7 Reasons to Use a Wheelchair While Traveling

"Elizabeth, please rent a wheelchair today," my best friend begged.

We were on the last day of our vacation, and I was flaring badly. I had forced myself to walk on almost every day of our trip, and I was paying for it. Everything hurt badly. I couldn't get my jeans on that day because my ankles were so swollen. I resisted the wheelchair. It was expensive, hard to manage, and I felt like people were looking at me.

Ultimately, I gave in, and my friend and I had a great time. It dawned on me that I could've had a wonderful, less stressful trip if I had taken the plunge and used the wheelchair in the first place. I also could've avoided the flare that plagued me for about six weeks after.

Since that trip, I feel wheelchair rentals are a wonderful option for people with arthritis, but it can be hard to convince yourself or even your family that it's necessary. For that reason, I compiled a list of why my travel companions and I feel wheelchair rentals are vital for your next vacation:

1. Pain saver

First and foremost, using a wheelchair while you're away can help prevent a lot of pain, both in the short-term and long-term. While walking through a museum or standing in line at theme parks might seem worth it at first, you may end up paying for it in the long-run with a flare. Don't risk your health if you're in a lot of pain. Don't push yourself. Take a load off, enjoy, and help keep flares at bay.

2. Stress relief

Family vacations can be stressful at times. It's easy to get on each other's nerves when you go away for a week. Being tired and in pain only makes that worse.

Using a wheelchair can help keep your pain levels low, which in turn helps you keep your cool. It's a lot easier to focus on enjoying yourself when you're not flaring or desperately needing to rest. I've been told that I'm much more pleasant to travel with when I use a wheelchair.

3. Conserve energy

There may be certain activities you do while traveling that you don't want to use a wheelchair for, but that doesn't mean you should forgo using a wheelchair the whole trip! Don't waste precious energy on long walks between activities, standing in line, or running errands (we end up stopping by WalMart on every road trip). Instead, rest so you have more energy for the fun activities.

4. Sit as needed

Staying still for too long can cause a lot of stiffness and pain, so sitting in a wheelchair all day isn't ideal. You can get out at any time and push it around when you need to stretch your legs. Even on the days I feel good and would like to do some walking, I like that I always have a chair available to rest when I need it.

5. Something to hold onto

As I mentioned in #4, it can be helpful to get up and walk around from time-to-time. Even when you're walking, the wheelchair is a great tool. I like to lean on it to help take the edge off while walking. It's also a great stabilizer when your balance is off!

6. Elevation

Heat, alcohol, and long days are all things on vacation that can cause extra swelling. Personally, I always get cankles while traveling. For that reason, when I rent wheelchairs, I prefer to get ones with adjustable leg height. Being able to have your feet up even a little helps a lot throughout the day.

7. Enjoy your time

Honestly, why force yourself to be in pain? Time away is precious, and you should enjoy every moment you can. You shouldn't have to put on a brave face and force yourself through it.

Still apprehensive?

I was for a long time. In many ways, I felt I had to force myself to be up and moving my whole vacation. Even when it hurt, I felt pressure to persevere because I was told I looked fine and that exercise is good for me. My first time using a chair made me feel extremely guilty.

After a few trips using a wheelchair, I realized how much more I enjoyed my time away. The reality is, a wheelchair is a tool that people use for many reasons, not just because they can't walk. Saving energy, preventing flares, and improving the quality of your time while traveling are valid reasons to use one.