Time and opportunities to travel can enhance retirement although ‘travel’ may depend not only on a desire to explore or funds but also on health as HELEN PERRY discovered when attending Sydney’s recent Festival of Lights.
Travelling any distance is definitely easier when fit and healthy but a disability doesn’t mean travel is no longer possible. Having enjoyed various holidays with friends who are in their 80’s, one with a disability which limits walking, we have adapted holidays to suit our needs.
However, recently, we four attended the Vivid Festival of Lights in Sydney on an excellent four-night package. It included hotel accommodation, air fares, and a four-course dinner cruise to view the lights, from the harbour.
A brilliant drone show was the piece de resistance. All this for under NZ$1500 per person and a club room with complimentary breakfast, and free pre-dinner appetisers with drinks, part of the deal.
While festival organisers get full marks for a wonderful display, our trip didn’t turn out quite as expected. We soon discovered anyone who couldn’t walk more than 50 metres was severely hampered.
Many inner-city roads were closed with no taxis or buses available near Circular Quay when we disembarked from the Sunday evening cruise. Furthermore, there were thousands and thousands of people, many with children and pushchairs – the pushing and cramming was distressful for some.
Although trains were running every four minutes, crowds blocked the stairways making it impossible for our friend, who needed lift access to the overhead platforms – getting there was a mission. Ultimately, we opted for the road hoping to reach an area open to taxis.
After less than 100 metres our friend could no longer walk but, hurrah, a young ambulance medic seconded a wheel chair and pushed her a further 250 metres or so to a roadside bench seat where she could sit near roads due to open – just when was the question.
It was late at night, not especially warm and while our friend had been ferried for some distance, her 85-year-old husband had also struggled with the walk.
But, what luck? On spotting a police officer, we explained the situation and was delighted when he organised for a taxi to enter the ‘closed’ area and take us back to the hotel at the top of town. Without his help we would have been sitting on that bench for a great deal longer.
The purpose of this tale is to advise frail or disabled seniors from travelling to future festivals without having an achievable plan in place to negotiate road closures and potentially dangerous crowd situations. Without the help of Sydney’s ambulance and police officers we would have been in a fix.
The same could be said for other events. Catering for the disabled is never easy when it comes to huge public events. Access can be severely limited and transportation, if available, may be limited or unsuitable.
So, take care when planning. Consult travel agents or event organisers. Check if your accommodation has easy access to transport services which suit your needs, and if planning to use taxis, budget accordingly.
The good news for those visiting Sydney, we found the cost of taxis extremely reasonable especially as we were two couples sharing the cost. Most of our local excursions (e.g. CBD to Bondi and Watson’s Bay) were around AUD$38-$45. Our fare from the CBD to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport was AUD$85. By comparison, I was quoted NZ$150 to travel from Pukekohe to Auckland International Airport – we used a park and ride instead!
