Disabilities and camping; how best to go about it
21 September, 2021
Camping when you have a disability can be a bit of a challenge. You may need some more time to prepare, it is important to find out what adapted facilities there are on the campsite, and you probably want to know if there are outings you can go on. Not everyone knows how best to go about this. So I talked to Sabine, one of my colleagues at ACSI, who has experience with this.
Sabine uses an electric wheelchair and enjoys going on camping trips and other kinds of holidays. She regularly visits a wheelchair-friendly campsite in Wanroij in the Netherlands, where her parents have a mobile home. But she’s also had succesful holidays to France, Curacao and Tenerife. She’s happy to share her tips and tricks!
Adapted and wheelchair-friendly facilities
There are different types of disabilities, each requiring different facilities and amenities. For Sabine it’s important that the accommodation or camping pitch is wheelchair accessible. In Sabine’s words: “When I go camping with a tent, I can simply pitch it at almost any campsite, as long as certain services are adapted, such as the sanitary facilities. It’s a good idea to choose a spot close to a toilet block.” You can also opt for an adapted accommodation. A few years ago Sabine rented a wheelchair-friendly chalet in Carantec in Brittany. From here she drove the car everywhere: “We could go anywhere. One of the places we went was the Île Callot peninsula. This is only accessible at low tide. We had to make sure to get back before the tide came in again.”
Tip: choose a pitch close to the sanitary blocks
Renting a wheelchair-friendly accommodation
What can you expect from an adapted chalet? It could be a cottage with extra large doors to the toilet and bathroom. But not every adapted place is suitable for everyone. “Some people need an adapted kitchen. And of course not every holiday home has that. Accommodation is often adapted with the idea in mind that there will also be someone without a disability present.” If, for example, you have a child in a wheelchair, you can often make good use of such an adapted accommodation as a family. If you are a disabled adult looking to book an adapted accommodation, you may need to ask someone to join you on your holiday.
Taking selfies together on holiday; great fun!
Preparing for your holiday
Preparing for a holiday as a disabled person often takes a bit more time. Arranging suitable accommodation is not the only thing you have to keep in mind. It is wise to check in advance which facilities you can use. You can check if they have a beach or pool wheelchair, for example. This way you can still get into the water. According to Sabine, you just have to see what works: “The first year we used the beach wheelchair without its wheels so I didn’t fall over. The second year we lifted me in with my lifting mat. You just have to find out what is easiest for you.”
Using a beach wheelchair, you can still go into the water.
Different campsites have different facilities, of course. Some campsites have swimming pools with a hoist or pool wheelchair, others might have wheelchair accessible supermarkets or restaurants. If you are looking for a specific facility, you can use the filter function on Eurocampings.co.uk. You can search on the availability of special pitches, a swimming pool equipped with a hoist, toilet facilities only for people with disabilities, and more. The facilities are checked annually by our ACSI inspectors.
A worry-free holiday
These physical checks are very important. “Our inspectors tell us whether you can confidently send a disabled person to a campsite,” says Alex Boerboom, editor in chief of the ACSI Campsite Guide Europe. By visiting the campsite themselves, inspectors can point out things that are amiss. There have been situations where the campsite had a sanitary building with a wheelchair-accessible toilet, but you could only get to the building by stairs. We let campsites know that this is not okay. “Fortunately, situations like that hardly ever happen anymore,” says Alex.
Wheelchair-accessible camping: campsite De Ruimte has paved paths.
Fortune favours the bold
Of course you want to go on daytrips when you’re on holiday. In this case, fortune favours the bold. As Sabine says: “I don’t shy away from an outing just because it might not be suitable. Okay, if a building has fifteen steps, I’m not getting in. But otherwise I just think: is it feasible? If it is, then we go. I don’t lose sleep worrying.”
Sabine tells about the time she wanted to visit the Arc de Triomphe: “The arch is on a very busy roundabout. You have to go through an underpass to get there, but that’s not possible for me. But the traffic controllers saw that I wanted to get to the middle, so they shut down the traffic. And they told me that when I wanted to go back, all I had to do was say the word.” So you see, with a little help a lot is possible!
Sabine: “I don’t shy away from an outing just because it might not be suitable.”
Are you already looking forward to choosing a holiday for next year? Let me sum up the tips for you:
- Check in advance whether you can rent an adapted accommodation or a wheelchair-friendly pitch near the sanitary facilities.
- Find out what amenities are available in the accommodation. You might have to ask someone to go on holiday with you.
- Find out what facilities are available at the campsite. Maybe you can reserve a beach or swimming wheelchair in advance.
- Find fun (accessible) outings in the area. Don’t fret too much about what might and what might not be possible!
As Sabine says: “You can always visit the places you want to visit. You just have to be a little creative!”
Wheelchair-friendly campsites for people with reduced mobility
Would you like to know more about camping with a disability? Then visit Eurocampings.co.uk. Do you have any camping tips or a cool story about your adapted holiday? Let us know in the comments!
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