63. Inclusive Journeys: How Accessible Go is Changing Travel

Navigating the world with a disability can often feel like an uphill battle, especially when it comes to travel. We've experienced it firsthand as we journey with our son Lliam. Our struggles sparked a conversation and led us on a journey to understand more about accessibility. We found ourselves crossing paths with the passionate advocates behind AccessibleGo – a leading accessible travel website in the US that's revolutionizing the game for travelers with disabilities. Today, we're thrilled to bring you a deep dive into this fantastic platform and the people at its helm.

In our chat with AccessibleGo's Program Manager, Patch Epstein she gives us an inside look into how they're breaking down barriers in travel, confirming accessibility for each booking, and generating revenue while doing so. Patch shares the experiences of several clients and the transformative impact AccessibleGo has had on their travels. Plus, we pick her brain on ways we can make our own spaces more welcoming and accessible.

We round off our discussion by delving into the wide array of services AccessibleGo offers to improve travel accessibility, and Patch shares their vision for the future. From booking accommodations to providing a treasure trove of resources for travelers with disabilities - they're truly making a difference. Patch also talks about their inspiring Travel Inspiration blog, a brilliant resource for activity ideas. So, let's explore together and learn about the incredible work AccessibleGo is doing to pave the way for truly accessible travel for all.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Kerry, do you recall some of the travel challenges we've had with Liam when it comes to accessible rooms and that, oh, absolutely, Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 0:12

There was one time when we were traveling through Ohio and we planned on staying overnight and so it was turnpike traveling which is grueling Back to the hotel that you had booked was accessible, but when we arrived at the hotel after 8 pm they were doing massive reconstruction. I remember that and we had to park and wheel his wheelchair around the building to get to the room or to get to breakfast.

Speaker 1: 0:52

I'm having a hard time finding where the door was. They said it's just down this way, like what.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Yeah, and we went round and round it. It was not, not, it was not a good experience.

Speaker 1: 1:04

I remember more than one where we checked in and said, oh, it's accessible bathroom. And you look at it and you, you couldn't curse a cat in there. It was so small there's no way you could turn a wheelchair around, right? I'm wondering in what world is that accessible they had to grab bar in the bathtub. That's not what it takes to make a wheelchair.

Speaker 2: 1:24

You make a bathroom accessible. When you have someone in a wheelchair. I need the toilet to be taller than usual 88. The sink to be shorter than usual so he can wash his hands after using the toilet.

Speaker 1: 1:42

And being able to get into a shower is always a fabulous thing, and I'm always surprised to find out that they actually make 24 inch doors. You know, it's kind of like whoa already. Let's just kind of squeeze the wheels a little bit so we can get it in there, Right? Anyway, our talk today is with Patch Epstein from Accessible Go, and this is a great organization to do some fantastic work making travel easier for people with disabilities. As a matter of fact, one of the quotes in there that you had Liam from Asking for a Favor.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Right. Everybody calls up as apologetic about it because we're so used to not wanting to interfere with somebody else's life, and but we need extra accommodations.

Speaker 2: 2:31

Let me give you a little story. Steve, you know, liam is almost 35 years old. I have 10 brothers and sisters. I have many nieces and nephews that are married and having children and we're invited to their places and I have to ask are there stairs? Is there a way for Liam to get in the house?

Speaker 1: 2:55

And they never thought about that.

Speaker 2: 2:56

They don't think about it. This is our family, I know he's part of it and they don't think about that because it's not something they see every day. But I walk into places and I'm constantly looking is this accessible for Liam? Can I get in the bathroom with him in the wheelchair if I had to? My brain is always checking these things on automatic.

Speaker 1: 3:20

My brain is checking out when he's not with us. You know, you look at ramps, you look at cutouts and curbs. Most US cities have that today, but not many cities worldwide. Or doors when you walk in and you see the aisles, like in a restaurant, are impossible to get a wheelchair through between two different tables.

Speaker 2: 3:37

Going around the tables and the chairs and the excuse me, pardon me, pardon me, excuse me.

Speaker 1: 3:43

I remember telling somebody at church once that the seats weren't far enough apart. I said, okay, just imagine you're carrying a refrigerator on a two wheel dolly. If you can get there with the refrigerator on the two wheel dolly, it'll be okay for a wheelchair.

