Wheelchair Travel Newsletter: Taylor Swift, Accessible Budapest and Save the Date for a Group Trip
How The Eras Tour presented a big accessibility barrier and a new travel guide to the Hungarian capital city.
“Expectation is the dirtiest word in a traveler’s vocabulary.” — John Early, from his book Tales of the Modern Nomad: Monks, Mushrooms & Other Misadventures
Hello everybody!
Taylor Swift brought The Eras Tour to Boston last weekend and fans loved it — by all accounts, the tour has been a massive success, with rave reviews pouring in even from the pop star’s skeptics. Saturday night’s performance at Foxy Foxborough, the New England Patriots’ football stadium, received extra attention after a heavy rainstorm left more than 50,000 fans soaking wet.
With resale tickets commanding a thousand dollars or more each, Swift’s decision to perform in the rain might have cost some wheelchair users a lot of money and a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience. Exposing power wheelchairs to an hours-long torrential downpour is generally regarded as a bad idea and, while I didn’t have tickets and don’t consider myself a “Swiftie,” I do wonder… Should the show have been rescheduled?
I stayed (mostly) indoors and out of the rain last weekend (more power to the Swifties who braved the elements!), but was excited to share a couple of meals with my friend Michele, who was visiting from London. It had been nearly a year since we last met up — on a weekend trip to Budapest, Hungary. In honor of that fun trip, I’ve published a new accessible travel guide to the Hungarian capital city, which you can read more about below.
Wheelchair Travel Group Trip
Early next week, look out for an email that will contain details on the 2023 Wheelchair Travel Group Trip to Portugal led by yours truly! I’m excited to once again share this incredible destination with readers like you, and I hope you’ll consider joining our group from August 22 to 31, 2023. Keep an eye out for details and an invitation to reserve your spot next week!
Upgrade your subscription
The Wheelchair Travel website and this newsletter are only possible thanks to the generous support of paid subscribers. If you haven’t done so already, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription — with an upgraded membership, you can unlock premium benefits and support my work to make the world more accessible.
Subscriber events
Among the benefits offered to paid subscribers is access to exclusive content and events, and there is an exciting event just around the corner — an “Ask Me Anything” with a former flight attendant (and current current flight attendants who, understandably, can’t reveal their identities). A firm date and details on how to submit questions will be sent in next week’s newsletter.
Later tonight, I’m flying down to the Sunshine State for a long weekend with family! Wish me luck, that my wheelchair is returned in one piece and that I survive the heat & humidity!
All the best,
John Morris
Message from our sponsor, accessibleGO
At accessibleGO, we understand that booking an accessible hotel room is a service that should be tailored to your individual accessibility needs. Our customer experience representatives will work directly with you and the hotel to make sure that your accessible needs are understood and actually met, so that—for once!—you’re free to just enjoy your trip. We also offer proprietary accessibility information for thousands of hotels across America, allowing you to search by the specific accessible features you need, benefit from discounted rates up to 60% off, and access a community of like-minded travelers. When you book with us, you can trust that we’ve got your back.
Latest Accessible Travel Articles
Top 9 Wheelchair Accessories for Disabled Travelers
Whether you use a manual or powered wheelchair, this list of accessories and attachments will help you get more out of your mobility device — including a gimmicky product that might just keep you dry.
Review: Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Must-Have Starter Credit Card for Travelers
Rewards earned from everyday spending on credit cards are how I pay for a lot of my personal travel, and this card is one of my favorites: it has tremendous earning potential and comes with built-in travel insurance that you don’t have to pay extra for. The card currently has the highest sign-up bonus in recent memory, and that boosted bonus ends tomorrow morning, May 25 at 9 a.m. ET.
Featured Destination: Budapest, Hungary
The City of Budapest was formed in 1873 with the unification of the towns of Buda, Óbuda and Pest, recognized then as the co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and is among the European Union’s 10 largest cities by population. The Danube River cuts the city in half, with the hilly and historic Buda to the west, and the largely flat, high-action Pest to the east.
I traveled there last year with my friend Michele, and we had a great time in a city that is truly ascending. Commitments have been made to improve accessibility for residents and visitors with disabilities, but it’s already manageable for the majority of us — read about my trip, where I stayed, how I got around, what I ate and more in the brand-new Budapest Wheelchair Accessible Travel Guide.
LIMITED STOCK REMAINING
The best-seller in the Wheelchair Travel Shop by a mile, the “Wheelchair Must Be Loaded Upright” luggage tag is your last line of defense against wheelchair damage — it’s a way to remind baggage handlers to treat your wheelchair with the respect it deserves. My supply is running low, so make sure to get yours before they’re gone!
From the Archives (In Case You Missed It)
These popular articles appeared in a previous newsletter — if you haven’t taken a look yet, give them a read!
Baseball Team Says Disabled Fans Are Not Entitled to the “Best Seats in the House”
An attorney for a Major League Baseball team presented a morally bankrupt argument — that disabled people should have no expectation of equal access.
Check out these articles too:
Harry Potter Studio Tour London, Wheelchair Accessibility — Harry Potter fans traveling to London can visit the wheelchair accessible Warner Bros. Studio Tour, which has preserved Hogwarts for all to see.
Wheelchair Accessible Tour of Old Quebec City — Reflections on a guided tour of Old Quebec City, with information on the wheelchair accessibility of sights and attractions.
Why I Leave the Airport During Layovers at LAX — Long layover at LAX? There is a better way to spend your time than waiting in the airport terminal, and it’s one of the worst-kept secrets out there.
How I Afford to Fly First Class Without Breaking the Bank — Points and miles democratize travel. They allow everyday people like you and me to travel more and travel better without spending loads of money, and you don’t have to fly (or go bankrupt) to earn them. Find out how I earn the points to pay for travel.
That’s all for now, friends! See you next week in the Premium Newsletter, or next month in the standard issue!