Best Walking Sticks & Travel Tips for Flying with a Disability
Are you planning a holiday? Check our our top tips to help make flying with your mobility aids as simple, comfortable and stress free as possible.
Special assistance
Take advantage of the help available to you in the airport. Book assistance in advance, and enjoy smooth sailing from check-in right through to your seat on the plane in the comfort of an airport wheelchair.
Consider What Walking Sticks Are Best
Did you know you can take more than one walking aid away with you when you travel? All of our crutches separate into 3 parts that fit into a large suitcase and all our walking sticks at their shortest fit into a suitcase as they are.
The best kept secret for travelling with reduced mobility? Our folding walking stick! If you are using special assistance in particular, keeping your folding walking stick in your hand luggage is super simple. It also means you have it with you on the flight so can easily move around during the flight without having to tackle the overhead locker.
If you do opt for storing your walking cane or crutches in the overhead locker, our top tip? Hang on until everyone has put their bags and and then pop them on top to ensure there is no risk of a bag ending up on top of them causing any damage.
Check your blue badge
Post Brexit, blue badges are not always accepted in Europe, so do check before you travel. If you can use it where you’re going be sure to pack it, but also let UK parking know if you aren’t able to leave it in your car in the UK, and avoid risking a ticket whilst you’re away!
Arrange relevant travel insurance
Make sure you have notified your travel insurance of any changes to your medical history. Even the smallest change can impact your cover. Always ring and run through everything before you travel, to ensure you’re covered in an emergency.
Check your walking aids over
Check your ferrules, grips, and any accessories you may need as soon as you book. Order spares if you need to, so there are no last minute panics before you fly, or even worse, whilst you’re away.
Remember your sunflower lanyard
Take your lanyard with you if you have one, otherwise pick one up from special assistance in the airport. If lets staff know that you require assistance, need to jump queues, and ensures you’ll be standing and waiting for as little time as possible.
Book your seat
Going to the loo on a plane can be stressful, but booking a seat near the loo is a game changer. Either the second or back row means you’ll only be a few short steps away, with minimal risk of trolley negotiations en route. If in doubt, pack one of our folding walking sticks into a small bag under the seat in front of you, so you don’t even have to hit the overhead locker when you go to the loo!
Check in with your accommodation
If you’re staying in a hotel, it’s worth asking if they have any accessible bedrooms or rooms that are close to breakfast, the pool, or the beach. Minimising your walking distance will help you worry less and enjoy yourself more!
Think about what's going to make your life easier
Whatever you need to reduce the stress of travelling, do it. The end goal is to enjoy your holiday, tiny things like keeping a day to recover post flight, using our bestselling Stick Safe to keep your stick off the floor or wearing comfy clothes or shoes can make all the difference.
Travelling with reduced mobility is rarely straightforward, but we have created our range of sticks and accessories to help make it as simple and stress-free as possible!
Shop the full collection here.
