Everybody needs a vacation from time to time, and people with Parkinson's and their primary caregivers are no exception.
With some careful planning, these interludes can provide a restful respite from the daily drudgery of coping with PD, especially when Canada's wintery weather limits our outdoor mobility and dulls our mood.
And given †he progressive nature of PD, most coping with this ailment find it's wiser to travel sooner than later. We just aren't sure how mobile we may be in five or ten years.
Many of us have drawn up a 'bucket list' of destinations we would like to visit.
They were likely on our list of retirement dreams. Those plans now have a sense of urgency given PD's unrelenting march, be it slow or quick.
Since I was diagnosed with PD seven years ago, travel has been a key component of the plans my wife Vicki and I make for the future. Our five-year horizon has many trips, both long and short.
What we found very quickly is that there are types of vacations that are much more suited to people with physical challenges. For example:
-- Cruises are ideal. The idea of packing and unpacking once is perfect, and the world comes to your door, rather than vice-versa. Cruise lines are well-prepared to meet the needs of the disabled. You can be flexible in your planning; if you're energetic, you can sample today's port of call. If you're tired, you can curl up in a deck chair or your cabin with a good book.
--Destination travel to resorts also works well. Like cruising, you unpack and pack once. Usually food, recreational and activities are onsite; further excursions are optional and usually can accommodate the disabled.
--Direct flights avoid troublesome and challenging airport transfers, especially those featuring long distances between gates.
--Long bus tours ( i.e, ,Europe in 14 days) and arduous hiking or cycling trips sh ould be avoided by all but the most fit.
--River cruising -- one of the more recently popular modes of seeing European cities and sites -- can include a lot of walking. Make sure you know what' s involved before you go.
--Make sure you have more than enough meds for your trrip. Finding what you need in a foreign land may be next to impossible.
--Long trips by car can be done, but at a more leisurely pace with frequent rest and stretching stops.
There's no reason to curtail the plans you made to enjoy your life prior to PD. It just requires some different planning and attention to details like ensuring your hotel room is accessible and no't at the end of a three-storey staircase.
How do I know all this? Well, I'm writing this from the deck of my hotel room overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in Cancun. A cooling breeze wafts off the ocean beach below. I'm doing research for this piece. Did I hear it's snowing and -9 C. in Calgary right now? Adios amigo!