Speaker 2: 3:56

Exactly Because you know why should I have to try and figure out how the heck I'm going to get the kid back down from communion Right?

Speaker 1: 4:04

So, anyway, this is Navigating Life as we Know it. My name is Steve, and I'm here with my lovely co-host Kerry. Hi and let's get on to this interview with Patch and see what she has to say about Accessible Go.

Speaker 2: 4:19

Let's do.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Today we're speaking with Patch Epstein. She is the production manager of Accessible Go, a leading accessible travel website in the United States for people with disabilities to book their travel needs and be part of a dynamic community of like-minded travelers. Patch, could you give us an idea of what Accessible Go is and what you do?

Speaker 4: 4:56

Sure. So first of all, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be able to share with people a little bit more about what Accessible Go does and also what goes on behind the scenes that you might not necessarily be so privy to just by looking at our site. So Accessible Go is a travel platform for people with disabilities. Our main focus right now is on accessible hotel accommodations. We do have plans to expand to all aspects of the travel journey, but for now we're focused exclusively on hotel rooms and the various ins and outs to ensure that people have the features that they need, both those covered by the ADA as well as those that aren't covered by the ADA that people still need, such as confirming bed heights or making sure that under the bed there is an open bed frame so that they can use a Hoyer lift to transfer from their wheelchair onto the bed.

Speaker 1: 5:56

Yeah, it would be kind of a rude awakening check into a hotel room expecting to be able to use a Hoyer, then find out that the way it's situated is incompatible with that and you need the Hoyer Patch. Behind every new innovation like Accessible Go, there's a story. How did Accessible Go come to be?

Speaker 4: 6:16

Sure. So Accessible Go was started by Miriam Alges, who is the co-founder. She grew up with a parent who was a wheelchair user, and that really shaped how she viewed the world. They had so many instances of trying to do things together that were simply not accessible. They didn't have the right information readily available in advance, and she started to really notice this and came to realize that there was a need that was unfulfilled, for a travel site that would handle bookings in the same way that people come to expect from traditional booking sites. So, in this case, our accessibility confirmations that we do for every single booking. There's no fee for that, and that's what Miriam wanted to create.

Speaker 1: 7:04

So how does Accessible Go get paid?

Speaker 4: 7:08

Well, now I can't give away all my secrets.

Speaker 1: 7:13

We have a 34-year-old son who is a wheelchair user due to cerebral palsy and autism, so he's quadriplegic. He has some use of his left arm, but limited. When we travel, which isn't too often with him, I'll check a hotel and if it says, you know, handicapped Accessible Room, do not believe it. Sometimes what they believe is a Handicapped Accessible Room is not. It doesn't accommodate a wheelchair. You might talk about a rolling shower, but you find out there's a lip on the bottom of it. It is not a rolling shower, exactly.

Speaker 4: 7:43

Thanks a lot.

Speaker 1: 7:44

There's been so many times I've been disappointed and now to have something like accessible go where you make sure the accommodations are correct. I think it's a huge benefit to the disability community. Could you explain how you do that?

Speaker 4: 8:00

So, as a team, whenever a booking comes in, we end up contacting the hotel, first of all reviewing what are the special requests that the individual guest submitted, whether it was a roll-in shower and ADA tub, enough space around the bed in order to ensure that they have space for their wheelchair, making sure that the controls in the shower are in the right place so that they can reach them when they're using the bench all of these different types of requirements that they have. And then we contact the hotel and speak to somebody at the front desk to ask about those specific features. If there is any doubt about whether or not the individual that we're speaking to is giving us accurate information, we will ask to speak to a manager or call back during a different shift, because sometimes what we've found is that hotels are individuals at hotels aren't always aware of all the different features within each and every mobility accessible room in the property. There are multiple, and having the different combination of a single king or double queen and the bathroom type that's there and all the other features can be a challenge for an individual at the hotel. We will also ask them to go into the room and actually get measurements or get pictures which we then share with the guests.

