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HAVE WHEELS WILL TRAVEL.
Hi, I’m Mo and I have M.S. I’ve recently enjoyed the best holiday ever and would like to share my thoughts of the experience. Just to put things in perspective, I have limited mobility and use a wheelchair outside.
Last year I was asked to go to S.E. Asia but declined, I guess, through ‘fear’ and apprehension. I have always been very active and adventurous, travelling abroad twice a year. When M.S. began to affect my mobility it felt ‘safer’ and ‘easier’ to stay at home. I felt like my thoughts were in one place and my legs kept me in another!
Anyway, after three years without a holiday I blew caution to the wind and went for it. Deep down I thought perhaps I should try a week in Tenerife or Blackpool first, but what the hell. In for a penny, in for a pound!!
We were going for 4 weeks, to a very hot climate with only the outward flight to Singapore and home flight to Bangkok booked.
Madness I hear you say! I felt exhilarated. My major concerns were the lack of disabled facilities, the heat and length of the holiday. I didn’t want to come home, the first time ever on any holiday. The heat at home is usually a problem, causing fatigue, but the climate, combined with air conditioning, made me feel so much better. No painkillers for 4 weeks!
Disabled facilities, well what are they? There is very little in terms of physical adaptations, but the people, their help and life philosophy outweighed any ramp. There was nothing I wanted to do, that with help was made possible for me.
We
travelled to Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, Penang, Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok. We
were on 8 planes, 2 trains, a cable car, fanicular railway, cruise ships,
rickshaws, tut tuts and taxis galore. Four weeks before I used to worry about
leaving Broughty Ferry! I felt safe, excited, mesmorised, I suppose really
relaxed and happy.
I knew such extensive travel is not everyone’s cup of tea, indeed I didn’t know it was mine!
I’ve written this in the hope of allaying in others the reservations or ‘fears’ I had, or perhaps inspiring others to ‘go for it’, whatever their ‘it’ may be.
It wasn’t all easy, sometimes the kerbs were 12 inches high but there were no problems at all that couldn’t be overcome. In fact in most instances we had preferential treatment.
Apart from the magical experience of the holiday itself, my self esteem and confidence were greatly boosted, at a time, when giving up my job etc., had left me feeling pretty low. To anyone with the slightest doubt, I’d say, go for it. The old cliché of ‘concentrate on what you can do rather than what you can’t ‘ rings true, but even better, I discovered I could do a lot more than I thought, given a little help.
Thanks to my partner Mark, I had an experience of a lifetime.
Do it again? I’d jump at the chance ---- if I could!!!