I have not lost my desire to travel, but I really want to avoid flying if at all possible. I am not a patient person so long car trips drive me crazy but compared to the hassle to flying and trying to fit everything into a small suitcase (I am an overpacker, what can I say) and getting through security and having to be there early etc. I really would rather just drive.
But I also travel with an
ECV so that adds a degree of difficulty to everything. I would say that has changed the way I look at travel and some of my excitement. For instance I have always wanted to go on cruises and explore other places but with many places not handicapped friendly I am not as excited to cruise.
My sister wanted me to go to NY with her in a few weeks and if I were able bodied it would have been piece of cake-- hop on a plane and have fun being tourists all over NY. Instead I had to consider that the tour bus she wanted to use is not easily hc accessible (Have to make arrangements in advance, can't just show up), that the distance we would go each day might be more than my battery could handle, that many buildings, while meeting the legal requirements, are really not EASY to get into and get around in and all the other things that go along with that. While I ultimately didn't make the decision not to go because of this (I had surgery last week and can't fly) it was a huge factor when I was trying to decide.
Overall I am a homebody. I like my own bed. But I do have a desire to drive all over the country and see everything and would love to visit many places in the world. But it is such a pain now that I am not sure it is worth it. If we had Star Trek transporters then I would be all over that!
Oh, it makes me so sad to read this. There's a definite knack to traveling with an ECV, but once you get the hang of it, it really doesn't have to be a limitation at all! My dad has used one for ten years and he travels more now than ever before. Please don't give up on travel just because of the ECV.
Dad and I currently live in a 27 foot travel trailer. I don't know how much you're able to get around without the
scooter, but Dad does fine in and around the RV, and we keep the ECV in the car (we have a 2007 Ford Expedition). We're full-timers, so we rarely spend more than a couple of weeks in any one place.
But we also love cruising, train travel...not big on flying because of the TSA debacle, but we do it when we want to go somewhere that requires it. Just in the past two years, we've done an Alaska cruise followed by a month of backpacking through interior Alaska (with multiple train rides thrown in), a fall foliage cruise from NYC into Canada followed by a week in a youth hostel in NYC, a month in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, an Eastern Caribbean cruise where we participated in a shortened version of the America's Cup Regatta, and a Christmas tour of the Southeast US. We're in Orlando right now for
HHN, Food and Wine and a Passholder event at WWOHP, then we're taking off for Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg followed by a stay in New Orleans. We'll be back in New Orleans again for Mardi Gras, then heading out West and back to Alaska.
How big is your ECV? Dad's is small enough that it fits into a regular cabin on a cruise ship (though we book handicapped accessible cabins when we can), parks easily next to the bunk beds in a hostel, and disassembles to go in the trunk of a cab. As for the battery charge length, don't give it a second thought--just go on the lookout for outlets. He's recharged his over dinner at a nice restaurant, outside attractions at WDW, in an internet cafe in St. Thomas...it's not a full charge, but if you put an hour or so on a few times a day, it'll keep you going for a long time. I think Dad's record was 7 am until 3 am, just spot charging like I mentioned.
It is true that different countries have different levels of accessibility--but that's just part of the fun! We've found that locals are super friendly and helpful...and your scooter can go absolutely anywhere when 4 or 5 big guys are there to lift it over whatever obstacles! A memory foam cushion on the seat helps smooth out the ride over cobblestones and uneven surfaces, and a plastic poncho protects it from rain.
Are you able to walk at all? Dad has found that using a cane helps him immensely. If there's something he wants to see that is flatly inaccessible to scooters, he takes the cane and goes...he may feel it the next day, but he follows the advice of his psychologist: "Sometimes you're going to do something, and it's going to hurt like heck...but it'll be so worth it!" His doctor does want him to walk as much as possible.
Are there inconveniences? Absolutely. Does traveling with an ECV introduce new challenges? Without a doubt. But Dad says he feels like the ECV gave him his life back, not the other way around.
. Many times when we were raising our young family our needs certainly came before our wants. However we still tried to manage economical trips occasionally so the kids could not only have the fun experience, but gain the knowledge. 
! Sadly we've seen too many seniors get in a rut and grown old before their time 
!! Life is short and we try to live it to the fullest as we never know what tomorrow will bring. 
at the too crowded, too hot and people annoy me.
Things will get better in time.
I didn't know you were going through some bad times right now.. If there's anything I can do, feel free to PM me..
