5 Essentials to Traveling in Iceland with a Disability

I like to think of myself as a fairly independent person — almost to the point of stupidity at times. I’m a paraplegic and rarely admit that I need some help even in those moments that most able-bodied people would know to just ask. I’m the type of girl that would (literally) rather fall on her face trying to get down a couple stairs, than ask for help.

So of course I thought I could do Iceland alone in the winter. I’m from upstate New York where it’s typical to get 10 inches of snow at a time, and it would only be for two days. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

WRONG.

I wanted to visit Iceland and Arctic Norway to see the Northern Lights for my birthday this year, and was all jazzed up to go solo. Everyone thought I was nuts, so a couple weeks before the trip, my sister in-law decided to join me. I ended up being extremely grateful that she did. Iceland, although beautiful, had a myriad of obstacles waiting for me that I had not faced before, and I needed her help getting on buses, getting my wheelchair onto vans, and getting through the snow that never seemed to end.

So if you’re in a wheelchair and are thinking of traveling to Iceland, I have some advice for you, through the lens of traveling on a budget.

1. You Can’t Drive Yourself Around