Assistance – If you need it, request it.

Last week I helped a friend travelling on their own to book a flight. Now, as a travel agent I am always happy to help but normally do not get involved in friends booking their own flights unless they ask. This friend is slightly different as he was returning back to Spain after a long episode in hospital and I need to make sure he had the right assistance in place so he could be as independent as possible.

The airline was fantastic and looked after him from the moment he arrived at check in until he was met by his mum at the airport. He couldn’t thank me enough for helping and even treated me to lunch at the beach yesterday as a thank you.

I have many guests that require assistance, regardless of their condition, if I can make someones holiday just that bit simpler by making sure they have the assistance or cabin required, it does make a difference. But you would be surprised of the amount of guests that do not ask for assistance and then when they are at the airport it is too late to arrange.

Earlier in the year I was speaking to some regular guests of mine and both of this couple are wheelchair bound. Having both actively served in the forces and retiring due to injury, they are still both young and wish to see as much of the world as possible and without limitations. I have booked several cruises for them and again, always make sure that we have arranged all the necessary arrangements for assistance for not just the flights but also the cruise line. My guests have always received excellent care and attention whenever they have travelled except recently in Australia.

They did a different type of holiday and had this arranged for a while and not booked through myself, but they are not strangers to long haul travel and I was shocked to hear how they was treated at one of the world’s largest airports – Sydney. They did receive assistance to a degree but was left at immigration and treated in the most horrendous way, being asked to remove artificial limbs so they could be checked and not offering a private room for this to be done. I was really shocked and upset that anyone could treat someone like this, especially people in authority. But apart from this humiliation and lack of further assistance in Sydney, I am pleased to say that they have never experienced this before in any other place.

Many moons ago, I did write a blog on accessible cabins with cruise lines – I still feel the same by the way! How Many?

So if you need assistance, no matter how small or big it may seem, ask and we will of course always get this arranged for you.

Dawn x