Traveling Soon?

Traveling can be a major hassle for people with arthritis. A survey conducted by CreakyJoints showed that 40 percent of the respondents altered their travel plans because of their arthritis. CreakyJoints spoke with the Marriott Hotel Corp. and American Airlines to find out what they offered for people with arthritis and how they can make travels more pleasurable.

Marriott Hotels offers many different amenities for people with arthritis. They pride themselves on the ability to help people on an individual basis. By simply calling them they can meet your needs; whether it¹s a ride to the local zoo or a room that is situated in the hotel that requires less walking. Also available at the hotels are swimming pools, exercise facilities, valet parking, and saunas. People can search for these items on the website (www.marriott.com) and find the hotel that has the amenities one is looking for. The Marriott does an exceptional job of meeting the needs of all the guests.

Believe it or not the airline industry even has pleasurable pursuits for people with arthritis. CreakyJoints contacted American Airlines and asked what they offered for people living with arthritis. Although an airline is limited to the amount of accommodations they can offer, American Airlines says it tries to do a good job of catering to the needs of people with disabilities. The most beneficial luxury for people with arthritis is the American Airlines coach seating. American Airlines coach seats have a six-inch further spread than any other airline. They also offer the customer the ability to speak with an agent and find a flight that has a lower percentage of delays. The customer can call and have the agent search specific flights, including the route, and find the mean delay rate of that particular flight. This can help avoid sitting on the skirt for two hours. American Airlines also assures us that if they have advanced warnings that the plane will be sitting on the skirt for a long period of time they will not load the plane. By telling the agent you suffer from arthritis they can also pick a day with slow air traffic, this again lowers the chance of delays.

While these accommodations can make travel more pleasurable for people with arthritis, it only works if people take advantage of these opportunities. This could mean waking up a half-hour early to hit the pool or talking to an airline agent; stuff that we look forward to every day.

You should also consider the following when making your travel plans:

Hotels:
• A room close to the front desk or close to elevators (less walking)
• Valet parking
• A room with a whirlpool
• Hotel with health club ­ 24-hours is best
• Hotel with spa is better
• Premium mattresses. Some hotels offer rooms with TempurPedic or Duxiana mattresses
• In-room massage

Airlines:
• Legroom seat. American Airlines has the best legroom of any in coach. If you ask for an exit row and say you have arthritis the agent may not let you sit there. You may be judged incapable of helping people in an emergency. In this case ask for the bulkhead.
• A ride to the gate
• Requesting flights with a low mean delay rating.

For additional tips, read our earlier article on Traveling With Arthritis.