Vacations Blog

Hiking Mineral Ridge

Spring is about to be sprung on us here in the Pacific Northwest. The one thing I look forward to most with the passing of winter is packing my kids into the car and finding a mountain trail somewhere nearby so I can stretch out my legs and shake off the cabin fever.

I’m familiar with most of the easy trails in Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and Western Montana. By “easy” I mean, simple day hikes that won’t end with one or another child having a meltdown, pleading with me to “never do this again.” No, we’ve been on those hikes and I learned my lesson.

Today I’m going to highlight eight fun family hiking trails in North Idaho, close to the towns of Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, Idaho, and not too far from the metropolis of Spokane, Washington. If you’re in the area for a vacation, or just passing through on I-90, any of these treks will make for a fun, and relatively short, way to experience the wonder and wilderness of Idaho’s great outdoors.

Tubbs Hill Picnic Spot

Tubbs Hill in Coeur d’Alene - It’s the crown jewel of Coeur d’Alene, situated right next to downtown. We’ve made this into two separate hikes; one from the 3rd Street parking lot out to the halfway point and back, and a second hike from the east side parking lot on 10th St. to the halfway point and back. Either one, or all the way around, is mostly level, with awesome views of the lake and hundreds of perfect picnic spots.  You can walk to Tubbs Hill from any downtown hotel or bed and breakfast.

Q’emiln Park in Post Falls - The hiking trails start right at the parking lot near the west entrance to the park. There are spectacular views of the Spokane River, and the rock climbing walls provide a chance for the kids to watch people scaling the vertical rocks. On a hot summer day the city beach with lifeguards is right there at the park for a swim or a picnic.

Higgins Point in Coeur d’Alene - At the east end of Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive, it’s a leisurely walk along a paved trail next to the lake. Perfect if you don’t want to get your feet dirty. We go past the photographer statue and up the hill into the park, then down one of the rugged trails to the water’s edge.

English Point National Recreation Trail in Hayden - This one’s kind of hidden away off Highway 95. We love looping through the woods, catching glimpses of Hayden Lake, and generally feeling like we’re in the middle of nowhere. If you’re on your way to Silverwood Theme Park, make a quick stop at English Point.

Mineral Ridge in Coeur d’Alene - The longest of the hikes, at 3.3 miles. We only do it once or twice a year, and make it an all-day trip, with a picnic at the very top where the lake view is well worth the climb. There’s a little cave to explore on the way up, and the whole area is rich with mining history.

Beauty Bay Trail in Coeur d’Alene - At the east end of Lake Coeur d’Alene on Hwy. 97, the Beauty Bay Trail is the shortest and easiest hike, at just a half-mile to a viewing deck and then another half-mile through the forest. The kids might want to walk it twice.

Ancient Cedars

Cougar Bay Preserve in Coeur d’Alene - A few miles south of the Blackwell Island Bridge on Hwy. 95, Cougar Bay is one big wildlife nursery with miles of rugged trails. If you want to pretend to be lost in the woods, this is a good place to do it.

Settlers Grove of Ancient Cedars in Murray - Further away than the other hikes, but worth the drive to the Silver Valley. It’s a quiet place, with few visitors. The level dirt trail winds through huge towering cedar trees that make you feel like you’re in another world. In Murray, the historic Sprag Pole Museum is a must-see while you’re in the area. It’s also a good place to get a huckleberry shake.

All photos by Phil Corless

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A delicate kiss at Delicate Arch, Utah

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This is the second in a two part series about traveling with autistic children by Glenda Watson Hyatt, the first was about tips for parents traveling with autistic children. 

