Tips For Planning For A Special Needs Travel

By Kenneth Baker


When traveling, most people have special needs and wants they would want to be catered to make their journey more enjoyable. However, there is a different group of people who have specific needs that must be met for them to start their journey. Special needs travel plans are needed for these group of people to ensure they are comfortable during their journey. The plans must include sensitive treatment for them and a lot of understanding.

There are very many types of people who require this special treatment. They include those who are physically impaired needing wheelchairs, those with visual and hearing impairment and even speech. Others include people who cannot speak English or those with special dietary needs and even those traveling with young ones and minors traveling alone. All these are people who need some special need to be addressed during their travel.

This group of people usually require additional and sensitive customer service for them to enjoy their travel. When making travel arrangements for any person in this group, it is best to make reservations in advance and notifying the travel agents of the special needs required. Some adjustments may need to be made for the traveler including the transport crew being notified of the presence of such a traveler.

There are laws and guidelines that have been set up to ensure that special needs individuals are treated equally and get the same opportunities as the ordinary folks. The guidelines and laws have made it possible for them to access public transport and accommodation easily. A lot of changes have also been made on the different modes of travel such as air, road, and water to accommodate the different special needs.

Most of the transport companies such as airline companies have made tremendous adjustments to cater for different types of special needs travelers. Some have included aisle seats with removable arms that make it easier for travelers with mobility issues have easy access. They also provide meals that cater for those with special dietary needs.

The airline companies have also gone ahead to make it easy for the travelers with wheelchairs to get checked at the gates easily. Their wheelchairs are also made accessible for them when they reach their destinations or when switching planes during their trip. They are usually offloaded first before the rest of the luggage and taken to the passengers. Another tip that can make travel bearable for a traveler using a wheelchair is the use of direct flights. But when this is not possible, there should be ample time to allow for the passenger to switch planes.

Other adjustments that have been done by transport companies include the different communication methods available. For those who are visually impaired or have hearing problems announcements are made in a way that they also include them. Some trains, for example, are equipped with braille signs that help the special needs travelers also get the important announcements made. Those traveling with their guide dogs by train are not charged extra for the dogs to accompany them.

When using road transport, the special needs of the traveler can also be catered for through the use of the right car. For example, vans that have wheelchair accessibility and hand-controlled cars are available to those that need it from the transport companies. Cruise ships and boats have also adjusted accordingly and made cabins for those that need wheelchairs and also made it their public areas more accessible for those that have special needs.




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