INTRODUCTION
While traveling with my grandmother in her wheelchair throughout Europe, there were several items that we found to be very useful, and some not so much. Some items are also applicable on a case by case basis, but it can still be useful to hear about them to determine for yourself if they will be a useful addition to your bags. I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an expert when it comes to accessibility, but I do hope that what I have learned will be of some help to people.
Please Note: Some products linked in this article are with affiliate companies, meaning I may get a portion of the profit if an item is purchased. However, this does not mean that my opinion has been swayed. Any of the items that I have used have been purchased and evaluated (or otherwise noted) before being recommended or linked on here.
ACCESSORIES
SHOWER CHAIR
The main difficulty for us when finding and using a shower chair was finding one that was small enough to fit into the carry on bag, as well as be stable enough for my grandmother to use. The one that we used worked well for us, because it could fit into even the small square shower stalls that we came across. The rubber grips on the feet of the stool also helped to hold it in place when/if she needed to turn around. The nice thing about this stool is that the height is adjustable, and it is easy to break down into 2 sets of legs and the seat for easy packing. This meant that we were able to flat pack it into the bottom of my grandmothers carry on size suitcase.
You can find the one that we used HERE.
HEATED SHAWL/BLANKET
This is an item that is on more of a case by case basis. When we were traveling with my grandmother she was prone to being cold, along with muscle and bone aches. Bringing a small throw blanket that was electrically heated helped her to warm up and relax at the end of the day. It was especially helpful when we were in Scotland in early fall at the tail end of our trip.
You can find the one that we used HERE.
BAGS
CARRY ON
The biggest thing to look at when getting a carry on to use while traveling with a wheelchair bound companion is to get a bag with 4 wheels that spin 360 degrees. We were lucky enough that my grandmother was able to hold onto the bags on either side while I pushed her chair. If this isn’t an option for you and your companion, you may be able to use a hook of clip of some sort to fasten it to the side of the wheelchair, although I suspect that approach would only work in the most optimal conditions. I have been using a hard side London Fog bag for years, but it has unfortunately been discontinued. It is still working phenomenally for me, and I have linked below a different London Fog bag that has the same type of wheels that I like. Not only is it a 4 wheel bag, but I have found that the style of wheel used is more durable than the bags with a single wheel on each corner.
You can find the carry on size bag that is similar to mine HERE.
You can find the whole travel set HERE.
WHEELCHAIR/WALKER BAG
A last minute item that we got before our trip was a bag that is made to strap onto the handles of a wheelchair or walker. It was hands down the most useful thing we got for the trip specifically to help with accessibility! Unfortunately, we left it in a cab about half way through our trip! It did create a silver lining though, as we found that a good “hack” is to do the same thing but with a small size backpack. This made it so that my grandmother didn’t have to hold her personal items on her lap, and as long as the person pushing her was remembered to stay behind the chair and not wonder off, her items would be fairly safe from theft. There are more options now than there were in 2017, so I have also included a link to a bag that I would purchase now if the need arose. NOTE: I have not used the bag in the second link, but it seems more stylish and as though it could hold more than the one I have used in the past. No matter what bag you decide to go with, I would suggest making sure that it can also be carried in another hands free way besides just being strapped to the wheel chair.
You can find the bag we originally ordered HERE. Note: This one has a cross body strap as well.
You can find the more stylish bag HERE. Note: This one converts to a backpack as well.
ELECTRONICS
HEADPHONES
I know that most people these days will bring their own headphones (especially if you are going somewhere that requires a flight) but there are a few things to consider that you might not have thought of. For accessibility reasons I would suggest bringing over ear headphones. This is for people like my grandmother who have hearing aids. Many of the historical sites that you can visit, and guided tours that you can participate in, will have an audio guide portion. If they provide headphones, they are usually the uncomfortably shaped, disposable, in-ear headphones which don’t work with hearing AIDS. The other point to consider is that most of these head sets are going to have the classic 3.5mm Aux connector and will NOT be Bluetooth compatible. This means that if you have your favorite wireless headphones with you, you may still be stick with the uncomfortable loaners. My favorite travel headphones for these reasons are the headphones that I have enjoyed since 2020 called Sound Core by Anker Life. They not only have the classic plug in, they can also be wireless, have a very long battery life, and decent noise canceling capabilities for under $100. They aren’t going to be the absolute top of the line sound, but the hand held audio guides are not putting out top of the line audio anyway! Plus, because of the lower price tag I am not as worried about them getting snatched or lost as much as I would with other headphones.
If you prefer in-ear headphones and don’t need to worry about hearing AIDS then I would suggest something like the Anker Soundsync to make your Bluetooth headphones compatible with a hardwired device. While I have not used this product myself, it is the same brand as the headphones that I like and has a high Amazon rating. The nice thing about this device is that you can also connect 2 sets of headphones via Bluetooth, so if you want to share a movie on the flight or one audio guide, it makes that possible.
You can find the over ear headphones that I like HERE.
You can find the Bluetooth adapter HERE.
CPAP MACHINE CLEANER
Both my mother and grandmother were traveling with their CPAP on a 3 week long trip in Europe, and we learned a lot about international travel with this particular sleep aid device! First of all, cleaning the machines while traveling was a bit of a learning curve, and not having regular access to distilled water added a wrench into the plans. My mother uses a SoClean at home, but because it is to large to travel with she purchased a travel sized cleaner like this one. Unfortunately the exact model she used is no longer available. This worked well for her as she likes to clean her machine every day and doesn’t like the smell of cleaning products in her hose (such as the vinegar my grandmother uses to clean her machine every couple of days).
Another issue of traveling internationally with the CPAP is that distilled water (also called deionized water in the UK/Europe) was not readily available. In the USA it is common for people to use this in their machines to reduce buildup of minerals. There are a few solutions to get around this though. If you are really set on using distilled water you can go to a store with car supplies, as it is used in radiators. If you are checking a bag you can also fill a water bottle that seals well with some to bring along, but if you are traveling via carry on that won’t be an option.
You can find a CPAP cleaner similar to the one we used HERE.
HEARING AID DRYER
The final item that my grandmother used that was a big help to her was a dryer for her hearing aids. This is an item that she used at home as well and took with her on our trip. This allowed her hearing aids to stay clean and dry so that she could pick them up straight away in the morning and use them comfortably late into the evening. This is an item that I don’t have personal experience with, but my grandmother swore by it as a must have for hearing aid users.
You can find a Hearing Aid Dryer like the one we used HERE.
IN CONCLUSION
When it is all said and done there are plenty of items that can be useful for traveling, especially for the elderly and those with some level of dependence on a mobility assistance device. I hope that this post has been helpful to some degree in either confirming some good items to take if you are already packing, or some good ideas of things to purchase before your departure. If there are any ideas you have on additional items or input on how the suggested items worked for you, please leave a comment below.
Good luck on your future explorations fellow travelers!