Speaker 4: 9:32

That information can also be gathered in advance if somebody is concerned about whether or not they can find a hotel that has the features that they need, so that is a large part of the process. We communicate that with the guest as soon as possible so that then they can decide if this is a good fit for them or just rest assured that they have what they need. And then one thing that happens on the back end that we do is about three to four days before the booking is set to start, we contact the hotel and reconfirm, and the reason why we do this is we've found that sometimes hotels will decide to revamp their mobility accessible rooms and then the availability changes, and what we want to do is make sure, three to four days before, that you still have what it is that you booked, so that you don't show up and have surprises.

Speaker 1: 10:32

Everybody likes good surprises, but not those when you've been traveling all day and you just want to rest and you find out you can't. I'm sure that it's pretty discouraging. So, given that you probably don't make a call the first time and all the qualifications are met, you might have to try several hotels in the area to find something that works, and that can take some time. So how far in advance that somebody be contacting you before they plan a trip?

Speaker 4: 11:01

That's a really good question, steve. I'll tell you what. Sometimes people contact us with a couple days and we scramble and we make it work. Ideally, having at least a week and a half, I would say, is probably the minimum when possible. However, it really depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a room that has either a standard mobility accessible room that has either an ADA tub or a roll-in shower and the bed height and the space under the bed are not of concern to you, then you're most likely going to be just fine. No need to worry about how much in advance. When it's a situation where you need images as confirmation or measurements, that's really when the additional time would be very helpful, because the hotel staff members, even if they are very motivated to go in the room and get us the information, a lot of times the problem is there are people currently in the room so they can't go in there in order to get those pictures or measurements.

Speaker 4: 12:12

So then we have to wait until they check out in order to get that.

Speaker 4: 12:17

I will say there was one time that I was on the phone with a hotel front desk manager and I was explaining to him the situation that this was the only hotel in that town that there was a possibility that there was an open bed frame.

Speaker 4: 12:34

But I really I needed to confirm and it was for a next-day check-in and as I was on the phone with him, I said he said that somebody's in the room so we can't go in there. And I said you know what, if the individual in there has a disability, if there's a very good likelihood that they would be okay with you just poking your head in to see if it looks like it's about five or six inches of space under the bed. And he said you know what, I'll give it a shot, wish me luck. And he had me on his earpiece right, so I heard him not go in there and they're like oh yeah, sure, come on in. You know, take a look. And he was even able to get the measurement and the picture because it was just really that space under the bed to get that. So it's really amazing what people are willing to do at these hotels when you explain to them why it's needed.

Speaker 1: 13:21

So probably at least a week to 10 days, and if it's two weeks to three weeks, that's even better, right?

Speaker 4: 13:28

Yes, but if it's standard features that the ADA covers, then 48 hours is plenty as well.

Speaker 1: 13:38

How many people do what you do?

Speaker 4: 13:42

We've got a team of several people. We've got people located all over, so I'd say, about a handful of people are, you know, triaging and taking care of these bookings?

Speaker 1: 13:54

What do you enjoy most about the work you do with accessible go?

Speaker 4: 14:00

What I love is being able to help people that are so used to not receiving this kind of help. They're used to doing it on their own and being exhausted from the process, and what I do is I focus on making it so that the individual can focus on their vacation, their family events, their business trip, whatever it might be, instead of whether or not they can take a shower or go to sleep in the room right. So, as an example, I had an individual that I worked with who hadn't traveled for five years because what he needed was a bed or, sorry, a. He wasn't able to sleep in a bed. He needed either a recliner, which is very difficult to find in hotels, or an armchair with an ottoman.

Speaker 4: 14:59

Now, oftentimes in mobility accessible rooms, the additional furniture that's in the room is pretty limited because of ensuring that there's enough space to navigate within the room in your wheelchair.

Speaker 4: 15:12

At the specific hotel that I found, there wasn't an armchair in an ottoman, there wasn't a recliner, and I spoke to the manager and explained to her what the situation was, and she made a special approval to have an armchair and ottoman put in so that he could stay at the hotel, and it was the first time he had traveled in five years.

Speaker 4: 15:33

So being able to do things like that, or for another individual who's traveling with her 30-something year old son, who's quadriplegic she is just used to asking people at the hotel if they can help transfer her son onto the bed, because it's so difficult for her to find a hotel that has an open bed frame and in towns that are very small. Working together, I was able to find hotels for her that have that open bed frame, and the sense of relief in her voice when I let her know that she found that we found those hotels, that makes it all worth it. It doesn't matter how many hotels we have to call, but finding that one hotel that has what they need and knowing that the guest is going to be able to enjoy their trip really makes it worthwhile.

