Traveling: Hotel Ideas?

[Becia]

So my body has decided that it doesn't want to cooperate at the moment, so I'm laying in bed doing some planning and dreaming.

I found out today that my state disability has been approved, and I am receiving a lump sum for the past months while everything has been processing. This is not the federal though; but Ohio has a state amount of $115 per month that I finally qualified for (along with permanent Medicaid, yay). This lump sum is a pretty good amount, and since I've been pretty decent at reducing my bills the past year since I stopped working, I don't have a whole ton that I owe people at the moment

The responsible thing would be to put the extra away in the bank and not touch it... But the "please help me get out of this mood" in me is saying "Go home for a week." Home is actually Texas. I don't think I could go for too long, maybe just a week or a few days extra of one, just enough to recharge my batteries from here, see some friends and family, visit my brothers grave, see a few sights. Just step away from the life I know now as constant doctors appointments and lonely. I haven't been back since I left going in 6 years ago.

I've asked my friends about who might be able to accommodate me and a wheelchair, but I started thinking about where to stay. Staying with some friends I'm sure isn't too big a deal, but when it comes down to it, I'm beginning to think a hotel might be a good idea. It might be nice to have a place to rest away from the busy of being with people at the end of the day, where I can have a more accessible shower, etc. Kinda like a "trigger-free zone". I've got great friends, but some of the houses are not very wheelchair friendly, so I know I will be wearing myself out there, and if I need to use my chair like at night to get to the bathroom, I may not be able to. And if I've remembered correctly, I can bring my Iv fluids with me, and do my treatments there too (which would help keep me from crashing too bad).

Since it's a very large city, I have lots of available places to chose from, but just narrowing down price and accessibility. Is there anything in particular y'all look for when traveling? I found one of those mini-suite places that has a kitchen in it, and thought that would be awesome, I could certainly save on some food costs by hitting up my favorite grocery store with a friend (but i do plan to eat out a couple times, you can't go home without hitting up the old favorites).

Ideas? Thoughts? This may all be a pipe dream in the end, but in case it does work out decently... I wanna be prepared, so this is a good trip and not one that I feel I tortured myself to do in the end.

[bunny]

Have you thought about how you're going to get there? For me, the travel itself can sometimes be the worst part.

Back in February I had to stand in line for 80+ minutes at JFK airport because of the TSA's incompetence. The blizzard just happened and this was the first day the airports were back open...TSA had ONE security lane going for the entire terminal, and decided to shut down that lane for 15+ minutes for a shift change. Normally I don't need a wheelchair, but I was wishing i had one that day. Kept going between sitting on my carry-on & the floor. Really wanted to lay down but there was nowhere for me to do so. It certainly made me reconsider the necessity of a wheelchair in such situations. I've also since enrolled in US CBP's Global Entry program which will allow me to bypass the security / immigration lines most of the time.

Similarly, I'm only good for a few hours at a time in the car. Depends on the car, how I'm feeling in advance, and if I'm driving or not.

Hotel-wise, my preference is for Marriott's Residence Inns. Free breakfast always, and many of them also offer free dinner. They also have kitchens/kitchenettes and will even do the grocery shopping for you. Every one I've stayed in recent years has accessible rooms as well. Definitely not the cheapest, but they've treated me well. Most of the properties have been renovated over the past 2 or so years as well.

I usually pick the hotel based on brand & what's nearby. I usually try to stay within a reasonable distance of a grocery store/bodega and an office supply store/Kinkos for any work-related things which might crop up. The past 3 hotels I've stayed in had grocery stores / bodegas within 3 blocks.

[Becia]

As of right now, flying is my only option. The flights I've researched have all been fairly seamless, just getting the dates scheduled is a problem. I'm opting for one that leaves a bit later in the day, that way no morning trigger fest, and that are as little stops as possible. I will be using my wheelchair in the airport, since I can only stand a few minutes at a time.

I will look at Marriott near my areas. I'm still debating if I'm want t fly into my hometown where I have friends, or if I'm gonna fly into where my cousins and uncle are. I'm trying to split my time between both areas, so I can see people, but have been entertaining the idea of just going to one location and people come see me, since travel is a bit hard.