Handicapped-accessible travel

In June’s “Boarding Pass,” on page 121, Carol Vorchheimer’s plea for handicapped-accessible-travel outfits struck a note with us.

• Yes, shore excursions on cruises can be a problem (as we found on our April ’04 trip in Brazil), but the America West Steamboat Company (2101 Fourth Ave., Ste. 1150, Seattle, WA 98121; phone 800/434-1232) was so great in Alaska last year, we planned a trip with them on the Columbia River this summer.

• If you want the extreme in accessible ships, try a tall ship trip with Jubilee Sailing Trust (Hazel Road, Woolston, Soton, SO19 7GB, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 870 443 5781, fax +44 [0] 870 443 5782, e-mail info@jst.org.uk). See our write-up in ITN (Oct. ’03, pg. 20).

• We have also enjoyed traveling with Ann Litt, who does wheelchair tours of England and Ireland through Undiscovered Britain (11978 Audubon Pl., Philadelphia, PA 19116; phone 215/969-0542).

• We are planning a New Zealand trip with Allan Armstrong, who does handicapped trips there with his company, Accessible Kiwi Tours (P.O. Box 550, Opotiki, New Zealand; phone 64-7-315 6988, fax 64-7-315 5144, e-mail info@toursnz.com).

• We are also working on visiting Australia with a handicapped-travel outfit, See More Scenic Tours (Queensland, Australia; phone +61 7 3805 5588, fax +61 7 3805 362, e-mail seemore@goldlink.aunz.com).

• Lastly, we are working with a promising outfit in Ethiopia, but they are not handicapped specialists per se.

After two years of handicapped travel, we would join Carol in asking other readers to offer leads. Getting information is a very tough task!

BILL & GERRY BRYANT
Middletown, NJ