Speaker 1: 16:27

That's probably your best ticket to repeat business is very happy customers who share that information with other folks about how it worked out.

Speaker 4: 16:36

Yeah, I also want to mention that a lot of people who reach out to us, let's say, before they book, there's a tendency for them to be apologetic. Right, I'm so sorry to ask. And also, could I ask about this, and do you think we could maybe find an airport shuttle? The first thing I always do when I speak to these individuals is tell them the request that you're making. I promise Nothing I haven't heard before, first of all, but also there's nothing to apologize over. So, with a recent individual that I'm working with, I asked her, you know, she gave me the basics and then I said now, what are some wish list items? You know if we're already contacting the hotels and making sure that they have, you know, x and Y features, what are some wish list? Right? And then she was like, well, it'd be really great if I was like awesome.

Speaker 1: 17:28

Right.

Speaker 4: 17:30

So let's shoot for the moon.

Speaker 4: 17:32

If you miss, at least you're among stars, right? But I think it's really important that there is some recognition of the fact that people With disabilities and those that travel with them and I think that's a really important thing, and I think that's a really important thing, and I think that's a really important thing and I think that a lot of times have to ask for favors or they feel, from what my experience is, that they have. These individuals have expressed to me that they feel like they're putting people out by asking for the basics of what they need, such as a picture to confirm that they can navigate within the room that they've reserved, or ensuring that the controls and the role in shower are in the room. So that's really important. I think that's really important and I think that's one of the key parts of being in the position that I'm in is that I get to serve as an intermediary so that when the guest arrives, the notes are on their reservation for what they need.

Speaker 4: 18:34

The room has been confirmed so that they don't feel like they're asking for another favor Just to give them that freedom from that need to do so.

Speaker 1: 18:41

Well, thank you for doing that, because I I think that's really important and I think that we can do that.

Speaker 4: 18:48

I think that's really important and I think that the thing that we have to do is get to know you know what. The best way to do that is to be able to see the guests that they have, and then you can get to know how they have to change their day. Make some feel good about their trip. Yeah, they get excited.

Speaker 1: 19:04

One of the fun parts is getting pictures from our guests who have traveled around and been able to See the sites, or the sites that they've been able to see, and then being able to focus on what their the intention of their trip was rather than the accommodations, and you just mentioned that when you worked with hadn't traveled for five years and I imagine there's some some little pandemic that might have involved part of that, plus the difficulty of getting around. It seems like now we're it's not over, we're in the endemic period of it where we just deal with it, but we're more, we're more, more, more involved. We're more, more involved in it and that's why we're getting more and more people with disabilities are expecting more and hopefully they're getting it, and they're getting it through services that you guys are providing. It sounds like you're really in a growth market. What do you envision happening in the?

Speaker 4: 19:56

future as the market chain is, and accessible goal rose, wheelchairs, power chair rentals, anything that you need when you travel in order to ensure that your trip goes smoothly. That would be. That's where we're going, but ultimately, in a way, there's this notion of universal accessibility, where everything is built with people with disabilities in mind, so there won't need, there won't be a need for accessible hotel rooms, because all hotel rooms will be accessible. So that is the hope to get to down the line.

Speaker 4: 20:40

But for now, until we get there being in a situation where we truly are able to facilitate all aspects that an individual needs when they travel, we do have a lot of individuals that ask for recliners, being in a situation where we can also offer medical equipment rentals, such as hospital beds, recliners and the wheelchairs, etc. We have also had a lot of employer lifts as well, so that these items are delivered to the hotel when they arrive and then picked up when they leave. So now individuals are using outside parties in order to do those, to get those devices, to get that equipment, and so we're in a situation down the line where we're able to coordinate all of those efforts so that it's not that a person can't find a hotel with a recliner. Of course we'd look for one first, but if not great, here's another option, right where that opens up possibilities for where an individual can stay and what they can do.

Speaker 1: 21:48

It's clear you're not doing that yet, but in the future do you have plans to work with Verbo and Airbnb and those kind of concerns?

