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Adventure of a lifetime – South Africa: Part I

Adventure of a lifetime- South Africa, accessible travelling, travel with a wheelchair

Adventure of a lifetime – that’s how I would call my trip to South Africa. I hope to experience many more beautiful moments and explore various new places thanks to my Blumil electric wheelchair, but I know wherever I go, South Africa will remain engraved in my heart. I always talk about my love for Barcelona, and I  call it my favourite place, but there’s a simple reason behind: South Africa’s just too far away to become my go-to travel destination. Still, if I were to choose my favourite place on the Earth, South Africa would be on the top of the list. It’s the most diverse country I’ve seen: I found everything I was looking for there. I spend two weeks there and these were, hands down, one of the best weeks of my life. RSA has so much to offer that two weeks seemed like two days – diversity and abundance of life around us was astonishing. Since I have so much to tell, it’s the first part of my South Africa story – one post wouldn’t be enough to describe all wonders I saw there. What to do, what to see and how accessible South Africa really is – all about it below!

 

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Inspiring wheelchair users

Inspiring wheelchair users

Somebody once said great things take time and time will pass anyway and these are words I have been living by as long as I can remember. I’ve learned to be patient and give my best, no matter how difficult is the path ahead of me. I believe hard work and time are the best things one can give to any project. Blumil electric wheelchair is a fruit of years of patience, perseverance, effort, and sacrifices. Creating the prototype? 5 years. Actually producing Blumil electric wheelchairs? Another two years. 7 years in total makes the number of 84 months of going on despite obstacles and problems. Was it challenging? Yes. Was it tiring? At times. Was it worth it? Absolutely. After all, now Blumil’s no longer a vision to make true – it’s the reality.

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In a touristic paradise – Thailand (on a manual and electric wheelchair)

Thailand, Thailand, Thailand… every time I see the rating of travel destinations, Thailand’s somewhere in top 10. Overrated? Underrated? That was a question I asked myself back in 2010 when I decided to visit it. What did I find? A touristic paradise – and I mean what I say. Stunning landscapes, lively metropolises, sandy beaches? Thailand has it all! From the moment I set my eyes on the diverse mosaic of Thai world, I knew I would fall in love with the place.  Friendly people cropped up in every corner, and the word “accessible” was more than an empty promise, so manual and electric wheelchair users can enjoy it as much as I did.  What are the flavors of Thailand? What can you discover there and what does accessibility mean in the Thai hotel industry dictionary? More about it below!

 

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What are the main types of wheelchairs?

main types of wheelchairs

What are the main types of wheelchairs?  That’s a question many people ask, and answers are often not so obvious. The market’s filled with many options and it’s easy to get lost in an incredible variety of everything it has to offer. Many years ago, when I bought my first wheelchair, the number of possible choices I could make was quite limited. Luckily, things have changed and the range of offers keeps growing each month. Blumil embodies all-terrain, off-road electric wheelchairs, but it’s not the only type of wheelchairs on the market. How many options does the wheelchair industry have in store for us? Find out below!

 

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Where to eat in Warsaw? Top 9 places to visit

Mirror, mirror on the wall – what’s the best place of them all? Where to eat in Warsaw? Poland’s capital city might not be the largest European metropolis, but it’s vibrant and abundant in restaurants and cafés, and quite a lot are accessible. Anywhere you go, there’s a food heaven waiting for you. Since I’ve been living in Warsaw for years, I’ve eaten in many places. Cooking is definitely one of the things I truly enjoy, but from time to time it’s good to change something. As they say: variety’s a spice of life. There are lots of wonderful dining places in Warsaw, but the degree of their accessibility varies. Since I have Blumil, my all-terrain wheelchair, accessing less accessible places is not a problem, but I decided not to mention them here. Accessibility’s never out of style. Below you can read about my top 8 places to visit if you want to eat out in Warsaw!

