Trips for people with disabilities around Australia

Everyone has the desire of exploring the natural wonders and beautiful sites spread around the world. However, most of these destinations are not accessible. Nonetheless, Australia has made great strides to create barrier-free travel for people with disabilities. The country offers a wide variety of wheelchair-friendly holiday destinations, accommodations, and tours.

Travel and Accessibility for Tourists with Disabilities 

There is a need for adequate services for people with disabilities on transport, tours and in hotels in Australia.

In line with this, the country's top airlines are equipped to cater for a broad range of needs. They provide facilities like wheelchairs, preferential aircraft boarding, and oxygen to ensure safe and comfortable travel. Some also cater for special dietary requirements.

Furthermore, major local, national and international holiday and tour organizers offer unique holiday packages for people with disabilities.

Special Care Travel, Pipeline Holidays and CareAway Tours Australia are some of the organisations within the country that design special tours for people with disabilities. There are even organizations like the WheelAdventures that offer special motorcycle tours to people with disabilities looking for a more adventurous and exciting way to explore the Sunshine Coast.

It’s starting to become easier to travel as existing tour service providers, hotels, and attraction sites are working towards improving their services and facilities to accommodate people with disability.

However, whether you are traveling down to the beach or you wish to explore another city, planning is very important. This not only ensures that your holiday is successful, but also that any special requirements or services are met.

There are useful resources online including reviews from other travellers with a disability, tour service providers, companies that offer vehicles for hire, accommodation listings and so much more. One new review site is TripAble where you can review the hotel access, room, bathroom facilities, hotel facilities and fire exit in terms of accessibility. It’s a new site but definitely worth giving feedback and reviews on your own experiences for other travellers.

When you are planning to take a trip, information available online can come in handy and help you to make a more informed decision that should ensure that your trip suits you and your needs.  

Travel Options and Agencies in Australia

 Australia cannot be compared with other countries when it comes to the quality of services that it provides for people with disability. It has made huge efforts towards this and most hotels usually get requests to provide specific requirements for those with special needs.

Many internationally branded hotels have modified their premises to ensure accessibility and quality services to all guests. This includes spacious corridors, ramps, and lifts for wheelchairs to enhance accessibility, which is vital for people with disability when it comes to ease of movement.  

For the more adventurous travellers with disabilities, motorcycle sidecars are another best way to tour the country, particularly in the Queensland area. WheelAdventures is a tour company that operates motorcycle tours on the beautiful Sunshine Coast and Hinterland regions from 8 am to 5 pm every day with no age restriction.

For those who love the sea and wish to sail the sea to exotic destinations around Australia, then Cruiseabout travel company offers cruise holiday packages for people with disabilities. They have cruise ships that sail to some of Australia’s spectacular coastlines with lots of onboard activities to keep you well entertained.

Leisure Options is a tourism company with 30 years of travel and medical experience that focuses on providing holiday programs for people with disabilities who need accessible holiday options and support. The holiday programs that Leisure Options provides are based on local, national and international holidays and trips.

Car hire agencies are also playing their part in providing accessible transport and tours to various destinations in the country. One of the car hire agencies that specialises in car hire for people with disabilities is Disability Hire Vehicles. DHV offers a diverse range of fleet vehicles, cars suitable to cater for families, couples, and a large group of people (Max: 10 people) wishing to take a trip and explore the country. Aside from DHV, there are other options like Wheel Away that offer accessible cars and buses for hire.

Travelers with disabilities are not limited in terms of travel options. There are agents who deal entirely with people with disabilities, assisting in the booking of specialised holidays that suit their accessibility and travel requirements. Therefore, traveling to your desired destination or taking a trip around the country should be much easier as there are many options out there for you to explore.

Holiday Program Provider Leisure Options Categories:

1. Extra assistance - personal care

 This traveller requires assistance in a variety of situations including toileting, showering, meals and other day-to-day personal care.

2.  People with physical disabilities

This traveller uses a wheelchair or walking frame and requires accessible accommodation, transport, and facilities.

3. Extra Assistance - mobility

This is for travellers who depend on extra assistance to move around and the use of mobility aids.

When it comes to offering quality services for the people with disabilities, Australia has been on the forefront. Many travel businesses and tours cater for those with special needs. If you are looking to travel in Australia, the internet is a resourceful tool that will help you to make the best decision for you so you can enjoy your holiday!