Speaker 4: 21:57

In the future we have plans to have mobility accessible and otherwise accessible home rentals on our site. Whether or not that's working directly with Airbnb and Verbo or people placing those options on our site, that you know, those that manage those properties. We'll just have to wait and see how that pans out. But right now, one of the things that I really appreciate about the leadership within accessible go is that, even though we don't list those properties right now, people do reach out to us about them and what we do is we direct them to post about the their property on our community forum to ensure that people are aware, because finding a home rental that is accessible is very difficult. So we encourage those individuals to post them to make sure that the community is aware. So knowledge and access to knowledge Trump's making a sale, which I think is really important. Our community forum was meant to be a space where travelers with disabilities can come together literally from all over the world, and so we can ask questions, get answers, share travel tips and ultimately also make friends with people who understand their journey, understand what they're trying to do, understand their hopes and dreams and struggles or, let's say, the barriers they may encounter.

Speaker 4: 23:26

So a lot of people ask questions related to flying, ensuring their wheelchair, how to manage bathroom use during a long flight.

Speaker 4: 23:37

That tends to be a lot of. Airline travel is a heavy portion of the questions that get asked, as well as recommended airlines. So, as you've seen, people are asking all sorts of questions, even as it relates to hotels that are recommended, as well as activities that they're interested in doing in different parts of the world, and people are jumping in and sharing what their experiences or their recommendations are for said location or said activity, and it's wonderful to see that it's a judgment free space. People aren't asked to explain what their disabilities are, but focus more on what it is that they're trying to do and if they have any concerns, for when the person who's responding, you know, shares their insights, just to keep in mind, right? So it's rather than oh, what is your disability? It's what are your concerns or what would you like to be able to do. I have some places in the world that you recommend, right? So it's focusing on that, with an eye towards the accessibility features of whatever type of suggestion it might be.

Speaker 1: 24:56

It's just cool that you have that place for them to go.

Speaker 4: 24:59

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:00

I had asked you a question in a previous conversation about different experiences.

Speaker 4: 25:04

There are people that have reached out about different excursions and we really send them to the forum because that's where we have individuals in our community that are active, that share about the different experiences that they've had, the different things that they've done.

Speaker 4: 25:22

And we see in the communication, in the forum, where there's individuals who say, well, you know, I want to do this, but I don't think I'll ever be able to, and you should see how many people jump into the conversation posting pictures and things that they've done. You know, to really communicate that message, like you said, of that there's no limits, there's no barriers, but our bread and butter for the most part, is people who are going on family trips, business travel. There's more or less about individuals that are looking to do that adventure, traveling so far. I think that when you know we expand more, we may hear more about those individuals as well. But I think also, you know, there's a lot of people with disabilities that travel throughout the world and they're doing all sorts of fun things and it's been pretty cool to hear again in the forum what people have been able to do.

Speaker 1: 26:23

What else is it that you want people to know about? Accessible go.

Speaker 4: 26:26

Yeah, so when you book on accessible go, it's the same process that you would go through with booking on any other travel site. However, you fill out a special request form that indicates what are the accessibility needs that you have that you'd like us to verify or convey to your hotel. One thing I also wanted to mention is that we do have a discount program for people with disabilities, and that is for individuals that have the disability, as well as their caregivers or family or otherwise. For that discount program, all you have to do is make note of the disability organization that you're part of and then you are welcomed into that program. There are no dues, there are no fees, there's no subscription. It's a one time sign up and you're in. You'll see those discounts where they're available whenever you search.

Speaker 4: 27:24

But to your specific question, people who book with us aren't viewed as dollar signs. We've reached out and speak to the hotels for every single person who books with us, as well as people who reach out to us in advance, and so the other week we contacted over 30 hotels in Sorento, italy, to try and find the mobility, accessible room that fit the needs of an individual who reached out to us. Our main focus is on domestic travel within the United States. However, we do international bookings as well, so there's no need that a person asks for is too much or out of the ordinary or an imposition. If it's what you need in order to ensure that your travel is successful, enjoyable, care free, then and it's within the realm of what the hotel can provide, then we're more than happy to check that with the hotel and get back to you and let you know so that if this hotel for some reason doesn't fit what you're looking for, we can help you find a replacement. It's really this white glove service that we strive to provide for each and every person.

