As a lot of people who follow me on Instagram and Twitter will have seen, this year I was an ambassador at Naidex which was held at the NEC at the end of April. I initially went there purely to show Brett the chair we're now doing a fundraiser for, RGK's amazing Tiga FX which for travelling, and being able to continue to bring you guys more content on accessible luxury travel and lifestyle, is absolutely perfect for! But whilst at Naidex, I discovered so much more than what I thought I would when it comes to accessible travel.
You see, whilst World Travel Market is great for me to be able to get contacts so that I can do reviews of airlines, hotels, resorts, train companies etc. It isn't great if you want to find truly accessible travel products. We've all been there where a hotel has said a room is 'accessible' and it's not. It's one of my biggest bugbears and the reason why I stay in suites, because all suites tend to be at least partially accessible even if not labelled as such.
One company I met whilst there was INeedAHolidayToo, who not only organise everything from cruise holidays, to resort stays and city breaks, they also have their very own truly accessible apartments in Brittany, France. It's something that I'm aiming to go and review for you guys at some point. Whilst visiting their stand, I got to meet the lovely Kathryn from DisabledDarlingNotDead, and discuss that very bugbear that almost all of us have faced when travelling!
If travelling to resorts isn't for you however, and you want to do you own road trip and go off the beaten track, I discovered that there are actually wheelchair accessible caravans and motorhomes! Brook Miller were showing off their Liberation range at Naidex this year, and the features are second to none! Not only is the motorhome/caravan able to be built bespoke to your needs - you can get anything and everything from wet rooms to tracking hoists on the Liberation range, but the prices are comparable to that of a normal standard caravan/motorhome!
Even more exciting for those wanting to explore new heights and go off the beaten track, is that there is an off-roading trike out there for wheelchair users to be able to experience mountainous areas, beaches, and lots more places that would be difficult to navigate in a standard wheelchair! The Mountain Trike is something that after experiencing for myself at Naidex, I would absolutely love to be able to hire one weekend so that I can review it for you guys! The hire is extremely reasonable too, starting from £100 for a weekend plus courier fees. The only thing I would say, is that it will take some getting used to when you use it, as it's nothing like propelling yourself in a manual wheelchair! Instead it is operated with two levers, which is great for making sure that you have relatively mud/sand free hands on your trip!
Overall, Naidex was extremely successful, and with lots more things to now look into reviewing for you all, I've got to start putting plans into action! Of course, I'm still also losing weight, and I will be celebrating that with several special treats to myself! If you've seen the Amazon Haul video I posted a few days ago, you'll know what one of them is!