South Carolina

So let me tell you about my family vacation to South Carolina. It was myself, my husband, and 4 kids ranging from 12 to 2. So for me with my disability travel is especially difficult. Public restrooms are a no go especially if they are not clean. I have to have assistance in public restrooms because of the muscle weakness in legs, arms and back. Add that to sitting in a car and it can be difficult. But right now car travel is way better than airline or train travel because its easier for me to maneuver and control the stops. I had to make sure I had adequate protection just in case I was unable to make it to the bathroom on time. With my weakness I can't walk but so fast and I have to use a cane so if I wait to long or if my bladder won't hold itself it can be a messy situation. So Walmart sells these padding that looks like adult diapers, I used that and depends for my car ride. I was well protected. The car ride took about 6 hours. Our first stop was Florence, SC for my husband's family reunion. For our first family trip on such a long ride we did good. We packed snacks, sandwiches and drinks for the road. We made sure the kids had movies for the ride and we headed off. Let me just say packing food for the road was such a life saver and it helped with less frequent stops and it saved money, Our minivan has great gas mileage because with the food in the car and a car full of gas we only stopped once. We arrived in Florence to the Country Inn & Suites. Now normally I ask for a handicap room but this particular hotel (it was the one selected for the reunion) did not have any pull out couches or connecting rooms so I had to opt for a regular room. I couldn't let my young kids stay in a room by themselves in a hotel let alone state that I am not familiar with. The hotel had an elevator and I had my mobile scooter so I didn't think much of it when they put me on the 3rd floor. (In hind site I should have requested 1st floor) The first night was fine until I woke up the next day only to find that the elevator was out of service and we had to be at the family event by noon. Needless to say my husband had to carry my scooter to the 1st floor and I had to slide down the steps from the 3rd floor. It was not fun. On Sunday we checked out and headed to Myrtle Beach. Which I encountered another hotel with no handicap rooms. This one though was my fault as I booked through my timeshare and didn't do the research beforehand to see if they had handicap rooms. I assumed every hotel had handicap rooms and that all I had to do was call and request after booking. Nope not the case at this hotel but it was fine. It was a nice hotel it was called the Grande Atlantic. Myrtle Beach was fun for the kids and hubby but me not so much. Because of the hotel setup I had no access to get to the beach because you had to go up and down stairs. Plus I don't think I could walk on the sand as its not as steady as pavement. So I stayed by the pool with a sleeping two year old while my husband took the other kids to the beach. I didn't get in the pools either because getting in would be tuff and getting out even tuffer. Plus how could my husband watch me and the kids at the same time. So I just sat by the pool and watched them enjoy themselves. I made sure I had my padding protection because how on earth would I get to the bathroom in time. The other bad thing was the bathing situation. I pretty much had to take sink baths the whole trip because both hotels had step in tub showers and the tubs were so deep that my husband couldn't even help me lift over to get into the shower. The first time we tried I almost hurt myself and him. Then the toilets at these places were extremely low. I mean why are toilet seats so low to the ground, even for a normal person why make them sit so low. I guess I am use to all my toilet seat risers at home. Oh and then my scooter wasn't working properly as the hotel outlets didn't have enough voltage to properly charge my battery. So whenever we went out my battery went capute after about an hour. So then I had to get pushed everywhere in my scooter. Other than these minor hiccups I can say that I put on a good face and didn't let it get me down. The kids were happy and my husband wasn't severely stressed. Maybe a little stressed but not severely. If he was he hid it well. I mean he had 4 kids and a disable wife to deal with who could blame him if he did. The highlights of Myrtle Beach though was Broadway on the Beach and Paula Deen's restaurant. I recommend that place to anyone who loves family style eating and who has an appetite because there can be no leftovers taken home. That was the best food we ate the entire trip.