Speaker 4: 28:43

And one other thing that I completely forgot to share.

Speaker 4: 28:45

So we also have travel ideas, articles on our site, as well as city guides, and the city guides that we have are for the top 30 US cities that people have traveled to.

Speaker 4: 28:59

That include the top 10 accessible hotels, top 10 accessible attractions and a 48 hour itinerary for those locations, as well as directory resources for things such as medical equipment rental companies as well as caregivers or whatnot that you might need while you travel. We don't have affiliation with those companies, but we provide them for those major cities such as Las Vegas, atlanta, austin, etc. That people may need those resources for, and our travel ideas articles are more so focused on travel inspiration that may give you an idea of different things that you can do through a lens of accessibility, and we are constantly updating the filters on our site and how the search works, and right now, when you search for a city, you will see the options of rolling shower, ada tub, hearing accessible and refrigerator for medication as the top filters, and that's what you'll see now when you search. But, again, we're constantly improving the way that our system crunches the data to ensure that you have the information you need when you travel.

Speaker 1: 30:19

Because our son's a wheelchair user. When we're traveling with him, we normally request a first floor room. Is that sometimes difficult to fulfill?

Speaker 4: 30:31

So there's a lot of hotels that will tell us that for a first floor room assignment, they can't guarantee it. They'll make a note of it, or that it's too early to confirm that, or that they only do that. They only assigned rooms on the day of check-in. So then our team makes a note on our end and calls the day of or a week before whenever they tell us that that is when they make the room assignments in order to ensure that the person, to the best of our ability, is assigned to a room on the first floor. So it's really just working within the parameters that the hotel set.

Speaker 1: 31:07

For people to discover what your website has to offer, including the forum, which is very interesting. They can just look it up AccessibleGoOneWordcom, and I think it's really great to visit that website, even if you're not planning a trip right now, just to know what's available when you do.

Speaker 4: 31:25

Yes. So what I recommend is that anybody who's interested goes ahead and signs up for our site. Be sure to sign up for the discount program as well, so that anytime you're interested in traveling, you're able to see what those deals are. By signing up for the site, you're also gonna end up signing up for our forum, and that's a really great place to, as I said before, keep track of the different questions people have and also post any questions that you may have At any point when you're interested in looking for something specific. If you don't see what you're looking for, feel free to send us an email at contact c-o-n-t-a-c-t. At accessiblegocom. You'll hear back from one of our team members within about 48 hours at most regarding your question.

Speaker 1: 32:16

Patch, typically I'm the one in the family that books reservations for hotels and I've discovered too often what they claim to have available online isn't always accurate.

Speaker 4: 32:29

A lot of times hotels will have inaccurate information online, so the information that they post they may say, for instance, that it's a mobility. This happened to me earlier today. The room type said it was a mobility and hearing accessible room with two queen beds and a roll-in shower. When I called the hotel, they said that all of their mobility-accessible rooms none of them are hearing accessible and all their mobility-accessible rooms only have a single queen bed. Some have roll-in showers, some have ADA tubs with grab bars.

Speaker 4: 33:06

So that is very different from what is posted online. Making sure that that information is confirmed for every single booking is critical, because what we wanna avoid having happen is that a person shows up at the hotel and the information wasn't accurate, or they gave away the room to somebody else because they didn't think that the individual actually had a disability. One thing that I did hear from a lot of hotels is that the bookings that come from third-party sites a lot of times default to the mobility-accessible rooms, so then they switch them out of those rooms because they assume that it must be a glitch or an error. So when we call the hotel to confirm the specific mobility-accessible mobility-accessible, hearing-accessible, vision-accessible needs an individual may have or any other types of accessibility needs that they have, then we also ask them to put a do not move and block off the room to ensure that the individual won't be moved because somebody else needs an accessible room and a different staff member switches them.

Speaker 1: 34:19

Primarily the US right now, but a little bit outside, and I think the plan is to go, follow where your market leads you and make it international.

Speaker 4: 34:31

Yes, definitely. Right now, the focus is on domestic travel within the US. I would say that for those international trips, that's really where having a little bit more time is critical, because other countries don't have the ADA. So I'll tell you a funny story. I was confirming hotels in Rome just recently and I asked the front desk staff member if the shower had grab bars and they said oh, yeah, yeah, there's a mini bar. And I said no, oh, grab bars, right, what they can hold on to. And I really had to find different ways to describe the features.

