A Community Guide On Travelling With A Disability And Mobility Aid

At Cool Crutches, we're proud to support a bold and brilliant community of people navigating the world with mobility aids and chronic conditions. Whether it’s a staycation, city break or beach escape, travelling with a disability often comes with a mix of unseen challenges. Every journey requires not just planning, but flexibility and a little help! 

To shed light on what accessible travel really looks like, we spoke to three inspiring members of our community; Meg, Wendi and Chloe, who opened up about their recent overseas adventures. We discuss the highs and lows of travelling with mobility aids, and the essential tips they’ve learned along the way. From long road trips to international flights, their stories prove that travel is absolutely possible, you just need the right tools, support and a bit of determination.

💬 Real Stories from Our Community

Meg is 28 and lives with multiple chronic conditions, including HEDS, POTS, and a spinal trauma from seizures, all of which make travel a bit difficult! Her joints fuse easily and long journeys trigger seizures, and her gastro issues which means frequent stops are essential. This year she went on holiday with her family for the first time since becoming disabled a few years ago. To make it as smooth as possible, they travelled to Disneyland Paris via the Eurotunnel, using a hired minibus that could fit Meg's Emerald Sky Crutches and wheelchair in and make the journey as comfy as possible!

Wendi is 54 and lives with multiple sclerosis, which impacts her mobility daily. She mainly uses her Illusion walking stick and Stardust crutches, but for longer distances needs a mobility scooter or wheelchair. Wendi's just returned from a trip to Slovenia from Liverpool Airport, but she is an avid traveller and is regularly flying overseas or jumping on a cruise ship!

Chloe is 27 and has endometriosis. She experiences chronic pain in her pelvis, legs, back, and hips, making it hard to stand or walk for extended periods. She uses her Black Glitter walking stick on better days and a rollator on worse ones. She finds flying extra tricky as cabin pressure often triggers flare-ups. She's recently flown from Manchester to Spain with Ryanair who she wouldn't run to use again, but also flew from Manchester to Gran Canaria with Jet2 who she absolutely recommends! 

🧳 Must-Haves for Every Trip

• An Inflatable Pillow – Wendi’s must for extra support whilst flying.

• Heat Pads (& Portable Charger) – Chloe's advice is to remember to take a charger so you can top up the power in your heat pads if needed!

• A Kit Full of Emergency Essentials – Meg swears by having everything prepped and easy to access for worst-case scenarios.
  

• Sunflower Lanyard  or other Visible Armband – Meg & Chloe say you should wear one of the two when travelling through airports and stations to discreetly alert staff you might need some support.

• Cool Crutches – All 3 of our ladies said these are a staple for getting around safely AND feeling fab doing it.
  

🌟 Top Tips for Travelling with a Disability

Chloe:

• Use airport/travel assistance – even if you’re unsure you’ll need it, it’s better to be safe as you don't know how you'll feel on the day.

• Keep your  Sunflower Lanyard  on - not only to show staff you need support, but also so other passengers can be aware too.
  
• Some airports have disability lounges, so make sure you ask as these can be a great place to escape the noise and stress of an airport.

Meg:

• Learn a few key phrases in the language of your holiday in case of emergencies, this could save a huge amount of stress!

• Overpack! You can never be too prepared, extra meds, extra support, extra everything!
  
• Enjoy it! Savour every, single, moment 🩷

Wendi:

• Rest before you travel to make sure you are feeling the best you can as travel days can really take it out of you!

• Ask those you are travelling with to help you where they can, never shy away from asking for assistance.

Wendi using her Black Crutches

👀 What to Look Out For

• Putting mobility aids in checked baggage –  Wendi reminded us to always keep at least one on your person as bags go missing all the time...
  
  

• Eurotunnel Facilities (or lack of) - Meg's experience wasn't great as she said there were no toilets big enough for wheelchairs and they were placed at the far ends of the train which is not convenient for someone with mobility issues.

• P&O Cruise Ships - Wendi has jumped on a few different cruise ships and this particular company are bottom of her list for accessible features and accommodating staff.
  

• Ryanair- As a budget airline they aren't one Chloe would use again. They mixed up her booking and her need for special assistance and then were less than accommodating to rectify the situation - she says to avoid them to avoid stress!

Meg in Disney with her children

👍 Services They Recommend

• Meg says if you are heading to Disney, book the Disney Hotels. She praises them for their staff, the support and the accessibly-friendly layout. Even the desks were lowered so if you're in a wheelchair, you can still talk to someone's face.

• If you want to head out on a cruise, then Wendi says you need to book Norwegian Cruise Line. Her experiences have always been 'smooth sailing' with super friendly staff and the ships have fantastic accessibility on board.

• Use  Jet2 if you have the option - Chloe found the airline staff went above and beyond to not only support her bare minimum needs, but make her feel comfortable. She said they even made an effort to come and greet her once she was on the plane and let her know that they were there to help 🩷
  

Chloe using her Lavender Haze Walking Stick

Living with a disability doesn’t have to mean staying home. With preparation, advocacy, and the right tools, our community proves that adventure is still possible - whether that’s navigating airports, exploring theme parks, or cruising around the globe, you can enjoy your time away as much as anyone else.

Would you like to read more about these incredible women? Here are their stories:

Wendi's Symptoms And Story With Multiple Sclerosis 

Navigating Motherhood With A Disability - Megan's Story

Chloe's Story: Managing Endo, ADHD & Mental Health