A mother and her young son board a plane to visit relatives. The son becomes fidgety and restless, especially when the flight attendant repeatedly tightens his seatbelt. Soon the unfamiliarity of being on a plane overwhelms the child; he throws himself on the floor, crying uncontrollably. After several failed attempts to calm her son and to return him to his seat, the pilot turns around the plane on the tarmac and returns to the terminal. Embarrassed and humiliated, mother and son deplane. Their plans for a vacation with relatives squashed. The child is neither a security risk nor a spoiled brat. The child has autism - a neurological disorder. Described as “living in a world of their own”, some autistic children avoid eye or physical contact with others, and may be noticeably upset when touched. Other children are unresponsive or become limp when touched, while others are quite affectionate. Their facial expression is often blank, and they are not able to read the facial expressions of others. Speech and language skills are typically impaired.

Autistic children may required their routine and surroundings to remain constant. A slight disruption or change may result in extreme emotional reactions, such as a temper tantrum. Some autistic children develop strong attachments to an object, like a piece of string or a wooden spoon that must be in hand at all times; others say a word or phrase repeatedly.

Although they may look perfectly normal, children may be mildly to severely affected by autism. If you meet one child with autism, then you have met one child with autism. No two autistic children are the same.

These children often are very anxious and find travel — the noise, the crowds, the lines, and the disruption of their routine — particularly difficult. The judgment of others can make a very stressful situation far worse. Kim Mance, co-editor of the online women’s travel magazine Galavanting and mother of an eight year-old autistic son, offer some ways strangers have helped her:

• Asking directly if my son is autistic. It lets the parents know the fellow traveler (or diner) is sympathetic rather than merely staring, which can then allow them to relax a little, which in turn seems to reduce the stress on the autistic child.
• Talking directly to my son. At one event, a woman looked at him for a while, and then I told her about his autism. She mentioned her autistic grandson and then turned to my son and said, “I’m so glad to be sitting next to you. Tell me if I can help you.” I appreciated it, as did my son did —  since he didn’t have any outbursts, which are sometimes brought on by his frustration of being misunderstood.
• Wait for an answer. Children with autism often take longer to respond to a question. A stranger asking a simple question like, “How old are you”, then waiting a good 20 seconds and/or repeating the question a couple of times will not only harvest a response, but put him at ease in his surroundings. Once he has talked to someone, the individual is no longer a stranger. The fewer the strangers, the less upsetting the new environment.

Fellow travelers can also assist by:

• offering the family to go ahead while waiting in line or for dinner reservations;
• offering to keep an eye on or entertain any siblings so that the parent can focus on the child with autism; or
• offering any interesting but not valuable gadgets or giveaways such as a lighted pen, calculator or flashing key chain to distract a child with autism.  (Ask the parent first.) Special needs consultant and speaker Catherine Whitcher, M.Ed. (www.precisioneducation.com), carries branded silly putty to share with families.

Ms. Whitcher also suggests complimenting the family if you notice a family has a child with autism and all is calm. She says, “You may recognize the signs of silverware being lined up at the table, a toy being played with excessively or staring at the ceiling light and know a child has an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).  If the moment warrants a compliment, give one.  So often families coping with ASD are accustomed to people staring for the wrong reasons, let them know you are admiring what a great family they have.”

Traveling can be stressful at the best of times. Being patient and understanding can relieve some of that stress for everyone. A friendly and compassionate smile can go a long way in easing the stress of a beleaguered parent facing a sea of glaring and judgmental eyes.

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I met Glenda at BlogWorld last year and found her life story to be an inspiration. Glenda Watson Hyatt avidly writes about disability-related issues. In her autobiography I’ll Do It Myself , she intimately shares her life living with cerebral palsy to show others that cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence. She blogs at Do It Myself Blog  and Disaboom. She does all this by typing with only left thumb. In this post, she writes about traveling with an autistic child and how it can be a balancing act. How do you balance the desire and need for a family vacation with introducing your child to new experiences while not overwhelming him or disturbing others? This is the first in a two part series.

Peter Bell, the executive vice president at the advocacy organization Autism Speaks and the parent of an autistic teen, says, “some families don’t go anywhere, not even out to dinner, for fear of a situation like what happened to the [deplaned passengers] Farrells — while others, my own family included, opt not to let autism rule our lives.” The Bell family of five has successfully navigated national parks, cross-country car trips, theme parks, ski resorts (where many offer terrific adaptive programs) and Hawaii.  Bell encourages parents to try, even though it may not be relaxing and takes extra time and practice, and he urges fellow travelers to be more empathetic.