Speaker 4: 35:18

Another situation with the hotel in Petra. The hotel was incredible about sending me a ton of pictures of the room. Even they had a little tiny lip to get into the room, so they had built a ramp. It was amazing. Roll in shower, everything you could imagine. But they didn't have a step pre-entrance, and not only that, they had four steps that were on a slant to get into the hotel, and the hotel staff members were saying that they have no problem helping the individual by lifting their wheelchair, but the individual had over a 300 pound wheelchair and is somebody at the front always going to be available in order to do that right?

Speaker 4: 36:04

So when it comes to international hotel rooms, we like to have additional time to verify all the aspects that we can, with pictures, if the hotel will share them, to make sure that there's a step pre-entrance, to make sure that the individual can get to their hotel room and get in, as well as the width of the doors, the width to the entry door, the bathroom door, all the different aspects because, again, they have different standards and different regulations in those in different countries.

Speaker 4: 36:37

So, yeah, so that is definitely where a little bit more time is beneficial, but definitely possible. When we've done, we've taken care of bookings, international bookings for individuals, I can tell you, one of the best hotels that I've ever encountered was abroad and they give a they have for their mobility accessible room that had not only a rolling shower but tub with grab bars. There was a connecting room that, if the individual needed it for their caregiver, the room was free. Yeah, so there are some countries out there which I can remember which country it was, but there are some countries out there that are really on the cutting edge of understanding what individuals with disabilities need when they travel.

Speaker 1: 37:29

Some day we'll get the world educated, but it's not gonna happen in my lifetime. I don't think.

Speaker 4: 37:33

Girl can dream. A girl can dream.

Speaker 1: 37:36

Well, and you have to, and that's all. Things actually change over time, but it comes from customer demand and people willing to be service focused like you guys are.

Speaker 4: 37:46

Definitely.

Speaker 1: 37:47

I hope that we have an opportunity to travel sometime in the near future and take our son along with. Like in user services, we're working around anybody who's just become familiar with it. You don't know when you might be called upon to travel and then you'll be able to do so and have a much better what's the experience and you might have expected.

Speaker 4: 38:06

Definitely, definitely, and again, if anybody wants to reach out, contact at accessiblegocom and we'd be more than happy to help you with any needs you may have.

Speaker 1: 38:18

One more question. I know that you're primarily working in United States and currently, right now, you live in Israel. Do you have one of those clocks that tells you what the time is all over the world? Because if you're making phone calls, we got a huge time difference between like right now it's 3 36 PM. What time is it by you?

Speaker 4: 38:37

10, 56 PM 10 56 PM.

Speaker 1: 38:40

Well, thank you for staying awake.

Speaker 4: 38:43

I'll tell you I've gotten really good with the time zones. You have to right Because, as an example, I can't call people before they're up.

Speaker 1: 38:53

Right, nobody wants to get a phone call at three o'clock because you know what, it is never good news. You never get the news of it.

Speaker 4: 39:01

Or at 6 30 in the morning, because they happen to be in, you know, pacific time zone instead of, let's say, the Eastern time zone. So time zones are very critical, so you learn pretty quickly it makes for interesting work hours for you, I'm sure. Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 1: 39:19

Quads, it's been a delight. Thank you very much for your time.

Speaker 4: 39:22

Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2: 39:33

Hi, this is Carrie and this is the chat cafe portion of our podcast, and I'm here today with my co-host, steve. We're just going to unpack some of this wonderful information that we just received regarding accessible go.

Speaker 1: 39:49

I think that whole concept for a business is brilliant. Her story about how it got started was a person was traveling with her mother and could not have access, and there's more about that on their website. You should read about it. Sometimes inspiration comes from hitting a brick wall and saying let's remove all the brick walls for everybody.

Speaker 1: 40:08

Right, I think it's really cool because we've had a couple of unique instances when traveling was a major nightmare. I mean, it's stressful to travel anyway a long drive, a long flight but when you have a wheelchair and you have the unknowns ahead of you, it gets really dicey, Right.

