The past couple of weeks we have talked about what accessibility looks like in a hotel room and tricks I use on the road (or at home). Today I will tell you a few more tips to consider.

Before visiting a new place, I check on hotel details, but I might research public transportation options too. In big cities, it can be a lot easier to leave your vehicle parked at the hotel or even at home. Because big cities are made for walking.

I’ve been to New York City and Washington, D.C. We have an accessible van. However, we took the train to New York and my power wheelchair carried me around the many blocks of Manhattan.

• First, it helps to understand how the bus and metro systems work.
  Google is always handy when preparing for a trip. I look up various websites and think about the routes I may explore. I want the visit to go smoothly and I don’t want to worry about some things once I’m in a new city.

• Second, find out which subway stations are wheelchair-accessible.
  From my experience, there are only a few spots that have an elevator down to the platform. I put the short list in a notebook and kept it in my pocket, so we could reference the list as we walked around New York and D.C. I knew exactly where we could get on or get off.

Figuring out some details ahead makes the whole journey more enjoyable.

And if you don’t have to pause to plan while traveling, you have more time for spontaneous adventures to happen along the way.