More and more holiday destinations are accommodating children with autism and other disabilities. Walt Disney World provides front-of-the-line passes for autistic children who find it very difficult to wait in line ups. Other theme parks, such as SeaWorld  and Busch Gardens  have similar programs. Cruise lines and resorts also attempt to be more inclusive in their organized activities. The Adaptive Sports Center  and similar sport centers offer camps and programming that children and parents can try together as a family.

Planning, preparation and practice are key when traveling with a child with autism. In the end, knowing and understanding your child’s specific needs is critical. For some children, traveling by unfamiliar means to unfamiliar lands may be too overwhelming and upsetting. Start small by exploring your neighborhood and local familiar areas. Allow your child’s reactions to guide you how far you travel comfortably.
Tips to consider:

–Research your holiday options and select an environment your child can handle.
–When traveling by air, inform the airline of your child’s special needs so that staff can assist in making the experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible. (Delta Airlines, in conjunction with Atlanta’s Marcus Institute for Development and Learning, is currently preparing recommendations for families traveling with someone with developmental disabilities. The guidelines will soon be available on Delta’s website (www.delta.com). Perhaps other airlines will then follow Delta’s lead.)
–Also inform the hotel, resort or cruise line of your child’s specific needs and ask what special accommodations are available. Request a fridge or kitchenette if eating some meals in the room may provide a calming break. Take your child’s own sheets if that may make him more comfortable.
–Traveling during low seasons on a cruise or at a resort like Club Med means fewer guests and staff will be more available to assist you.
–Travel by car if you think flying will be too difficult.
–Be forthright explaining the situation to those you meet. (The Autism Society of America has wallet-sized cards explaining autism that can be handed to people, including airport security and airline staff.)
–Prepare your child by developing stories complete with pictures that explain exactly what you will be doing and where you are going.
–Pack puzzle books, hand-held electronic toys and audio books plus a supply of familiar juice boxes and snacks in a knapsack for your child.

Whatever happens, stay calm.
Have a happy and well-deserved vacation!

Additional Resources:

• What is Autism?
• Autism Society of America
• This is Autism. In Case of Emergency, Your Seat Cushion… (a must read for the fellow traveler before your next trip!)
• US Department of Transportation: Air Accessibility 
• Autism & Airport Travel Safety Tips
• Air Travel with an Autistic Child (a mother shares how she prepared her son for air flights) -
• How To Plan a Vacation with Your Autistic Loved One
• How to Take an Autistic Child to Disneyland

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From guest blogger Glenda Watson Hyatt, The Left Thumb Blogger, continued from Traveling with a disability in North America: Hotels and Cruises.

Air Travel

Navigating airports can be daunting for the seasoned traveler, as well as those with disabilities, whether permanent or temporary (i.e. a broken leg), for those traveling with children, and for those who find airports too crowded and, thus, are reluctant to travel.

The key is to arrive at the airport in plenty of time before your flight to minimize the rush and stress of navigating check-in, security and customs. Check with your airline for the time they recommend you be at the airport. For international travelers, particularly those with disabilities, it may be three hours or more.

• Staff know their way around the maze of an airport. Accept their offer to assist and save your energy for your vacation.

• If you are a slow walker or have a temporary disability, request a wheelchair for getting around the airport. Many airports have wheelchair lanes through security, which can be much quicker.

• Arrive at your gate in plenty of time prior to departure. This way airline staff will likely pre-board you, which gives you time to get comfortable in your plane seat before the general boarding.

• Guide and assistance dogs, with appropriate identification, remain with you at all times. They are not checked into the cargo compartment like other pets are.

