Travel Tips Part 1: Background

A few months ago, someone asked me to post some tips for travelling as an amputee. Being on my leg for just under a year, I wasn't sure I was qualified to start giving anyone "tips", however, my last six months have gone something like this:

BNE to DBX
DBX to NBO
NBO to JRO
ARK to ZNZ
ZNZ to NBO
NBO to DBX
DBX to BNE

BNE to SIN
SIN to CDG
...and back again.

BNE to DBX
DBX to CDG
...and back again.

BNE to SYD
SYD to JNB
...and back again.

BNE to LAX
LAX to LAS
LAS to BLI
YVR to DFW
DFW to BNA (not a typo)
BNA to LAX
LAX to BNE

I've been through airport security with my prosthetic leg in Australia, Asia, the UAE, Northeast Africa, South Africa, Canada and perhaps most frightening, the USA, both domestically and internationally.

During those trips I also travelled by 4WD in the bush, wet-launch zodiac(s), ferries, overland trains, subways, buses, hired cars and carrier pigeon.

I've stayed in tents with tricky midnight trips to the bathroom, hotels with every possible shower configuration (including an outdoor tree shower) and other people's homes.

It's now been just over one year since I received it, but all-in-all, I'm pretty comfortable travelling with a prosthetic leg.

Each travel situation offers its own unique set of challenges. A few points to consider:

1) I don't travel with crutches, walking sticks or hiking poles of any sort.

2) I don't take "special rooms" in hotels designed for people with disabilities (because there are people who really need those).

3) I don't request any special equipment for managing unfamiliar showers, even though I don't wear my prosthesis (impractical, the liners wouldn't dry in time).

Over the next few posts, I'll discuss some of my "lessons learned" for travelling with a lower limb prosthesis. I hope this can help someone out there and as always, please feel free to post your own comments/suggestions!

-- Mobile post