Safer, easier travel with complex needs
Travel products have to work in real vehicles, airports, hotels, and family routines. These reviews focus on safety, wheelchair access, setup effort, portability, and the practical details caregivers need to know before leaving home.
Travel, vehicle and safety reviews
- Freedom Motors Rear-Entry Chevy Traverse — wheelchair-accessible transportation used by our family.
- TRIXIE Two-Fold Ramp — a dog ramp we adapted to solve a wheelchair-loading problem.
- CARES Child Aviation Restraint — a compact airplane safety solution.
- Mackenzie Rainbow Backpack — a durable travel and daily-use bag Renee loves.
Plan for the whole journey
Getting into a vehicle, carrying equipment, flying and keeping supplies close are separate travel problems. Our reviews cover each part of that routine. Begin with the place and task where you need help, rather than treating every item in this category as a general travel solution.
Wheelchair access: the Freedom Motors Traverse review discusses a rear-entry conversion. Consider the parking space needed behind the vehicle, the ramp approach, passenger seating and the room remaining for equipment. The earlier TRIXIE review records our family’s equipment-loading workaround using a pet product. It is not a wheelchair-certified ramp or a general recommendation for carrying a person; a purpose-built access solution needs its own suitability checks.
Air travel: the CARES review concerns an aircraft restraint, not a car restraint. Check the current manufacturer’s eligibility and fit instructions and your airline’s requirements before a trip. Our experience cannot confirm compatibility with every passenger or aircraft seat.
Supplies within reach: our Mackenzie backpack review explains how the bag clips to the back of Renee’s wheelchair. It also describes our new-school-year tradition of choosing another bag, even when the previous one is still usable. Think about the volume of supplies you carry and access to the compartments, as well as the print or color.
For the seating equipment itself, see Mobility, Seating & Positioning. For screen mounting on car trips, see Technology & Communication.