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TRAVELLING : PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS

      
Never forget your battery charger, its small and handy to charge anywhere 220V

In all my travellingexperiences of the past, by hitchhiking, by plane, by train, by car... I have learned to spot the right people to communicate with and I always found the best places to rest. I speak four languages fluently and have developed the talent of adapting fast in many varying circumstances.
This obviously helped a lot when I decided to go travelling independantly with my wheelchair but still brought about many unforeseen circumstances.
With the plane to Kenya without personnal assistant was the worse trip I ever made in my life and made me decide “never again alone”.
A mobile home for wheelchairusers costs a small fortune, therefore I choose a van in which I can “live” (semi-mobile home) with enough space for a good bed, the wheelchair, a small energy system to provide me with 220 volts electricity - to charge batteries wheelchair, computer and mobile phone and, a hot water bottle , a small gascooker, books, DVD’s .....

It took me a long time to find a decent hygiënic solution to replace a classic toilet. I tried a chemical one which turned out a real stinking hassle taking up a lot of valuable space making me ask embarrassed for help to get rid of my excrements. Now I use an empty plastic bottle with a funnel  - which I clean with the water of a full bottle - and a plastic bag in a bucket for the rest - which I close and dispose of immidiately after use – one always finds public dustbins in the streets. The painful hassle of having to overcome many obstacles whilst in great hurry for finding a toilet is over now. Obviously in shopping centers or other places with wheelchairaccessible toilets I will gladly use the offered facilities.
Showers are another important feature whilst travelling, for this I need to stay in a camping (at 15 euros a day), go to a swimming pool or visit kind friends.

The bedding gets a sunbath almost daily (the sun is an ideal “bugburner”). When I have a chance to find an accessible public laundry once in a while all bedding (three woolen blankets/sheets) and curtains gets washed.