Written by John Morris, WheelchairTravel.org, August 16, 2024
My Olympic journey of some two weeks ended this past Sunday, and I skipped town just before the closing ceremony commenced.
I made last-minute edits and sent last week’s newsletter from just outside Parc des Princes, the iconic football stadium in Paris where the women’s soccer gold medal match was held. As I hit send, I heard a woman say from just a few steps away, “Hey! Are you the accessible travel guy?”
Indeed I am, and I was delighted to have a chance meeting with Wheelchair Travel reader Margy and her husband, who were also attending what proved to be an incredible soccer match. Our seats were in the same section — in the first row at midfield (the best seats I’ve ever had at a soccer game!) — and it was fun to chat a bit about accessible travel and the Olympic Games. If you ever see me at an airport, on the sidewalk, or outside a football stadium, be sure to say hello!
The U.S. women faced off against Brazil, and notched a thrilling 1-0 victory to win the Olympic Gold Medal. The Star Spangled Banner filled the stadium, and the flag of the United States of America was raised. It was a thrilling way to end my Olympic Games, due not only to the amazing performance on the field, but in the atmosphere created by supporters of the United States and Brazil.
The Olympic Village and Medical Tourism
U.S. Women’s Rugby player and Olympic bronze medalist Ariana Ramsey made headlines last week after she learned that Olympic and Paralympic athletes receive free healthcare services in the Olympic and Paralympic Village. Her TikTok video sharing the news went viral, and was picked up by media outlets around the world.
Ramsey made appointments with the Olympic Village optometrist, gynecologist, and dentist, where she received care free of charge. As Sports Illustrated reported, Ramsey said the experience has inspired her to “fight for universal healthcare.”
The topic of healthcare is a politically charged football (rugby ball?) in the United States, and politicians’ inability to agree on policy has left Americans with a broken, inefficient and incredibly expensive healthcare system. While I decline to take political positions in this travel newsletter, Americans on both sides of the political aisle agree that the status quo is unacceptable.
But since the politics in America are so entrenched, and spots on the Olympic and Paralympic team rosters are limited, what can we do?
Well, let me tell you about my own Medical Tourism story.
There are no truly comprehensive dental insurance plans in the United States (at least not that I’ve found) and, if you require anything more than a teeth cleaning, Americans routinely expect to pay a small fortune. The cost of dental care in America is among the highest in the world and, seeing the opportunity to save some money, I traveled to Budapest, Hungary after the Olympics to take care of a few things.
The dental practice I went to had a fantastic cleaning technology — Airflow, which eliminated the need for the scraping of teeth with harsh metal instruments, and instead used a high pressure jet stream of water to achieve the same, if not better, result. The nearly painless cleaning was done in short order and, even though non-emergency procedures done abroad are not covered by my insurance policy, it cost only $150 out-of-pocket. I needed a few teeth fillings as well, and those were reasonably priced at about $100 each — a significant discount from what my local dentist charges (who could not see me until October).
I anticipate returning to Budapest for future dental work, and was amazed by the care and professionalism exhibited by my Hungarian dentist. In the office, I saw other patients from around the world who were likewise drawn there by the speed of service and affordable price point.
More Americans than ever are traveling abroad for medical care — If you have done so, I would love to hear about your experience!
The perfect intra-Europe flight?
I write often about the challenges wheelchair users face in air travel — everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for me at one time or another, and some of the world’s worst treatment of disabled airline passengers happens in advanced societies. If there were an Olympic Games for airlines, few would be deserving of a gold, silver or even bronze medal in the disability assistance category.
Airline representatives often complain to me about how “everything you post is negative,” which is not true, but it reflects an attitude that carriers should get a pat on the back for doing what the Air Carrier Access Act requires them to do. They’d like me to write about trips where my rights are not violated, and ignore stories like these:
- How JetBlue choked me during a transfer into its terribly inaccessible Mint Suite business class seat
- How a discriminatory American Airlines policy temporarily banned power wheelchair users from flying to 130 U.S. Airports
- That time United Airlines settled a lawsuit that alleged it left a wheelchair user with a catastrophic brain injury
- How American Airlines dropped my wheelchair — and planned to hide it
You get the point. Airlines aren’t doing a good enough job, so when things do go “right” it’s actually a big surprise.
Last week, on a Brussels Airlines flight from Brussels, Belgium to Budapest, Hungary, I enjoyed what may have been the most seamless flight that I have ever experienced in Europe. I had flown the carrier previously and was not that impressed, but this time, they really shined.
I booked the flight two days before departure and notified the carrier that I was traveling with my power wheelchair. Their response was a bit confusing, and led me to believe that they had approved my wheelchair assistance request, but not my power wheelchair. (As a brief aside, requiring advance notice for any of this is ridiculous and should be outlawed by every government in the world.)
When I turned up at the Brussels Airlines check-in counter, I was amazed that my wheelchair was tagged and I was sent on my way in less than a minute. Normally, personnel for non-U.S. airlines have a complete meltdown at the sight of an electric wheelchair, but not this agent — she knew her stuff.
At the gate, I was allowed to pre-board before all other passengers (an absolute civil right in the United States, but not in Europe unless it is a flight departing to the USA), which I have found to be hit-or-miss at best in Europe.
On arrival to Budapest, my wheelchair was brought to the aircraft door using an AmbuLift (one of the 6 Tools Airlines Can Use to Prevent Wheelchair Damage), and I was driven to the terminal building, where I made my way to baggage claim and customs. From the time the aircraft parked, it took me only 27 minutes to reach the airport curb. Compared to my experiences in the United States, that is lightning fast.
Though I had a wonderful experience with Brussels Airlines, there is no guarantee that you will also. The only value in reporting on positive experiences like this one is to clearly document that it is possible, though airlines’ constant cost-cutting and their general disregard for the dignity and safety of disabled passengers means that “perfect” experiences like this one are few and far between.
A few final thoughts
I am flying home to the United States today, and eagerly await a restful weekend that I hope will help me to finally beat a prolonged bout of jet lag. Next week, I plan to write about my trip to France in greater detail — including some reviews of hotels that I found to be very accessible.
Also on my agenda is finalizing the itinerary for the first 2025 Wheelchair Travel Group Trip, which will go on sale later this month. Be sure to keep an eye on your inbox!
Thank you, as always, for your readership and support!