Speaker 2: 40:30

And then just throwing there oh, a kid with autism that could all of a sudden have a meltdown for what appears to be absolutely no apparent reason.

Speaker 1: 40:42

My greatest fear has been 32,000 feet and he has a meltdown and they have to reroute the whole darn aircraft and land because a terrorist is obviously trying to take over the plane right.

Speaker 2: 40:58

That has never, never happened.

Speaker 1: 41:01

Usually by the time he's on the plane.

Speaker 2: 41:04

He's chillax. It's just the getting up too.

Speaker 2: 41:09

And I know that's because we've talked about this we're stressed, yes, and he picks up on and he feels that stress Our stress, and then there's all this people-y stuff in the airport and there's people, there's a lot of people, and then they want to take them away from me to do the checking of him Right and yeah, it's a lot of Because he meets your profile for a terrorist right, Right. Well, you know, we want to be safe, we want everybody to be safe, but I just, I really love some of her comments. I mean too, One of the things that she enjoys most is helping people who are not used to help.

Speaker 1: 41:48

Or afraid or a bashful to ask for help.

Speaker 2: 41:50

Well, apologize for asking for it. I mean good grief. Why do we have to apologize to ask for a bathroom so my son can take a shower?

Speaker 1: 42:01

It's crazy, it is absolutely crazy.

Speaker 2: 42:04

But you feel like you do. I mean it's really weird that you feel like that. But anyway, the freedom from asking for a favor, what a wonderful thing.

Speaker 1: 42:14

It's great job satisfaction for her. I can tell it that she likes to be able to do that. We can make a miracle for you.

Speaker 2: 42:20

Right, well, we can take care of these details and then you can enjoy the reason for your trip, right A family reunion or to go visit family and friends, oh my gosh, yes, please. Or have a safe, quiet place where you can have some downtime if you are on a business trip and are speaking and you want to have that quiet to come back to and not have to worry. Will I get in the doors? Will I be able to get in a shower? Yeah, wonderful. So excited that this is happening and, as a matter of fact, we will be utilizing these services in the future. We have an idea of a trip to.

Speaker 2: 43:05

Canada in April of 24. And so I think we're just going to contact them and them deal Absolutely. Because I was already freaking out about how I was going to do all of that, and I don't have to.

Speaker 1: 43:19

I mean, you have to go to Canada and worry about the language differences. I know no money Was it stress, the stress. No, it's a great idea. We will get some first hand knowledge of it. So I would suggest anybody is going to be traveling, go to contact at accessiblegoallonewordcom. Contact at accessiblegocom.

Speaker 2: 43:46

But before that, go to the website, oh yeah, check out the travel guides. They have listings of the top 10 hotels and the top 10 cities and all the different things that are available through there and the discount program they have, which will give you a sign up for the discount programs, better rates on rooms, and you know what? The travel inspiration might just give you an idea of different things that you can do through a lens, the blog that they have.

Speaker 1: 44:17

They talk about people that have gone places and done things that were quite amazing, that you might not even think it's within a range of possibility, and there it is. Going for what's easy is easiest for someone. Traveling with a disability is difficult for most other people, but easier. But what about some of the amazing things that can be done? People are doing skydiving, they're skiing, they're paddle boarding, they're doing all kinds of stuff Scuba.

Speaker 2: 44:45

Wheelchairs Scuba diving with wheelchairs.

Speaker 1: 44:50

Stop thinking about what you can't do and start ruminating about what you can possibly do. And it's really cool. Wow, yeah, they allow you to dream. They allow you to dream.

Speaker 2: 45:00

That is so cool, how cool. Well, thank you for your white glove service.

Speaker 1: 45:05

Yes.

Speaker 2: 45:07

And I can't wait for us to experience some of that, absolutely. Thanks for joining us here today.

Speaker 1: 45:15

And we will talk to you in a couple of weeks. Take care, bye-bye, bye.

Speaker 3: 45:23

Stephen Carey have been your hosts. My name is Alex and I'm the producer of Enlaki. Daniela handles all of our social media and general communications, and Ahali is our website guru and mistress of the blog. Thanks for tuning into our podcast and please like, follow, subscribe and share our podcast to help us grow. You're the best. This has been a production of Envision Media Alhazel.