Travel Made Easy: Strategy

Posted by Kate DeLosso on July 1, 2018

I miss those “freewheeling, let’s just see what happens” kind of trips. The ones where you start out the day just seeing where it goes — you may have done that kind of trip at one time. I did. But not anymore; I need a travel strategy. Actually I need a life strategy but here I’m focusing on a travel strategy.

The strategies could include wheelchair assistance at airport, checking rental cars or other transportation, hotels that can accommodate my needs, sightseeing — yep lots of planning. But for now I want to discuss sightseeing and how to make the most of your sightseeing experience.

This year we took a wonderful cruise in the Caribbean. Ports included New Orleans and Havana. While in New Orleans, we visited the National World War ll museum in New Orleans. This is a spectacular museum that is a must see if you are going to New Orleans. The museum is ADA compliant which provides barrier free access. However, what I didn’t count on was the size of the museum, which is divided into European Theater of War and Pacific Theater of War. The museum offers, for a small charge, an excellent 4D experience film narrated by Tom Hanks, “Beyond All Boundaries.” If I had taken the time to think about a “strategy” for making the most of the museum, I would have toured one theater of war; seen the movie; then seen the second theater of war. As it was, we left half-way through the European Theater because it was too much standing for a long period of time. We were under no time constraints for the museum visit, so we could have taken as much time as we needed

Last month, we visited the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. This museum is extremely well-done and will soon be a “must-see” for a Philadelphia visit. This time I did have a strategy. Every time I saw a seating area, I took advantage and spent a few minutes sitting and enjoying the exhibit. As a result, we made it through the entire exhibit with energy to spare.

Mobility limitations will also bring energy limitations but with a strategy and some advanced planning, you will be able to get the most out of your sightseeing.

Travel Tip: Either get a map of the museum prior to arriving or request a map upon arrival. Plan your route before beginning the trip and include how far you have to walk from the parking, how far you will walk in the museum and whether there appear to be spots where you can rest/sit down for a few. Or if there is a portion of an exhibit that you really want to see, see that exhibit first so you have the energy and stamina to enjoy your trip.

About Kate DeLosso

Kate DeLosso is a travel professional with over 20 years of experience traveling the world on land and by ship, visiting over 30 countries with an emphasis on travel in Asia. Kate DeLosso Travel is a home based travel agency that helps individual travelers and groups explore the US, Europe and Asia. A number of years ago, Kate had stroke and had to re-learn how to walk, type and drive a car. With a mobility handicap, she became aware that travel was “different” for people with physical challenges. One of her missions has become to share the knowledge accumulated after 20 years of traveling the world as a mobility challenged person. Kate DeLosso is a Certified Travel Counselor, Special Interest Travel Specialist and an Accredited Cruise Counselor and founder of Kate DeLosso Travel. She has lived and worked in Chadds Ford since 1999.