* This post is kindly sponsored by the companies listed at the end of this post, but all opinions are my own. *

Last year the AYL team embarked on an extremely exciting adventure across the pond to attend the Rollettes Wheelchair Dance Experience! Despite my excitement, I know all too well that travelling with a disability is not easy. You can’t just leave your condition, equipment, and treatments at home; meaning it often takes a lot of preparation, organisation, and practice to ensure your journey goes as smoothly as possible. But after years of travelling with my disability in tow, I decided to team up with a selection of companies to create a sponsored series of travel-related tips & tricks in the hope that it will give others the confidence to embark on an adventure of their own! Below is a summary of the entire series with links to every post in each of the numbered titles, but please get in touch if you have difficulty accessing these posts or have any questions surrounding travelling with a disability!

1 - Hidden Disability:

The Sunflower Lanyard makes it easier for passengers with hidden disabilities, to let airport staff know that they may need additional care and support while travelling through an airport, without necessarily having to make themselves known. This post contains all you need to know about this scheme, including my thoughts and opinions!

2 - Passenger Assistance:

If you have mobility difficulties, you may require additional assistance at the airport. Whilst the physical help you may receive during your travels is generally very similar, the process of booking, arriving and communicating differs greatly depending on your chosen airline/airport. There are various types of assistance available to passengers with disabilities, which you can learn more about in this post!

3 - Pre-Flight Tips:

The steps involved in preparing for a trip may seem obvious or unimportant to some, but there many additional elements people living with a disability have to consider for everything to run smoothly. This post contains a list of my top tips to consider when preparing for a flight, including choosing an appropriate flight time, booking passenger assistance and organising your medication.

4 - Flying with a Disability:

Many people find the day of travel to be the most exhausting and overwhelming part of any trip, especially when you have to ensure your needs are met, your medical equipment is safe and you are cleared to fly. This post contains a list of ideas designed to help passengers of all abilities and their carers both onboard a plane and in the airport!

5 - Booking Accommodation & Transport:

Organising a trip abroad is naturally quite a time-consuming task, especially if you aren’t relying on a travel agency to coordinate the different aspects of your trip. But once you add a wheelchair, medical supplies, dietary requirements and a chronic condition into the mix, you can expect to be doing a lot of research! This post teaches you everything you need to know about breaking your search down into stages!

6 - Protecting Your Wheelchair:

It can be quite scary to trust an airline to look after your medical equipment during a flight, especially if you’ve seen some of the horror stories in the news! To try and minimize the chances of your wheelchair getting lost or damaged simply follow my list of tips and tricks in this post!

7 - Accessibility Abroad:

Many parts of the world have a reputation for not being very accessible, due to the fact so many buildings, areas and public spaces were not designed to accommodate guests with disabilities. Whilst there will always be challenges surrounding accessibility, this post discusses the importance of researching and organising every element of your trip to ensure it is accessible and successful!

8 - Staying Cool In Wheelchair:

Many wheelchair users struggle to regulate their temperature on a daily basis, so travelling to warmer climates can be difficult and sometimes even unsafe. However, there are many items designed to keep children, adults and even pets cool that can surprisingly be useful to wheelchair users! This post shares my top 10 tips for beating the heat on a budget!

9 - Staying Warm In Wheelchair:

It is surprisingly difficult to keep warm when you’re unable to get your heart rate up due to sitting in a wheelchair, particularly when travelling during the winter months to a destination with temperatures a lot lower than you are used to! This post shares my top 10 tricks for staying warm in the winter, especially when travelling somewhere chilly!

10 - Travelling With An Assistance Dog:

There is a lot to consider, prepare and organise when travelling with an assistance dog. Plus before you spend a lot of money trying to get a pet passport, I highly recommend contacting your dog training organisation for guidance and following some of my top tips featured in this blog post!

11 - Cabin Crew Q&A: 

Travelling with a disability is not easy, especially when you rely on the professionals for support both in the airport and onboard the plane, yet it can be quite nervewracking to put your trust in someone you don’t know! Therefore, I decided to set up a question and answer session with someone who works for an international airline in the hope that you will learn something new, regardless of whether you're a first-time flyer or a keen traveller!

Thank you to the following companies for sponsoring this collection of blog posts! I will be sharing more information on each of the sponsors at the end of the series, but in the meantime you can click on the links below to learn more about their products and services:

Bundle Bean

Epical Solutions

Loopwheels

PYC Wheelchair Upholstery