My son and I have been traveling together for a quarter of a century and it has truly been a learning curve. You see, he uses an electric wheelchair to get around and it is up to me to make sure the trips run smoothly. I have to make certain our necessities are packed, and make sure that I am able to carry them all myself. This can be quite trying at times, but is always worth it in the end. The memories we have made and share with one another are priceless. But, there is one thing that you should never forget to pack when traveling with a wheelchair. The following paragraphs should help you figure out this most very important item.

An amazing experience in Iceland

We never leave home without the wheelchair charger. After touring country sides and city streets all day the battery is sure to be worn down. During one of our trips to the beloved Disney World, my son had ridden around the park all day. His power had dwindled down and his chair came to a complete stop on the opposite side of the park from the parking lot and it was almost closing time. I had no other option than to place his chair on manual mode and push him across the park. By the time I made it back to our van, I was so exhausted I could hardly push him up the ramp and into the vehicle. Somehow we made it back to the resort, but there was one main item I could not have made it without.

My son, our friend Kela and I at Disney World

Traveling to other countries can also be very tricky. During his senior year of high school, we began planning an exciting trip to Germany. We researched the type of adapter that we would need to charge the battery several weeks prior to travel due to the differentiation in the wattage of their outlets.The very first night we arrived at our hotel, we plugged the chair into the charger and then into the wall and the charger began smoking. All the power went out in the whole hotel. We were scared to death and in total darkness. We then began laughing profusely at the disaster that we had caused. Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. We definitely couldn’t have been able to manage this experience and purchase a European charger the next morning, without one most precious item. One that I never leave home without.

After a new charger was purchased, we were able to take a train ride from Germany to Austria. This pic of us is overlooking Salzburg, Austria.

Another item that is very important to have is duct tape. Duct tape can help to fix broken wheelchair arms, and we have had to use it more times than I can count on two hands. The airline attendants are not always as gentle with loading the chair underneath the plane as we would prefer and chair parts can get broken. Not only have the arms gotten broken, but also the joystick and the foot rests. Luckily for us, duct tape has been able to complete our repairs until we have returned back home to our regular, trustworthy medical equipment provider and get them properly adjusted. I most definitely needed this one big special item that you may have already figured out by now in all of these situations.

Amsterdam airport workers trying to repair my son’s wheelchair that was damaged in flight. I was providing them with duct tape and zip ties.

You will also find an umbrella, a poncho and a shower cap in my son’s book bag that hangs on the back of his chair at all times. So many times we have been out and about enjoying a beautiful sunny day when the bottom fell out of the sky. Of course the poncho served it’s purpose over our heads but the shower cap is not for my or my son’s hair. It is for covering his joystick. The cap folds over the top of the joystick and has an elastic band around the bottom that helps attach around it without blowing off. We have found out the hard way that when an electric wheelchair’s joystick gets wet, the chair can begin to drive itself. This is both scary and dangerous as it has zig zagged out of a store into the street during one of our startling experiences. I had to turn his switches on manual mode and get him safely into the vehicle to get the controls dried out. It was a good thing I had my one special item with me that day!

On a rainy boat ride in Canada

Oh my, the stories I could tell of all the crazy experiences we have had. One mishap after another as we have traveled to six continents, including 24 countries. I wouldn’t change any of it as it has all made us who we are today. We are both positive minded and make the most of every trip and the experiences that it entails. As long as we always take the one most important item when travelling with a wheelchair, we can have a great vacation. This item is PATIENCE! Without patience I couldn’t conquer the flights, the transfers, the broken wheelchair parts, the unexpected weather and the special needs that require my foremost attention. I always tell my son, “There are no problems, only issues that need resolved.”.