 

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Planning an accessible trip

Planning an accessible trip is not half as complicated as it seems. All it requires is a little bit of traveling knowledge and good organizational skills, and practice makes perfect. I’ve been often asked how to successfully craft a plan of an accessible trip and as much as details would differ depending on a given location, there is one formula which, I believe, never fails: arm yourself with information. The more you know, the safer you are. If you research your options, it’s also easier to come up with a backup plan if something goes wrong. The knowledge’s your secret weapon, so don’t leave yourself unarmed. That’s my number one advice, but I have more secrets to share, and they will be slightly more practical. Below I’ll share with you a large share of my travel tips – accessible traveling’s within your reach!

 

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Tourism without barriers

Tourism without barriers is not just an idea we hold on to until the better tomorrow comes.  It’s more than a dream flickering in front of our eyes when we let our minds wander. It’s the vision we can bring into life if we work together. One voice may be only a whisper in the crowd, but the crowd of whisperers will be heard, and perhaps listened to.  Watching beautiful Polish mountains and cities full of history, I was filled with a sense of regret. Why? Most of these lovely places are impossible to access on a regular wheelchair. Even electric wheelchairs cannot be transported easily, due to their significant weight. Since I have become a proud owner of my Blumil, I have been able to experience freedom when I travel, but not everybody’s that lucky.

 

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Under the Italian sky: Part II

Under the Italian sky, the history’s coming back to life in thousands of colors. Every road is filled with memories of the Roman Empire and as you drive further into the country you can almost feel the Roman infantry marching behind you. It’s a wonderful experience, but Italy has got much more to offer. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the past and forget the gifts of the present and that’s why I decided not only to taste a little bit of history but also explore the Italian motorization and nature. If  I was to make a list of things I absolutely love motorization would make it to my list, and it would probably be in the top 5.   Since Italy’s famous for Lamborghini and Ferrari, I knew I would visit their factories. After all, Italy and cars go together exceptionally well, but me and cars… even better! That’s precisely what you can accept from this post – it’s going to be all about cars and nature. My inner architecture lover had its time in the first part of the post, but now my need for speed’s taking over! Discover another face of Italy and get surprised  – accessibility, to-dos, and travel tips are all waiting for you below!

 

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Under the Italian sky: Part I

Under the Italian sky, everything feels fresh and evergreen. The colours come in different shades, but they blend into a spring-like mix of vibrating life and laidback vibes. Rushing under the Italian sky is against the rules; you have to stop by, even if just for a second and appreciate everything that’s around you. Trust me: been there, done that. My trip to Italy started in a lovely Bergamo, where my plane landed. The city’s a stone’s throw away from Milan, so it makes quite a great stop, especially considering it’s popular among low-fare airlines. Wallet-friendly travelling’s always in style, especially in Italy. My main objective – as always – was to explore as much as I could, but there was a specific theme: landmarks. The land of pasta, The Roman Empire and Ferraris has a lot to offer, but I wanted to check the hype behind the most famous, the most loved, the most photographed Italian touristic attractions. Leaving Bergamo, I headed straight to Milan, stopped at Pisa and Florence and that was just the beginning. What did I do and where did I head? How wheelchair friendly Italy actually was?  All answers are waiting for you below!

 

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Relaxing spa – weekend in the countryside

Blumil rides in the countryside

Once upon a time, my countryside trips would be limited to exploring whatever was a stone’s throw away from the hotel. Going off the beaten track was impossible: both my old manual and electric wheelchair wasn’t cut out for country adventures. While my friends were off to enjoy the nature, I would be looking at everything through a window.  Luckily, everything changed once I got my Blumil electric wheelchair. You see, unlike regular wheelchairs, Blumil’s very light and it’s easy to navigate it – even when the terrain’s  challenging. That’s what freedom feels like – I can go anywhere and do about anything. Most of the times my friends are the ones who need to catch up with me –  my Blumil’s faster than you would think. Doesn’t it sound perfect for countryside trips?  I thought it did so I packed my bags and headed to “Herbarium”. What’s that?  It’s a hotel and spa centre located in Chomiąża Szlachecka, Poland. Not too close, yet not too far away from Warsaw where I love, it made a perfect weekend getaway destination.

Let’s put it under the microscope!

 

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