• When traveling with an electric wheelchair or scooter, know the type of battery: gel cell or wet cell. Typically, if it is a gel cell, you can stay in your own wheelchair all the way to the gate and it’ll be waiting for you when you deplane at your destination. With a wet cell, you will likely be required to give it up when you check in and then retrieve it with your other luggage. This means you’ll need to use an airport wheelchair while waiting for your flight.

Air travel can be a lot of hurry up and wait. Be sure to pack plenty of patience and take a book, small games or even a portable DVD player to entertain yourself or your children or enjoy a leisurely meal to help time fly by.

Ground Transportation

From personal experience, ground transportation, particularly for two people in wheelchairs traveling together, can be the trickiest part of the trip to arrange. Most accessible taxi cabs, if they are available, only take one wheelchair, and public transit isn’t always the most convenient.

• When booking accessible transportation, such as airport transfers or a sightseeing tour, Harington recommends ensuring the vehicle is lift- or ramp-equipped if you cannot transfer. She says that sometimes tour operators think that all wheelchair-users can walk a few steps, and they provide standard vehicles with wheelchair-storage space for folks that need accessible transportation.

• When you are doing a road trip, Candy Harrington suggests looking for the newer fast-food restaurants for accessible rest stops. “Granted they may not have the most nutritious menus, but most have nicely accessible public restrooms.”

There are many travel opportunities even if you have a disability. The key is to do your homework prior to your trip to minimize any unexpected bumps along the way.

Happy travels to you! Please share any tips and tricks you have found for making travel easier for you!

Additional Resources

• Accessible Transportation: In Flight Safety - Frequently Asked Questions
• Access to Travel
• Emerging Horizons
• Mexico Accessible
• Candy Harrington’s Blog
• Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
• Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions

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From guest blogger Glenda Watson Hyatt, The Left Thumb Blogger

With both my husband and I having significant physical disabilities and relying on electric wheelchairs for mobility, traveling can be challenging but, with some planning and research, definitely possible. Most recently, we have enjoyed cruising from Vancouver to Los Angeles, playing at Disneyland, and spending four nights in Las Vegas. I have also done some traveling within British Columbia. All with only minor glitches and some important lessons learned.

Hotels

When traveling in North America, keep in mind that Canada and Mexico do not have legislation similar to the American with Disabilities Act, which specifies requirements for physical access. However, this does not mean these two countries are not accessible; quite the contrary. But, it does mean not all hotels and resort destinations will meet your accessibility needs.

• When booking hotel rooms, keep in mind that “accessible” (or “ADA compliant” in the United States”) means different things to different people.

A couple of years ago, I traveled overnight to Victoria for a board meeting. The organizer booked an accessible motel room for me. If accessible room meant only a wide door, then, yes, the room was accessible. If an accessible room meant being able to park my scooter beside the bed or to get into the bathroom to even get close to the tub, the room was not accessible. The room was doable for one night. Had I wanted to take a shower or bath, the room was definitely not accessible.

Be specific about your needs. Do you need a roll-in shower? A bath bench? A flashing fire alarm?

Candy Harrington, editor of accessible travel magazine Emerging Horizons and author of 101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, recommends asking, “Can you block that accessible room for me?” In hotel terminology, “block” means to reserve a specific room for a specific guest. Asking the clerk to “guarantee the room” is the wrong terminology as that means “to secure with a credit card’. Harrington says if the clerk is unwilling or unable to block a room, then make your reservation elsewhere. If you can’t be sure that accessible room will be available when you arrive, then what good is your reservation.

• If there is a problem with your room upon arrival, politely bring it to the staff’s attention.Frequent business traveler Eric Lipp, Director of Chicago-based non-profit Open Doors Organization that teaches businesses how to succeed in the disability market, advises people with disabilities to speak up when they encounter an obstacle at a hotel. Ask to see the General Manager or the Manager on Duty and calmly explain your problem. Tipp who uses a scooter for mobility points out, “…you are probably the first person to bring it up. A hostile stand off doesn’t work. My experience has been that most managers are willing to come to a reasonable solution.”

