Disabled Travelers Holidays: Are You Going Cold or Warm This Season?
Posted December 10th, 2010 in general news and helpful information
On the way to fun in the Florida sun? Or something a little cooler?
Photo by: Laura Leavell (Stock Exchange)
Howdy, all!
With the holiday season upon us, I thought we would visit some destinations with the question: are you going cold or warm? While many people go north for the holidays, almost as many venture south to Florida and the Bahamas.
With about half the U.S. in the grip of a major cold front, even southern climes are seeing temperatures in the 30s and 40s; but although the nights are cool, days are still warm and there’s a lot to recommend the south this year.
Without further ado , let’s focus in on two destinations for disabled travelers and your travel companions: one warm, one not so much.
Warm Weather More Your Thing?
With the oil spill now safely behind us, the Gulf states are ramping up to win back the interest of tourists worldwide. While there are a lot of amazing things to see and do throughout the south, without a doubt one of the seminal holiday attractions is Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Disney World is known as one of the most accessible tourist stops in the world, with the park constantly renovating its grounds and rides to help the entire handicapped community enjoy fun and excitement.
If you have youngsters around the house, no doubt they’re interested in Disney: and with all kinds of amazing attractions especially for the winter holidays, there’s even more to see. Check out Walt Disney World Info’s summary of Christmas and New Year events, which are already well underway at the time of this writing.
As we learned a few months back, there are plenty of highly reputable sources for Disney World trip planning from the disabled travel perspective, along with plenty of local disabled hotels – both those run by “the Mouse” and independent venues around Orlando. To find out more, visit our post Disabled Travel in Orlando, part of my Sunshine State Access Series. For direct info on Disney, try out Disabled Access Disney World.
Looking to Brave the Northern Chill?
It may seem crazy to some, but there are those of us who like the cold – I know I do. Heck, I spent last New Year’s Eve in Times Square, though I don’t intend to do it again this time! The Times Square Alliance runs the official New Year’s Eve website, where those who intend to brave this year’s unusually chilly temperature can find out about all aspects of the big day, including wheelchair and handicapped accessible seating areas in Times Square.
Naturally, if you’re going to grab a hotel in NYC around this time of year, budget as well as accessibility will probably be a factor. Going beyond hotels.com, also check out Black Book, Booked.net, Let’s Book Hotel, and Lodging World for a variety of options both within the city and throughout surrounding communities and areas. You might also find it useful to take a look at my Big Apple series from around this time last year that covers New York, its accessible transit options, and its many other delights. Part one tells all about getting around, and might be the most useful. Part two discusses attractions.
As I write this, it’s an astonishing 33 degrees over in my neck of the woods in Florida (and I’m told it “feels like” 28 – but I have no intention of finding out for sure!) Whether you’re planning to beat the heat or stay out of the cold, you have plenty of options for travel this holiday season. I hope I’ve helped you find a few; and wherever your path may take you, have a joyous and festive December. We’ll be back next week …
Si
