I am very lucky in as much that I can go on holidays relatively easily – I know this is not the case for some disabled people. It’s true that I do have to look at access a little bit more than other people, making sure the place where I am staying doesn’t have too many steps, but there have not been many places where I’ve been unable to go to for this reason. I am also lucky that I’m able to go on many different types of holiday.
Some people are quite surprised when I tell them that I go camping – the longest which I have camped for is a for week but this is more challenging. I tend to only go for weekends now with the thinking that if, in terms of hygiene, I do anything more than brushing my teeth and washing my face with a wet wipe then this will be a real bonus. Taking a shower in the comfort of my own home probably takes me twice as long as the average person without having to negotiate a small portable shower cubicle and knowing that there is more than likely to be a queue of people outside.
Perhaps, my most favourite kind of holiday – and the one which I take most often is a cottage holiday. I have two very good friends and almost every year we will go away on 2 separate holidays – it is a time where we can totally relax. Prior to ‘finding’ the pleasure of a cottage holidays I used to go to hotels, which were lovely but there is always that need to set an alarm if you want to guarantee breakfast. Whereas in a cottage, breakfast is served when you choose to go and get it and you can go in your pyjamas! My perfect holiday is spending a little bit of exploring time the local area but for me, holidays are mainly about relaxing and spending quality time with my friend. My nightmare holiday would be a tour holiday where you need to be up and out by a set time every morning ready for a day filled with walking around and constantly looking at your watch so that the coach does not leave you behind!
My second most favourite holiday is the holiday I go on, most years, with the Disability Christian charity, Through the Roof (TTR.) I began going on these holidays when my friend wanted to go to America – as I said above, touring holidays are not my ‘thing.’ I was therefore toying with the idea of either just staying at home or trying something totally new. Luckily I decided the latter as this was when I discovered the holidays run by TTR. Up until this time, I had seemed to have spent my life ‘running’ away from other people with disabilities wanting to live totally in an ‘able-bodied’ world.
This holiday is based in a school which is usually used for disabled children so even my bedroom scared me! It was fitted with a ceiling hoist (for students who were permanently in wheel chairs,) the bed had cot sides and there were alarm cords by the bed and in the bathroom. It reminded me more of a hospital room than a ‘you’re on holiday’ room. I think my face said a thousand words as Dad quickly said if you want me to come and pick you up early, just shout! It turned out to be the opposite, when Dad picked me up at the end of the week I didn’t want to leave! As I said when I wrote my ‘Friendships’ post I just find it lovely and relaxing to be with people where you all have so much in common – living with a disability. Now every year when I return I feel like I am going to my third home (Mum and Dad’s will always be my second home!!)
The final type of holiday and one which I also very much enjoy is a ‘Holiday at Home!’ When I was working full time, I probably got more excited over having a week at home than someone would get about going on an exotic holiday. I have noticed however that now I work part time, I enjoy going away more. This is probably because I no longer get to the stage of feeling so desperate for a rest that even the thought of packing seems too much. However, that said I am still quite a bit of a ‘Home-Bird’ My love for Holidays at Home is that you can do things as differently or as similar to normal as you like. I think the fact that I am usually very self-disciplined adds to the pleasure of Holidays at Home. I usually only allow myself to have alcohol at weekends whereas when I am on holiday – every day is a weekend! I also really enjoy going out on my own, maybe for a sandwich lunch either in my local town centre or getting a bus and going a little bit further afield. As well as spending time pleasing myself I also love going out for long lunches with family and friends.
I have found parts of this post quite tricky to write as the overall purpose of every post is to create disability awareness but as I said in the introduction I am fortunate that I can go on holidays without too many problems. I could have probably littered the post with comments such as I like to totally relax due to the difficulties I face in daily life, which is true, but I think that would be using the ‘disability card.’ Who doesn’t like holidays as they provide much needed relaxation for so many.
Be Aware Be Clear 