• If you use an electric wheelchair or scooter, pack a power extension cord. There may not be an electrical outlet where you need to charge.

Cruises

Cruises are a great way to travel, particularly for those with mobility impairments, because everything is right there: accommodation, dining, recreation facilities and entertainment. The newer ships are quite accessible. However, the main issue is the number of accessible cabins and which passengers get them.

According to Lisa Burbank, contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler, “Cruise-line policies vary on booking such rooms in advance. The policy often depends on how quickly a ship is filling up.”

• Complete documentation. Cruise lines typically require a medical form, which will indicate an accessible cabin is necessary, so assignments shouldn’t be arbitrarily switched.

The special-needs department can also help with requirements such as flashing fire alarms for guests who are hearing impaired or Deaf and special menus for cruisers with severe allergies.

• Have your travel agent flag your reservation with a note “do not upgrade” in your record so you will not be bumped up to a non-accessible space. If you’re traveling with a group, Burbank suggests linking reservations together so one person’s cabin or dining assignment will not be changed.

I wish we had known this before our first cruise. During the registration on the day we left, we were told we had been upgraded at no additional cost. We boarded and eventually found our cabin. My husband unlocked the door and realized his power chair would not fit through the doorway. No way, no how. Things didn’t look promising when we could not even get into our cabin.

We found our way to the Purser’s Desk, where we were told the ship was fully booked and, thus, we couldn’t simply change cabins. Once they realized we were unable to park our chairs in the hallway and walk into our cabin, they told us to go have lunch while they tried locating the passengers in our original cabin to see if they could switch to a non-accessible room.

Dishearteningly we ate our first meal onboard, thinking that may be a mighty expensive lunch if we needed to disembark before the ship sailed. Eventually, we were reassigned to our cabin, which turned out to be ultra accessible. It was smooth sailing from there - until the seasickness struck.

Do you have any accessible tips to share? Please pass them on!

Additional Resources:

Disability Travel: Part I: Plan Accessible Trips
Disability Travel: Part II: Getting to the Destination
Disability Travel: Part III: At the Destination

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From guest blogger, Craig Grimes, of AccessibleBarcelona.

At the Destination

The last part of planning the trip is transport at the chosen destination. Firstly there is the issue of getting from the airport to the hotel. Depending on your destination choice and your disability this can be either very hard or very easy!

Airport Transfers

Many European airports have accessible shuttle buses and trains from the airport to the city centre or to the main tourist resorts. The local tourist information board’s and airport web sites normally contain this type of information and they should also give information about access at the terminals. A good resource for finding official airport websites is the A – Z of World Airports. Remember that if public transport is used to travel there is also the issue of luggage and how it will be carried.

Accessible taxi information may be available from either the tourist information board or even your chosen hotel. Some of the companies that have been set up by disabled people may also be able to arrange accessible transfers.

Getting Around

If you have an idea of what you would like to see and do during your trip you can use the local transport and tourist information web sites to plan routes before you leave. In this way you don’t have to waste time trying to figure it out whilst you are on vacation and it also allows you to check which methods of transport are accessible.

Other Considerations

Whilst you now have the bulk of your trip planned, there are still some final considerations to take into account. If you use specialized mobility equipment at home, you may also require it for the duration of your trip, this may include an electric hoist, a wheelchair or a shower chair. You may decide to take your own with you or in some locations you may be able to hire suitable equipment.

If you decide to take your own mobility equipment you may also want to contact you local dealer to see if they can supply you with the contact details of a dealer at your destination should you have any problems.

In many major tourist locations companies now offer accessible tours for disabled travelers. These tours and excursions should be pre-booked in order to avoid disappointment as they can get full quickly or they may take several days to arrange.

Post Trip

As you may have noticed from this article one of the main resources available to disabled travelers is other disabled traveler’s experiences and opinions. We tend to complain about the negatives of traveling and although this is normal, it is also great to share our positive experiences and encourage other disabled people to travel. There are a whole host of information web sites and travel blogs including Kango that would be more than happy to post your travel experiences. So don’t just travel, share it with the rest of us too.

