that can help but there’s nothing which can make it easy as it was before or as self-moving.

    Very nicely you have described all the points and definitely the products are so helpful for someone suffering from it. The best according to me is the wheel chair travelling bag. Will surely share it to my belongings by which they can get help.

    Thanks for posting it, keep going like this.
    Have a nice weekend.

    ~ Harshwardhan
    Harshwardhan Azad Singh recently posted…17 Tips for Solo Female TravellersMy Profile

  • I am also not aware about the bed riser. I have a friend who uses a wheelchair and he seldom comes when there’s a road trip or join in vacations with this i hope we can bring him along. Thank you for sharing this! Good Read!

  • Christina says:

    Your wheelchair travel bag is an awesome idea. Your other tips sound useful as well, especially the “bed riser” product.

Comments are closed.