Off to Amsterdam

My scooter's bigger than yours

Big tires help!

Hello to travelers everywhere!
 This blog is edited by Loren and Dina in hopes of aiding fellow world travelers. We also want to encourage travelers with limited mobility to take on new adventures and share what they find.

First some background: We live in Portland, Oregon and have our own business (Hi-Tech Manufacturing) Dina has MS and limited use of her legs. She uses an electric scooter for mobility. She also has a ramp van and drives with hand controls when we are in the US.

I am ambulatory, but have had back surgery and have to be careful when lifting. So, this blog is going to be written from the perspective of a handicap traveler looking to travel without the benefit of a tour group but with the help of an able bodied spouse or significant other.

We are in our early 60's and enjoy good health otherwise. Delta was our choice to fly to Europe since they have the only non-stop flight from Portland to Europe and we avoided the hassle of a plane change and the bother of a transfer.

Loren: Prior to leaving, I had spent some time changing the wheels on Dina's scooter to pneumatic tires instead of a hard rubber/foam filled system. I also used slightly larger tires.

After our last trips to Europe, we decided it was worth changing the tires to gain some cushioning on the cobblestone streets. They had the added benefit of being able to drive over small curbs!

We flew KLM/Delta over night to Amsterdam's Schiphol airport arriving at 8:30 AM. Our seats were near the center of the plane near the restroom. We decided to stay up as long as possible to get onto the local time right away.