Additional Resources:

Part I: Plan Accessible Trips
Part II: Getting to the Destination
Rolling Rains Report on Inclusive Tourism: A New Strategic Alliance for the Disability Rights Movement
Rolling Rains Report on The Global Reach of Accessible Tourism: IATC 2005 Keynote Address
Access Travel

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From guest blogger, Craig Grimes, of AccessibleBarcelona.

Getting To the Destination

The biggest fear that most disabled people have is not actually being in a strange new place, but getting to it. Although flying is slowly becoming more accessible, many disabled people are still dubious about the quality of service they will receive, especially in a foreign country.

In general, airlines have very similar policies with regards to disabled clients, but it is always a good idea to check individual company’s policies. Check with disability forums about other people’s experiences and see if they recommend any particular airlines. Unfortunately, it is not a case of the biggest companies have the best service for disabled travelers, I have had both good and bad experiences with various major airlines. One way of checking reviews of airlines is through web sites such as Skytrax. Although it doesn’t give specific information for disabled travelers you can get an idea about different airlines.

Online Booking Engines

Probably the cheapest way to fly internationally is through reserving tickets with a large online booking engine such as LastMinute or Kayak. LastMinute now allow disabled travelers to request online airport assistance, in order to get a list of the departure airports from your country you have to scroll to the bottom of the home page screen and click on your national flag. Kayak is slightly different in that when you want to make the booking you are transferred to the airline’s web site. Therefore, it depends on the individual airline’s terms and conditions to how you proceed with letting them know that you are a disabled traveler.

Accommodation

There are many types of accommodation available from private apartments and villas to hostels and hotels. There are also different ways of making reservations; through a travel agent, directly with the establishment or through online booking engines. All of the above want to sell you their services whether or not it is suitable for your needs, it is very important that you state exactly what you require even quoting measurements of your wheelchair if necessary.

Finding Suitable Accommodation

Mainstream Online Booking Engines

One method is through the use of online booking engines, however, caution should be taken when using them as they do not provide specific information about the access of the hotel. Other problems with online booking engines are that they do not provide the contact details of the establishment until after the reservation has been made and it is rarely possible to request and adapted room. This means that it is impossible to confirm its suitability and what facilities are available until after the reservation has been made. Even when a suitable hotel can be found, it is then not possible to reserve a specific adapted room, therefore, the hotel has to be contacted after the reservation has been made to check availability of and allocate the adapted room.

However, online booking engines are a good source of information to discover the names of potentially suitable hotels. Once the names of a few hotels have been ascertained a search engine may be used to find the direct contact details of the hotel.

High Street Travel Agents Vs Specialized Travel Agents

General high street travel agents are renowned for getting the access requirements of disabled travelers totally wrong. I have been contacted through my company AccessibleBarcelona on several occasions by disabled people that have arrived in Barcelona to find that the hotel that they booked through their travel agent is not accessible. Although they are slowly getting better it may well be worth going to a specialized travel agent that has a lot of experience of organizing trips for disabled people. The drawback of specialized travel agents? The cost, as with any travel agent their commissions can be extremely high at 20 or 30% of the total package.

Other Methods of Booking Hotels and Services

Some disabled people have become so fed up with the lack of understanding of their needs within the travel industry, that they themselves have begun writing their own online travel guides or setting up services where they live. The companies they establish are not travel agents as such, but more independent businesses that arrange services such as accessible hotel reservations, airport transfers, equipment hire and tours for disabled travelers.

Using search engines, disability forums and blogs is a good way to find these web sites. In order to get the best results from search engines the correct keywords need to be used such as disabled, access, accessible, hotels, accommodation along with the name of your destination.

Next up, Part III: At the Destination

Share your destination experiences with us, good or bad, we are interested in hearing about your trips!

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