Guest Post: Nath Fernandes is a NCFE qualified Life Coach and director of The Coaching and Therapy People providing Life Coaching (including travel advice) and Therapy solutions to individuals with neurological conditions across the UK. In this article, Nath will outline the benefits that a simple holiday can bring to a disabled person.
Living with a disability such as Cerebral Palsy can be challenging at times in terms of the extra things that need to be carried out on top of the daily grind whether it be attending appointments or frantically searching around online for wheelchair parts when your equipment fails!
After a while, it can feel like an endless cycle, or, as I like to put it, a carousel hence having something to look forward to is crucial to your health and well-being and can boost your motivation considerably. This may not even be in the form of a holiday; it could be something simple like attending a football match.
The benefits of a holiday depend on the type of holiday one chooses. We all know that if we pick a ‘beach’ or a conventional ‘package’ holiday to, say Benidorm, we are almost guaranteed to have rest and recuperation i.e., letting your mind be free from the stress of everyday life which gives the body time to stop and ‘repair’ itself whether that is through sleep or the act of relaxation resulting in reduced muscle tone.
However, if a ‘beach’ holiday isn’t your thing and you would rather explore the world like myself, this opens up a different set of benefits, especially for the psychological mind. As human beings, we love to learn about our surroundings and what better way to do this than explore different cultures?
When exploring the world, we awaken various senses that may have been laid buried within the daily slog. Let’s say that one visits India, we have the visual sense being awoken by the countless cars and tuk-tuks whizzing past whilst the audio sense is filled with the sound of horns blaring (not so good if you have sensitive hearing!) and the aroma of Indian food fulfilling the senses of taste and smell.
Even though the UK is now rated among the most accessible countries in the world, we still have a limited number of ‘experiences’ compared to non-disabled people whether that is due to our strict health and safety legislation or simply the geographic location of the land.
Travelling to another country opens up a whole new world of possibilities whether it be riding a camel in Morocco in a specially adapted seat or trekking up to Macha Pichu in Peru in an adapted buggy (both of which are on one’s bucket list).
Undertaking such activities allows you to return from holiday with a fresh perspective on life and may even prompt some changes in daily life.
For more information on Naths Travel Advice service, please visit – https://coachingandtherapypeople.uk/travel-advice/ or to read about his global travels, please visit his Wheelchair Traveller blog.
Staying up to date…
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