Posted on April 30, 2008 - by Lauren

101 Accessible Vacations

An Interview with author, Candy Harrington

another exclusive interview with the Virtual Book Review Network 

The Virtual Book Review Network is pleased to interview Candy Harrington, author of 101 Accessible Vacations; Travel ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, which is the first guidebook dedicated exclusively to wheelchair-accessible destinations, lodgings and recreational opportunities. Organized by activity and interest, the chapters help illustrate the wide variety of accessible vacation choices for over 101 cities, lodging options, national parks, tourist attractions and recreational activities around the world.

{mosimage}About the author: Candy Harrington is the editor of Emerging Horizons, and the award-winning author of several accessible travel books who has been covering accessible travel exclusively for 14 years. For more information visit http://www.101AccessibleVacations.com. Candy also blogs regularly on accessible travel issues at http://www.BarrierFreeTravels.com.

LAUREN SMITH: What inspired you to focus on accessible travel?
Candy Harrington: Well, I’ve been a travel writer all of my life, but 14 years ago I decided to change my focus a bit. Looking back, I was tired of writing what I considered “fluff” and I wanted to do something that was more of a challenge. A friend suggested accessible travel. Nobody was doing it at the time so I definitely saw it as a challenge. To be honest, I had to spend a few years just learning the laws and the realities of accessible travel, before I ever wrote a word about it. Shortly thereafter I founded Emerging Horizons, a magazine about accessible travel. And today I write columns for other publications, provide internet content, pen books, host a radio show, and even write features for other magazines — all on the subject of accessible travel. I guess you could say things kind of snowballed (in a good way) for me.

LAUREN SMITH: Can you tell us about a couple of your favorite accessible vacation spots?
Candy Harrington: Well personally, I love Yosemite. I’m a mountain girl and I grew up not far from there, so it’s just a favorite place of mine. It’s changed a lot over the years, and part of those changes include improved accessibility. Just a few years ago they unveiled a great new accessible trail to the base of Yosemite Falls. The trail they had before was a bit dicey for wheelchair-users, but some folks could do it with a lot of assistance. The new trail is beautiful, and not only is it very accessible, but it also blends in with the natural environment. It was designed by the same landscape architect who did the FDR Memorial in Washington DC, and he did a great job.

LAUREN SMITH: How long did it take you to research and write this book?
Candy Harrington: Well I have to say that the research was ongoing — over the past 10 or so years; however I really didn’t come up with a good way to present the information until maybe four years ago. By that time I had to revisit a lot of the places, just to make sure that the information was current. The writing part was easy — it only took about three months — after all the research was finished.

LAUREN SMITH: What are your top tips for people who want an accessible vacation – things to do before they go?
Candy Harrington:
•    Never just book "accessible" or "ADA complaint" accommodations. Access means different things at different properties, so you need to describe the specific access features that you need. For example, in the US an "ADA Compliant" room can contain either a roll-in shower or a tub/shower with grab bars.

•    If you are considering a cruise, remember that most of the shore excursions are not wheelchair-accessible (accessible transportation is limited in many ports) so you’ll either have to plan accessible excursions yourself or work with a travel agent who is well versed in accessible cruises.

•    If you are booking accessible transportation (such as airport transfers or a sightseeing tour) make sure the vehicle is lift- or ramp-equipped if you cannot transfer. Sometimes tour operators think that all wheelchair-users can walk a few steps, so they only provide standard vehicles with wheelchair-storage space for folks that need “accessible” transportation.

•    Don’t’ be afraid to request wheelchair assistance from the airline if you tire easily or can’t do distances. This should be done when you make you reservation. Even if you don’t normally use a wheelchair, it’s a good idea to request this service, as wheelchair-users are usually fast-tracked through security.

•    And finally, reconfirm all accessible arrangements before you leave.

LAUREN SMITH: What improvements have you seen in accessible travel in the past 14 years?
Candy Harrington: Well, there are definitely more choices than there were 14 years ago, and I think that’s due to the fact that people are just getting out and traveling more. There’s more of a demand for accessible services these days, and the hospitality industry is very competitive. Everyone wants those tourism dollars. In the past 14 years I’ve seen just about everything from accessible safari parks and Adirondack lean-tos, to canal boats, tree houses, dude ranches and even a hot air balloon. To be honest, if you have a specific interest, there’s something accessible out there for you.

LAUREN SMITH: Conversely, what improvements still need to take place?
Candy Harrington: Well, I think that accessible transportation (truly accessible transportation) has to become more readily available to folks around the world. That may take some time, but with the aging of the Baby Boomers I think this change will be market driven. In other words if folks want the tourism dollars from this market segment, they will make the changes necessary to accommodate them. Some cities already have accessible taxis, but I’d like to see more. And I think it will happen in time.

LAUREN SMITH: How often do you travel – is it mostly for work or can you (or do you) mix business and pleasure?
Candy Harrington: Right now we are on the road about 30% of the time. I travel with my husband, who is a travel photographer. Although I enjoy my work — I have to as I put in some very long hours — I try to totally separate business from pleasure travel. When I’m working, I’m working, but when we travel for our own vacation I don’t even take a notebook with me. Now granted, if I see something that looks interesting I may come back later and check it out when I’m working, but other than that I don’t do any work while on vacation.

LAUREN SMITH: Are you working on a new book?
Candy Harrington: I’m always working on something, but my next book project will be the third edition of “Barrier Free Travels: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers”. It’s a very popular title and I try to update it every three or so years.  

LAUREN SMITH: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like to include?
Candy Harrington: No, I think you’ve about covered it!

LAUREN SMITH: Thank you for taking the time to be part of this interview!