SNN_December_2023

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 29
Anyone Want to Travel?
Hamish Ramsden is back with another informative and engaging column.
—Hamish Ramsden
At times I really wonder
why I bother to go through
the stress of it all.
extra cost of this, but I don’t like to compromise too much
if I can avoid this.
GOOD MAN—Hamish Ramsden is always
keen to put his hand up to help others.
Published author Hamish Ramsden is a
regular columnist for the Spinal Network
News. He has a unique take on life and a very
dry sense of humour.
Travelling is a joy, or it is meant to be, but it is also the
cause of a lot of stress and expenditure. So why do we
even bother to do it? We do so because we want to see new
things, catch up with friends or relatives, catch that show
or sports game or to just get the hell out of town. In theory,
if we can financially afford it, the more we do travel the
easier it should get. I think that is probably true as when
there is so much involved in doing the exercise, if you
leave it too long between “drinks” the old confidence
factor can diminish somewhat.
So, when I am about to go travelling, I pull out the list of 51
items that I have on my phone and go through them one
by one, to make sure I have got all the medical stuff
etcetera that I need. This list does not even include my
clothes or shoes or grooming stuff, so it is a wonder that I
can manage to make it all work at all. Travelling in the car
is generally a lot easier as I can throw things in and since I
keep some spare stuff in the car all courtesy of living in
Christchurch and being earthquake prepared, I am
generally not too worried when we take off that I have
forgotten something. Slightly different story when I am
flying as space limits what you can pack unless you are
prepared to pay for excess baggage.
I always have to take a carer with me or have one
organised at my destination. Generally, if I can manage it,
I like to take one with me as it means they can help with
the actual travelling bit but also they can be on-call if I
need anything while I’m away. Of course, there is the
Driving is generally okay. Since I cannot drive myself, I
have to rely on my support person doing it for me. This
can lead to some interesting times as no one ever drives or
does anything the same way as your good old self. There
is no point bringing too much up in conversation unless
you really are feeling in danger, as it just tends to tense
the driver up even more and they drive even more
erratically. So ultimately you both end up at your
destination slightly frazzled.
Flying is one of those things that you need to do often to
ensure that you remain feeling confident in the process
and the stress levels don’t get too high, as there is always a
lot of stuff that can go wrong. For example, you cannot
turn up at your destination without your essential
medical gear or medications. If your bag goes missing, it
is not that easy to replace, especially on a weekend. Add
to all of this is the fact that (if your situation dictates it)
you have to get hoisted by the Eagle lift (on Air NZ) plane
in a sling to get in and out of your snug airline seat which
is conveniently situated in row three. You are not allowed
to be seated in the first row where there is a lot of room, as
you are blocking the emergency exit. Yay for rules!
Generally, the airport staff are okay and if you are lucky,
you will get someone who has actually helped someone in
a wheelchair before. But I will never get used to the sight
of them rolling their eyes when they see me wheel
through the door and I can see them thinking, excellent, I
am really looking forward to this. So, it is important as a
community service, that we do keep travelling as often as
possible so that they do not lose their confidence or their
skill base, even if we feel that we are doing all the training
with them every time we travel.
Travelling is expensive, not only in time but also in cost
and often that will restrict, or limit it, or how extensively
you can manage to do it. At times I really wonder why I
bother to go through the stress of it all. Mostly I am
always pleased I/we have made the effort and the feeling
when you get home and can say “I ticked that one off” and
there is that moment of exuberance which lulls you into
the sense that it will be no problem doing it all again.